Light and hearty observations from a fat and ugly guy. Home of hackneyed drivel and ersatz-existentialist effluence. Choleric biliousness a specialty, since 1958.

Obama to win, I hope...

At this point, I'm hoping for an Obama blowout.

I have a very good friend, a small business owner who along with his partner grossed about 1.2 million bucks last year. They employ eight people, and he makes a comfortable living--now working just four days a week in rotation with his partner. He built this business from the ground up, with nothing provided in advance, no special treatment, just hard work and guts and chutzpah.

Oh, did I mention: he's African American?

My friend, who I'll call Kevin, is one of the nicest guys around. We get together and share beers and talk business...rarely, politics, or anything racial. But the other day I asked Kevin how he was feeling about the election.

He's torn, really torn. For reasons I completely understand, he wants to vote for Obama. But he also knows that a vote for Obama will result in his taxes going up, contraction of work, and the likelihood of his company having to lay off at least two of their full time employees. And that kills him.

So he's not sure which direction he's going, but I think he's leaning Obama.

Setting that aside, he said something really disturbing to me the other day, which was that if there's ANY whiff of 2000 election-type hanging chad stuff, there'll be blood in the streets. And he meant it.

This is him talking now, not me. He said to watch out, that if McCain wins, the "community" will feel like the whole thing was a sham, stolen out from under them, and the resulting violence will make the riots after Dr. King was assassinated look like midget professional wrestling. He actually told me to stay home Tuesday night and all day Wednesday, just in case.

Now, Kevin is no whack job lunatic. He's a responsible, tax-paying professional entrepreneur who lives in a beautiful home and drives a 2008 stunning black-on-black 'Vette, tricked out. He's a really thoughtful guy, and one of my closest friends to boot.

But, know what? I think Kevin's right. The media, having anointed Obama months ago, have played his election end game as so invevitable as to be undenied. So, can you imagine what will happen if McCain somehow pulls this off and wins--even by just a few electoral votes?

What I'm hoping for, then, is a total blowout: Obama 355, McCain something under 200. A mandate. And I hope the Congress goes Democrat, and the Senate, too, with 60+ seats for the Dems. That way they can really enact all the shit they've been talking about, and we'll see where the chips fall. If they suck at it, they'll only have themselves to blame, because they'll have an invincible majority.

It's a classic "put your money where your mouth is" situation, and I truly, at this point, hope they get to try. 'Cause I'm tired of all this bullshit.

That, plus no blood in the streets...and me and my friend Kevin can get back to drinking together.

posted by Nigel St.John Regina Smegmatica Howle-Raines @ 3:27 PM