I have this bottle of tequila in my kitchen cabinet that I got when I moved into my apartment. I do not drink very much tequila and the bottle has sat unopened and generally forgotten about. Forgotten that is until I watched the third and final Presidential debate tonight. I was quite ready to climb into that bottle and swim hoping it would help alleviate all the outrage that I had building inside of me. I did not open it, instead I have spent the last thirty minutes staring at the blinking cursor on my laptop trying to find the right words to express what I think is going to happen if this election goes a certain way.
First, I should say that I do not own a television, all my news and entertainment come from my internet connection, so I was excited to see that Fox News was streaming the debates live through Hulu.com. I was finally going to get an opportunity to see it as it happened without first seeing a Saturday Night Live sketch or reading a public opinion poll deciding the winner.
I sat down tonight at my desk thrilled to be a live participant.
When I stood up again I had grave misgivings about this nation, where it has been and where it might go.
The election seems decided; the polls show a huge gap between the two Senators, with Obama leading the way, despite the conservative base rallied into a frenzy. I have thought that elections had been decided before Election Day previously. I was very wrong. What has me so nervous is the confidence of Obama supporters. There is a “there is no way we can lose” voice coming out every time Sen. McCain shows his true colors, as he scoffs off camera, as he dodges direct questions and I thought it myself tonight. There is no way Sen. Obama can lose this election, and frankly, I am scared of how many people are thinking that very same thought.
That thought could keep countless people from going to the polls on November 4 th. That thought is why Sen. McCain is so confident in the underdog position. He knows the weaknesses of Americans; he knows the inconvenience that we feel when asked to finish what we have started. This is why we were not listening to a discussion on the policies of President Gore tonight.
Not only do I fear riots as the result of public outrage if Sen. McCain is to become our next President, but I fear that the very people who will yell the loudest and will cause the greatest dissention among our population will be the very same people that were so confident in Sen. Obama that they themselves did not go out and vote.
Sitting still and becoming a “fan” of Senator Obama on Facebook, or putting him in your “top friends” on MySpace is not voting and I want to make that perfectly clear to everyone that falls into the age of voting privilege for the first time this year. You have to actually leave the house and vote. I do not care if you vote with your party, or vote (like me) with your conscience but drag yourself to the polls… run to the polls!
My thoughts now are turning back to that bottle of tequila in my kitchen as I realize that what I have said here is something that actually has to be explained to a generation. The taste of tequila seems good to me now, as I realize that John McCain and his camp of advisors and cronies know this and don't plan to do a damn thing about it.
