At least they will feel better…

There is no doubt that there is a deep divide in the United States right now. The left (fringe and a lot of the mainstream alike*) feel pushed aside, downtrodden and disenfranchised. Many of them are still nursing the stinging rebukes of losing the last two elections. We need only look at the work of normally easy going John Stewart on the daily show to see the effects. Bitterness, bias and an uncharacteristic mean streak have shown themselves in John. I have seen it in my friends, I have seen it in casual acquaintances and I have seen it in strangers. A simmering hurt not to well concealed.

That being said, let’s look at the possible outcomes of the election in a few areas…

Society in general:

• If McCain gets elected this November it will be by a very narrow margin and will fan the flames of the left’s anger like nothing you have seen. Expect an upsurge in anti-Iraq war sentiment, endless anti-Palin editorial cartoons and FriendFeed and Twitter to implode under the weight of the endlessly reposted Tina Fey skits.
• If Obama wins then there will be a lot of pressure released. Yup, it will be all the same stuff as it is now but some of that desperate, sick mania will be gone. The haunted looks and muttered anger about how the system is rigged, gone. Yes, watching the more insufferably insulting members of the left high five each other over cappuccino while wearing their Saint Obama t-shirts will be somewhat distasteful but honestly, it won’t last long. What it will do is let these folks pull back somewhat from the hot core of their anger and resentment. With their guy in office they might relax, breath a sigh of relief and maybe start looking at the world as it is, instead of filtering it all through their Bush hatred.

Racial tensions:

• The one thing I don’t think will change is the racial tensions if Obama wins. Painting the American voter as secretly racist is just too powerful a weapon for Obama or the Democratic party to let go of just because he gets elected. In preparation for 2012 those fires will be stoked, not put aside. If you don’t like how Obama is dealing with an issue as President? Your a racist. How about if you don’t want to re-elect him? Racism, obviously. Yes sir, it will take a lot more than electing a self described Black Man to the highest office in the land to get folks to stop telling us how racist we are as a nation… especially when it’s so useful.
• If McCain wins then I am expecting riots. The violence and preparations for full on violence that were barely thwarted during the Republican convention will flare up in full view. Some of this will be racially driven and some of it will be fringe leftists under cover of racial violence. The riots will be small and easily ended… about on par with your average sports event riot in England but not as bad as the Muslim driven riots in France.

The presidency 2008 – 2012:

• If Obama wins things will relax for a while, then start getting tense again. Obama will be incapable of delivering on his somewhat nebulous promises of “hope” and “change” so the damage control will start early. He will get a few years free ride by complaining about how bad things were when he took over. Then folks will excuse it because a pure soul like him will have a hard time interfacing with those evil Washington types. We’ll be treated to a lot of stories about the Republicans trying to hold him back. You know the drill. Then by 2010 it will be time to fire up the Hopium express and get campaigning for 2012 and if there is one thing Obama loves, it’s running for President.
• If McCain wins then there is a good chance we will see the most contentious government divide in decades. The Democrats will do absolutely everything possible to stonewall and prevent progress. The campaign for 2012 will start on day 1 of the McCain presidency as they try and make sure nothing gets better.

The election in 2012:

• If Obama wins then four years from now we will have an Obama who is actually on record. Rather then fighting the nebulous messiah of hope and change we will have the record of a sitting President. Obama will no longer be able to project an hollow outline for his followers to fill with their dreams. He will (begrudgingly) have had to take a stand on something, cast a vote and sign a bill. This gives the Republicans a fighting chance.
• If McCain wins then four years from now the Democrats will take the White House. The tactics we saw this election from the press, their supporters and the side groups like ACORN will redouble. The reporting in 2010 will make this years coverage look like – well like reporters were doing it. It will get nasty and stay nasty all the way through.

Sarah Palin:

• If McCain wins then I think Palin is going to have 4 years of abuse then be effectively out of national politics. She is already a lightning rod for hatred and unreasoning anger from the left – being part of the team that shut out Saint Obama would only guarantee that continuing. Her energy, her charisma and her charm would be squandered in a futile attempt to protect the McCain presidency from the anger it would attract. She is good, but no one is that good.
• If Obama wins then four years from now Palin would be a fantastic candidate for President. She has all the earmarks of being a figure of Reagan like proportions. She will only grow stronger and more confident as Obama’s glow fades in the hash light of reality.

Joe Biden:

• Who cares?

In a way Obama does have the power to heal some of our hurts as a nation. Not because of who he is, but because of what he is (a Democrat). Hell, that is why I might have voted for Hillary. The only problem is this – Obama is a dangerously weak figure on foreign policy. This weakness will invite attack and the only policy he seems to have a backbone about is making sure we find a way to lose the Iraq war. It is in this area that he is flat out dangerous so while I can see good in his election, I will still hope he gets sent back to Chicago.

* note: Even though I am pretty clear in how I write, folks continually think I talk about “all Obama supporters” or “all on the left” when I explicitly leave loopholes for the sane ones to slip through. So if you are a sane Democrat or Obama supporter then chill out, I probably don’t mean you.