I don’t like it. Nothing looks hopeful or promising. I find myself seeing everything going to the dogs, no matter what. Strike that. There’s nothing wrong with dogs. I’m talking about the cockroaches in suits who currently run the country.

For instance, all the normal signs are that the Democrats will take over one or both Houses of Congress. The Democrats are not saints, but they’re also not totalitarians. For one thing, they’re just not organized enough. A Democratic takeover ought to mean that the thuggery and criminality of the last six years is finally investigated. It ought to mean some kind of justice is done. It ought to mean that the US starts behaving like a country instead of a gang. I ought to be full of pleased anticipation.

Instead, I’m thinking the polls mean nothing. The thugs will have some military adventure to pump up their popularity. Admittedly, it’s getting late in the day for that. I expected it a week ago. They’ve scheduled Saddam’s verdict for four days before the election. The thugs are presenting vague non-evidence that the usual suspects plan to topple Lebanon. No doubt, they’ll arrest a bunch of “terrorists” shortly, thereby saving the country from a fate worse than death. That should give them about five percent at the polls. They’re at about 40% now, in round, national numbers. The remaining 5.1% can be handed to them by rigged voting machines. Presto: 51%.

When I think I’m being too pessimistic, and that the level of ill will is so high that even Diebold won’t save them, then I figure that the Democrats will be too spineless to actually DO anything. They’ll fart around being all centrist instead of just mucking in there and doing what’s right.

And then I get even grumpier, and I think that whether they do anything or not, it doesn’t matter. Come 2008 and the next presidential election, everything will magically become the Democrats’ fault if they control anything at all.

It’s hopeless.

Except that I do hope I’m wrong.

Update: November 25th
Well, They tried the scare tactics, but nothing big enough to pull their fat out of the fire. Maybe the military is so mad by now that enough officers wouldn’t play along. And They tried messing with the election itself (tens of thousands of votes electronically vaporized, and that’s just the ones we already know about). But I was wrong that They would be able to do enough. So far, so good.

It’s a new feeling, enjoying being wrong. Now I have to worry about whether it’ll last.