4 November 2008 - 11:33View From the Sidelines
As I cannot vote, not being a citizen, I will blog.
I tweeted about a certain uneasiness concerning the election. I made a clumsy attempt at humour to attribute the jitters to working in an office full of McCain supporters, but I was thinking about the somewhat storied history of the Dems of “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.” A thought occurred to me, however, contrasting the likely reactions of the supporters on the losing side. This is how it looks to me.
If John McCain loses, I believe the bulk of the reaction will have to do with his supporters lamenting who won. That’s been the tone of the campaign and comments I’ve heard first-hand so far. The screwy pronouncements and rumours on everything from Obama’s clandestine religious affiliations to his desire to socialize everything he can get his hands on. I’d say it’s ridiculous, but it appears folks’ minds are set.
If Barack Obama loses, the reaction will be much different. People are already set to believe that a McCain win will essentially guarantee at least 4 more years of the policies put in place by the Bush administration. There will be plenty of angst about that and to some lesser degree, the qualification’s of the VP given the actuarial probability that she will have to step into the president’s shoes at some point during his term.
What’s different about an Obama loss for a large number of his supporters, the people that organized and “worked the room” for him, is the sheer depth of the disappointment. I don’t get the sense that there would be the same profound sense of loss on the McCain side. Disappointment sure. Apprehensiveness about the image of the shadowy figure that they’ve built up around Obama. For Obama supporters however, a loss would cut far deeper. To have gone for so long with such a high degree of passion and been so disciplined, only to get this close and to lose it. “Disappointed” would be an incredible understatement. Try “utterly crushed.”
Trying to guesstimate the opinion my McCain supporting co-workers would have to this sentiment goes something like, “Tough.” I honestly believe they believe that an Obama win would be disastrous for the country. I disagree, but get the strong sense that that mindset is prevalent enough that should Obama win, it will anything but smooth sailing. My opinion is that he’s got the temperament to deal with it, but when I look at how the last couple of presidents visibly aged while in office, I can’t say it will be pretty. Hell, just look at Obama now compared to when the primaries started. The man’s aged. It’s an amazing and unsettling process to watch.
The next while will be interesting to watch, in the Chinese way, as one of the people I follow on Twitter said (I’ll get around to saying ‘tweeps’ eventually - I just can’t bring myself to do it now). Sure the numbers look good for Obama, but there are plenty of ways it can still fall apart. And none of them can be affected at this point. All we can do is wait. Well, and vote, of course. That would be the royal we. By which I mean you, of course. ‘Cause I can’t vote. Like I said. Anyway. So, yeah. I’m jittery.
No Comments | Tags: politics