Thursday, October 09, 2008

I Am Afraid

I am afraid the country is on the verge of another Great Depression.

I am afraid of the vicious, hate-filled mobs who are cheering McCain and Palin.

I am afraid that the government may declare martial law and even postpone the election if the economic situation worsens.

I am afraid that McCain-Palin's completely heinous, false and misleading video about Obama being tied to terrorism might actually work because so much of America is full of people who are ignorant.

I am afraid of the Bradley Effect.

I am afraid of voter purges in swing states, voter suppression, and Diebold.

I am afraid of an October Surprise that would benefit McCain. I wouldn't even put it past the GOP to either engineer or allow a terrorist attack if they thought it would help him beat Obama.

I am afraid of the anger that is seething in America, which could erupt if things get worse.

One part of me is excited that Obama is in the lead but another part of me is full of fear for the future. There are still 27 days until the election. Anything could happen.

I've seen some overconfidence among Democrats - a headline today talking about a possible "Obama Landslide." This also makes me afraid. We cannot become complacent, cannot take anything for granted. This article from Alternet makes some very good points:

"Along with throwing mud and benefitting from racism, McCain stands to gain from the fact that the national Republican Party now has a lot more money in the bank than the Democratic Party does. And in many states, a wide range of anti-democratic measures -- including purges of voter rolls and very unreasonable requirements for voter ID on Election Day -- will work to the benefit of the McCain-Palin ticket.

Overall, the polls showing Obama with a sizeable lead should be taken with a box of salt. The count on election night could be close. In the meantime, McCain can only benefit when progressives assume he'll lose.

Such rosy assumptions are dangerous. They're apt to result in overconfidence, reducing volunteer energy and voter turnout for Obama.

Assume that the economic crisis has doomed the McCain campaign? He hopes you will."

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

indeed. but the lovely thing about obama's campaign is that he's moving away from the politics of fear, toward the a greater sense of optimism, grounded in the fact that when people get out there and work, great change can happen.

which is why it's great that you're blogging about this. you're part of the segment which is taking action.

is obama on your twitter?

Fran said...

It is scary but stay strong my girl!

Nelson said...

mauigirl, i share that same fear. The one thing that has me in a slightly better mood is the polls. The Ayers smears started on saturday, yet obama's lead has only increased since. So the smears aren't working so far (with moderates and independents).

I won't be able to breathe easy until it is finally reported that Obama has been elected.

Fran said...

Although the McCain camp has (dirty) money, they are bankrupt, in morals, good intentions, and positive plans for this country. I agree we can;t become complacent with good poll numbers. But I have heard a lot of folks say wall Street handed Obama the election. McCain had openly admitted he really does not know much about the economy-- and has embraced deregulation for decades. they are resorting to this seething hate filled platform because they are bankrupt. they have nothing else to offer but to saber rattle & stir up a bloodthirsty crowd.
But Obama has been on task. He makes sense. He presents intelligent answers without sugar coating & since the economy is imploding, any thinking individual can connect the dots to know the war mongering & the AWOL of regulations has made for a perfect storm. Of course the Bush cronies had a hand in it, and the pubic also knows the war is the biggest pork barrel spending on the roster.
And they know McCain does not see it that way.
Yes there has been some ugly racist, ignorant, vengeful much the McPalin camp has stirred up. It is lower than low.
All the things about voter purging, questioning Diebold, and other shady stuff is a for real genuine concern. But I do think
we have to shine our light in the face of this negativity, and press forward.
Turn those concerns & fears into action.
We've got to

Anonymous said...

It's like a prize fight where the contender is pummeling the current champion into a vegetative state. But all it takes is for one moment late in the fight for the contender to let his guard down; all it takes is one golden opportunity for the champ to knock the contender out with one square shot to the chin. If I'm not mistaken, that's your fear here. It's mine, too.

Randal Graves said...

Oh don't worry about losing your fear. After Obama gets in, all the racist wingnut homophobes will be frothing at the mouth and ready for action!

Dave Dubya said...

