3:37 pm ET

Things that happen without fail every four years:

• The camp of any newly minted vice presidential candidate will say their guy/gal isn’t being used enough or correctly. “Let X be X.”
• Pundits and politicos compete to (prematurely) declare the race over.
• The slightest diss of the top of the ticket by a down-ballot candidate becomes a major media controversy (more with one party than the other).
• Anything that can possibly be an October Surprise causes mass hyperventilation.
• Matt Drudge becomes America’s assignment editor.
• We miss Johnny Apple.