| Yes, I've seen the polls. Lord god have I seen the polls. Yes, I've heard the reports of lopsided early voting. Yes I understand the whole underpolling-the-cell-phone-users bit. But the fact is, I'm still scared half out of my brain.
Part of it is that I've seen so many elections go the way they weren't supposed to - sometimes despite the polls (2002 Vermont Governor's race anybody?). And despite all the cavalier talk of "blowouts," even an electoral vote "blowout" will, when all is said and done, be close in terms of the popular vote. Too close for comfort.
But the thing that really has me scared is the stakes. It's always about the stakes. I can go downtown and challenge some pool-playing hot shot to a game for a drink, and who cares? It's just a lousy drink.
But this election feels more like a game of russian roulette. Sure, the odds are 5 in 6 that I'll come out okay - but the stakes are withering. And consider the stakes for this election.
A McCain win would mean another war of choice with Iran. A McCain win would mean throwing economic gasoline onto our global financial firestorm, just for the sake of letting the super-rich squeeze out every last drop of money they can from a middle and working class on the brink. A McCain campaign would mean throwing environmental degradation into high gear.
But a McCain campaign would also give us a president who would be likely to become incapacitated at some point in his term, which would then bring us another president who would waste no time using the power of the office to force her frightening religious beliefs into every corner of our Republic, and whose zeal for a culture war against me and my family would only be matched by her abject incompetence at steering the ship of state through uniquely troubled waters.
So while I objectively understand where the early champagne-poppers are coming from, witnessing such premature celebrations just scares me even more. It aint over til its over, and I can't help but feel that pretending it's all a done deal - even if it may well be - is to not truly appreciate the totality of what's at stake.
So tomorrow I'll venture out into the barrel of the gun, and do my part to tip the odds our way as the trigger is pulled. And if enough of us do, hopefully when that hammer falls as the polls close, it'll fall onto an empty chamber.
After all - the odds are on our side, right? |
250-1
55-1
