We're on the big countdown now. Seven minutes to midnight. Seven nights until "The Messiah" Obama or "Get Off My Lawn" McCain get shoved into office.
Most publications and pundits seem sure that Obama and the Democrats will cross the finish line well ahead of the plodding old man and his elephant friends. Tom Bradley and I have other thoughts about that. If Obama is up and the race is within 5-6 polling points on Monday, look for a very, very long night on Tuesday, maybe well into Wednesday:
So what happens when McCain gets elected? Of course, lots of people will be shocked and stunned, creating a nation of Zombies. There will be class action lawsuits enacted against a multitude of state boards of election. There will be joyous exultation from the Christian Conservative wing of the Republican Party. Stock in EndTimes will soar. Moderate church-goers (and disbelievers) will pack pews praying for John McCain's good health. Clintonistas will become insufferable. Passport applications will crush.
A generation of young voters will become instantly jaded and fall away from the ramparts, never engaging in political exchange again. Non-white citizens will tell each other: "I told you so." If that is all that happens, we will be very lucky indeed.
And the airwaves and blogosphere will resonate with the hyper-insane prattle of the Right Wing-off-meds. Here is the greatest re-cap of this election season one can hope to read, from the perspective of our conservative brethren of the blogs:
Oh, that is just so good. Obama having sex with the unattractive disabled man has got to be my favorite. And really, the comments section is what really makes it!!
The Onion has a customarily excellent take on how the election will impact one of the economy's most dependable markets: anti-Bush merchandise:
My favorite is the camping tent with the image of the Bush White House staff on the side...
And now for the Quote of the Day:
"Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for." -- Will Rogers
2 comments:
Mike, Mike, Mike. So negative. So sad. I'm not going to go into too much detail to respond to your comments, but I do take exception to one thing in particular. You state that young people everywhere will be turned off if Obama doesn't win. I don't agree. I have spoken to many young people who are engaged in the process and will actually vote Republican. They are intelligent, thinking people (just like their Democratic leaning friends in the same age group) who will stay engaged in the process regardless. Let's not assume that every college campus (and those that have just left them) have student bodies that lean to the left. Not everyone under 23 is a Democrat or a liberal. Unfortunately, this generation of kids has never kept score, they all got trophies, and most were pushed through a mediocre public school system that is beholden to teachers' unions instead of accountable to their students. So, yes they don't know how to take losing well, but I bet they become engaged. Either way, what we are looking at is a single term president that will most likely fail to make any decisive changes.
Hey Ken -
You know, you're correct about the young 'uns, to a degree. I was lazy, naturally, when dashing off the post. I even thought to myself as I reread it: "But I don't mean that ALL young people will become jaded and turn away from politics." But being lazy, I couldn't bring myself to change it. What the hell, right?
I meant to describe the Obamacons. There will always be ardent young supporters of either party. But the majority of young activitsts in this race have been for Obama. I suspect they'll fold like a cheap table if/when he loses. It's been the hallmark of the Obama campaign: his ground game has been energized all along by young workers. (Reminds me of another young person's candidate/loser: Eugene McCarthy.)
If Obama tanks there will be many more "crushed" kids than if McCain loses.
Anyway, I hope that regardless of what happens on Tuesday, our sons and their generation remain active and informed. And positive!
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