With Friends Like These…

This weekend, one of my lefty Facebook friends posted the following status message:

(NAME) is starting \”Free Cindy McCain\” – there\’s no way John McC reserves his anger and contempt for outside the home.

That comment received an \”lol\” from a commenter.

So with a day left before the election, this is where we are – John McCain abuses his wife.  Something tells me if I had left a message insinuating Barack Obama beats his wife Michelle, it wouldn\’t have elicited an \”lol\” from any of my friends.

Last week, I issued an empassioned post about how you shouldn\’t judge things (like the Dave Matthews Band and Wal-Mart) by how obnoxious or undesirable their supporters are.  They can\’t really help who their fans are, and it shouldn\’t color how you feel about them personally.

In that vein, I have to say that I don\’t necessarily see the world coming to an end when Obama is elected tomorrow.  He is clearly smart, composed, and able to inspire people to do things greater than themselves.  It\’s just too bad he\’s liberal – although Bill Clinton was elected with a democratic Congress, and we\’re all still alive to speak about it, so I\’m marginally optimistic.  It appears America is going to elect Obama because we want \”change.\”  Over the weekend, Dallas Cowboys fans were calling for \”change,\” and they ended up with Brooks Bollinger at quarterback.  Congrats – you got your change.  (Tying Obama to Bollinger might be more effective than tying him to Reverend Wright, given the way he played this weekend.)

Also, I\’m not an idiot, so I obviously recognize the historic importance of what we\’re about to do.  Electing a half-African American man as President isn\’t something I ever thought I\’d see in my lifetime, and it signals a great deal of progress.  (In fact, conservatives have been arguing this progress has been going on for a long time – ironically, it will take electing a liberal for people to finally realize it.)  Ironically, Obama himself represents the kind of hard work and upward mobility he claims is currently impossible in America.

The main problem I have with Obama\’s ascendance is the effect it will have on his nutty supporters.  For the left wing fringe, Obama\’s election will suddenly seem like a validation of all their crazy theories.  Take, for example, author Naomi Wolf, who believes America is undergoing a \”fascist shift.\”  Or the people who think George Bush had a hand in planning the 9/11 attacks.  Or those crazy Code Pink ladies.  Or any of the cesspool of dirtbags who post on the Democratic Underground, DailyKos, or wherever.  All of a sudden, these people will think they matter – and that the American public is 100% on board with whatever semi-lucid conspiracy theories they trot out.

If the US Senate can stay filibusterable (new word) and if Republicans can somehow retain control of the Wisconsin Assembly, the safeguards will be in place for at least a modicum of balance in government.  But there will be no limits to the newfound resolve handed to the lunatic fringe, who will expect President Obama to turn back every Bush era accomplishment (and there are few.)  One hopes that if Obama governs from the center, it will be these groups that turn on him first.

SIDE NOTE:  If it sounds like I\’m predicting an Obama win, it\’s because I am.  And if Obama loses, your house will be on fire anyway, so you\’ll have more stuff to worry about than my crappy prediction.  Seek high ground immediately.