There's a lot of worry in the liberal blogs about Republican "dirty tricks" in the run up to the election, especially about ways the Republican Party might try to steal the election.
Many have expressed concerns about disenfranshising minorities and rigging electronic voting machines. We know the Republicans are capable of this and we know they have done it.
What is encouraging, however, is that if Obama's lead holds steady or even grows over the next month, it will be almost impossible for them to steal this election. Their shenanigans require the election to be close, with a plausible "surprise" ending. If Obama remains up by eight or more points, not only in the national but also in the state polls, there is no way they can win, even with their dirty tricks. No one would buy it and there would be the recount of all recounts, not to mention criminal investigations.
In addition, they usually target a handful of states. With the large number of states in play this year, there is no way they could target enough swing states to pull this off.
Besides, I think a lot of Republicans just don't think John McCain is worth risking jail time.
We could very well see the first African American candidate win in a landslide. We could see a whole new electoral map develop. And we could see the end of conservative nonsensical economic and social policies.
I would never say that an Obama victory, with all the significance this will have in our nation's history and the ongoing development of our national identity, makes up for the past eight disastrous years. How could anyone say that over 4000 military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan, the deaths and misery of Katrina, the worsening economy, and the near destruction of the Middle Class are a price worth paying?
But if Obama is elected, and if he governs as a wise man, which I believe he will, then we will at least be putting reasonable people back in charge of government so they can end wars, reconnect America with the international community, rescue our economy and our Middle Class, and put this country back together again.
