Dancing in the Streets

It's election day. Anything could happen. Let's assume the worst and the election is so close that it could go either way with a court ruling or the vote of a few legislators. What happens when the result of that is another legal but marginal victory for Bush?

Based on the rhetoric, the attitudes and the inflamed emotions of democrats, is it unrealistic to prepare for widespread rioting and civil unrest? Neolibs may hate war, but they don't necessarily hate violence, so long as it's directed against the United States or 'The Man' or the person on whom they've focused all their fear and loony paranoid fantasies for four years. They're depserate for a win because in many ways this election is a final referrendum on their entire political philosophy. If they win liberal socialism lives on. If they lose it goes onto the dustheap of history along with its old pal communism.

We've already seen some signs of the desperation. The massive get out the vote effort, the increasingly shrill tone of the rhetoric, the forged documents, the rumor campaigns, the pure scare tactics and today the massive efforts at election fraud from college students voting twice in New Hampshire to bogus ballots in Pennsylvania to vanishing poll locations and electioneering by officials right here in Texas. They're pulling out all the stops and taking advantage of the fact that the republicans have at least some scruples and don't like to get their hands dirty. Republicans prefer to buy elections. Democrats like to steal them.

But what if it doesn't work. For the mass of democrat extremists this seems to be a make or break election. They either win now or they give up on the political process, blame it all on a conspiracy and claim the system disenfranchised them. The next step is rioting in the streets, looting and burning down schools and libraries. These are people who are ruled by fear. They want to capitulate to terrorists and the UN and every bully on the block because they're afraid to take a stand for anything. They like to pass the buck and pass the blame. Responsibility is an dikrty word and they've been too long without a government mommy putting the teat in their mouths. They're on the brink, and I'm afraid that once the election is over and their lawyers can't steal it back for them, they're going to crack and explode in violence all over the nation.

At base the extreme Neolibs really aren't very mature people. Their view of the world is childlike. They see it as full of mysteries and secrets and generally hostile - something too complex for them to understand and therefore only to be feared. They're like kids who see a glittery ball and that's all they want and all they can think of. If someone takes that ball away a tantrum is inevitable.

I think that if Bush wins the election a certain amount of violence is inevitable - some rioting on college campuses, a few beatings, some looting - but there may be even larger ripples. I could see it leading to a split in the democrat party when the liberals who failed to get Kerry elected and become the target for blame from the Neolib extremists and the two groups go their separate ways. I had always thought this would happen in the Republican party first, but with this election I see more volatility and fear among the liberals.

I think the republican response to a loss would be much different. Republicans aren't driven as much by fear, the party is more accepting of diversity and certainly more flexible. With a loss their may be some lawsuits and a lot of angry rhetoric, but there won't be riots of entrepreneurs and suited executives in the streets. They're the people who do the work to keep the country going and their natural response will be to get to work on figuring out why they lost and making sure it doesn't happen next time. Plus, by all counts they'll still be running the country from the house and senate and most of the governors mansions, so it's much less of a last hope for them.

Dave