Better to have your concerns grounded in reality than those angry ones duped by the radical right.

Those idoits are actually fearful that we may have a terrorist moving into the White house.

I try to be amused by the adsurdity of it all.

DivaJood said...

The thing about fear is that it paralyzes people into inaction. The Neoconservatives have, for the last 8 years, practiced a politics of fear. I believe they knew in advance that the attacks of 9/11 were in the works, and allowed it to happen because it would put the nation to sleep with fear.

Had Gore been in the White House, the attacks would have either never happened, or we would have responded differently. He would not have continued to terrify us.

All of what you list, all the items of fear that you list, are intended to terrify you. To make you so afraid that you cannot make a decision or a choice. Instead of succumbing to the fear, it is essential for us to speak to the truth, and to shine the light of truth on those dark places.

Keep on writing.

Candace said...

I'm afraid, too. And if fear serves to get us all to the polls, then it's a good thing, for a change.

Christopher said...

No, Mauigirl.

Do Not Let These Assholes Scare You.

You will be fine. We will be fine.

Don't let the fear mongers rob you of your power.

There are far more of us than there are of them. Imagine 30 million people descending on Washington DC to run the thugs and tyrants into the Potomac River?

If it comes to that, we will link arms and storm the Bastille.

We will not be destroyed.

Candace said...

Ooh! I just found a GREAT article that will give you hope - I just posted it on mah blog.

Anonymous said...

I know how you feel. I have the same fears about exactly the same things. I am not one at my age to wish days and weeks of my life away, but I surely wish this was November and over. I cannot deep down believe we can lose, but I do see the dark cloud moving over this land and it makes me shiver.

Mauigirl said...

Kouji, yes, I agree, and I think that is why he is ahead in the polls. People are tired of the fear and hate. As for Twitter, I am embarrassed to admit I don't Twitter. How does one get Obama on Twitter?

Fran, I will try! As you will see in the next post, Baxter is trying to keep up my spirits.

Nelson, I saw that too, and am glad so far the smears don't seem to be working. Maybe he started them too late. But like you I won't be confident until he is elected - and even then will be nervous for him.

Fran, yes, that's what I am thinking too - that we must work harder than ever in order to make the win so big that none of these other things can happen to prevent it from happening.

Spartacus, exactly - anything can happen between now and November 4. It is nerve-wracking to have to wait.

Randal, that is something I am worried about too - that even after he gets elected Obama will not be safe from these nutjobs.

Dave, I usually take these people with a grain of salt and try to be amused by them but am really concerned that in the 21st century there are people who are still so ignorant and so racist.

Thanks, DivaJood, I know - we do have to keep shining a light in the darkness. I just hope that once again we aren't duped into another right-wing administration. Having something so much better so near, and having it pulled away at the last minute, would be almost worse than not having it at all.

Candace, I agree - I hope there are plenty of other people who aren't being too complacent about this election. We need every person we can get at the polls.

Christopher, thanks for the words of encouragement. And I do really think that if they tried to steal this election we would be out in the streets - it would mean a revolution.

Candace, I read the article - very inspiring. Everyone should go to your blog and click on the link and read it.

Feather, exactly, I feel the same way. We should be feeling happy that Obama is ahead and enjoying the nice fall weather but all I can think about is November 5 and wondering what we will know then that we don't know now.

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

There is a lot of fear percolating right now. I'm trying very hard not to put the worst possible construction on every Republican act . . . yet to remain vigilant at the same time. I agree with the remark that fear paralyzes us into inaction. I haven't felt this helpless since 9/11, and I don't like it. But I'm trying not to overreact either.

Suzi Riot said...

I think if the right is going to try anything, it would be during an Obama presidency so they could blame him and all Democrats. But my real fear is an assassination attempt from right wing hate groups. Who knows what the next few years might bring... we are certainly living in watershed times!

D.K. Raed said...

It's pretty scary alright ... like a perfect storm of bad things. Watching Palin whipping up her crowds reminds me of "2-Minute Hate" from 1984.