America

I am flattering myself by using the headline above and comparing what I've done the past few months to the travels and writings of Alexis de Tocqueville in the early 19th century. 

Please forgive me for this conceit.  But the truth is that I've actually visited more states -- 28 so far -- than existed when de Tocqueville traveled. 

I've been traveling on business and have talked to around two hundred financial and investor groups about the 2008 election and what it could mean for Wall Street. The people I've spoken with have been high income (in some cases very high), highly educated, and far more Republican than what you're likely to find with a truly representative sample of Americans.

But in spite of the apparent homogenity of the groups, what I've heard and discovered so far has been truly surprising.