By now the president-elect should have his 300 transition staff installed in offices near the White House and be sifting through job applications from the cream of the nation.
But there is still no president-elect and the 90,000 square feet of office space with shiny new computers lies empty, gathering dust. The keys of the offices and $5.3 million of government money for salaries and expenses are waiting to be handed over.
It is always a rush to have everything ready for the takeover of the White House on January 20th but already three valuable weeks have been wasted waiting for Florida.
They do things differently in America. The so-called "permanent civil service" who keep things on the rails in most countries while politicians come and go, is not so permanent over here.
About 3,000 in the senior ranks are political appointments and serve "at the pleasure of the president". Some 600 of these will have to be approved by the Senate before they can put a foot in their offices and these are the top people who will really run the country.
A new president usually enjoys a "honeymoon" period from Congress as he seeks approval for top appointments but this time, whoever wins, there will be a sour mood on Capitol Hill and the appointment process could drag on for much of the year.
Washington is full of "transition" experts and seminars on how you do it right are attracting full houses, but outside the capital most people assume the new president turns up to be sworn in and off he goes. Charles Jones of the University of Wisconsin, who is a transition expert, says: "People are watching football and they don't understand what happens two months from now when you lop off the top echelons of every department and agency and clean out the White House down to the cooks."
George Bush tried to look presidential-elect in Austin, Texas, in the days after the election and held some photo opportunities in an Oval Office setting. He let it be known he was planning his "transition".
But this was seen as typical Texan pushiness and he was slapped down for counting his chickens before they hatch by the Gore campaign. Now Gore himself has dropped a large hint he and his rival should be involved in planning the "big move" even before they know who is doing the moving.
Behind the scenes Gore and Bush have been looking at the resumes of suitable candidates for cabinet posts and senior White House staff. Bill Clinton spent two months agonising over cabinet posts and then discovered too late that getting his top White House staff in place was even more important.
By now a president-elect should have a staff of 300 hard at work ploughing through thousands of CVs from applicants for political jobs. Gore has an advantage here over Bush because if elected he can take over some of the Clinton appointees at least for a while.
Bush if he is moving into the White House will want to have Republicans in place as soon as possible. But even when interviews have taken place, no job can be tied down until FBI clearance is given and this takes time. Neighbours of future cabinet secretaries (ministers in Ireland) and those chosen for national security posts have to be asked if they have noticed anything suspicious about Mr or Ms So-and-So. Medical and tax records have to be scrutinised and previous employers interviewed.
Several of President Clinton's first choices for attorney general had be to asked to withdraw when it was found belatedly they had not paid the social security deductions for their servants or au pairs.
Up on Capitol Hill, things are less complicated. The inauguration day planning goes ahead even without knowing who will be president. The armed services take over much of the preparations for the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue and the ceremonial side of things. Invitations can be printed because the name of the president does not have to be given with the title.
A congressional committee looks after the swearing-in ceremony, the traditional luncheon, the departure for the White House. The sites for the inaugural balls are known. But about $30 million will have to be raised to pay for all the hoopla and no one will want to contribute until they know for whom they are paying.
Meanwhile the Washington glitterati are wondering who is going to set the tone in the capital for the next four years. Will it be Texas beef or Tennesse ribs at the White House? What kind of music will be played at the state dinners? Gore likes Bruce Springsteen. Bush leans to country and western and rock and roll.
At his ranch, Bush likes to grill the steaks and chicken and is said to be especially fond of grilled onions. Not quite the menu for the Georgetown salons but then they have survived eight years of the Arkansas Clintons.
There may be less entertaining at a Bush/Gore White House. Both men like to go to bed early. Bush used to like wild parties but has been on the wagon now for 14 years.
Gore's motto is "Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and organise." He does not seem to have any hobbies except work. We are going to miss Bill Clinton.