In case you missed my long post last night about What I Think All This Means, here’s an abbreviated version. I’m post-dating it so it will stay on top until the polls close in North Carolina.
I occasionally think that it will be a Kerry landslide, but mostly I think it will be a nail-biting Kerry victory. There will be legal battles no matter what the outcome. The losers will not recognize the legitimacy of the winner. In the entirely possible and extremely horrifying event of a Bush victory, I think we will witness the solidification of the next huge grassroots social justice movement of our time. At the last Bush inauguration there were almost as many protesters as celebrators on the parade route. This time most of the furs, fake cowboy boots, and ten-gallon hats will not brave the streets which will be full of patriots objecting to another four years of hate in the Whitehouse. This time, no-one will be able to ignore us.
If Kerry wins, we will have an uphill struggle against complacency. Many people who have been involved this year through MoveOn, ACT, Howard Dean’s campaign, and the Democratic Party will think their job is done. They may go back to being “normal” members of society, as if democracy functions on it’s own without caretaking. They may ignore the fact that Republicans will still be in control of Congress, and working at every level to deny our rights, and give themselves more freedom.
Red the whole thing if you want to know why I think this.