Bad News, Good News, October Surprises, and Patriotism

It is no secret that I want Bush to lose, and Kerry to win. In my opinion, the prospect of a second Bush administration, without even the check of reelection to keep it from imposing its goofy neo-con, billionaire agenda on the world, is likely to cause even more damage to the country I love than the disastrous first term. By electing Kerry, we can begin repairing our economy, our environment, and our international standing.

As of today, I'm feeling fairly confident that Kerry will prevail. The electoral college looks as though it's tilting his way, and the debates have shown him to be a solid, articulate contrast to the "flip-flopper" that the Bush campaign had fabricated.

But today is October 10, not November 2. So much can happen between now and then to change the result, and, if the events were to favor Bush, we would be sentenced to another disastrous 4 years.

The fear of pro-Bush events puts me in a quandary. So-called "good news" could help Bush, and "bad news" could help Kerry. A significant rise in the economic numbers could cause a crucial bump in the polls for Bush, and increased American casualties in Iraq could help Kerry.

The report that came out this week, showing weak job growth, provides an example of the awkwardness. Nobody wants more people to be unemployed, but the prospect of yet another statistic that shows just how badly the economy is responding to Bush's pro-billionaire policies is, frankly, welcome. But, when it comes, we can't trumpet it as good news, because the "good news" is just more evidence of Bush's incompetence causing more and more human suffering.

The issue gets even more complex when considering some of the bigger possibilities. The capture of bin Laden, ironically, could help Bush. (Ironic because it would come after 3 years of Bush failing to provide adequate resources to bring the mass murderer to justice.) A terrorist attack on American soil could (again ironically) help Bush. On the other hand, a "Tet offensive" in Iraq, with massive American casualties, could boost Kerry. A stock market crash could help Kerry.

So, what do I hope for?

In short, I keep my eye on the prize of what is best for America. Getting rid of Bush is clearly the best thing for America, but not at the cost of catastrophic events. On the other hand, I hope that bin Laden's freedom continues to demonstrate that the Bush's ill-conceived and unjustified adventure in Iraq has so distracted our nation's resolve that we cannot catch a 6 foot, 5 inch kidney dialysis patient. I hope that the reality of the economy improves, but that the measures of past performance continue to reflect the misery that Bush has caused those outside of his country-club set.

I am pro-America, but solidly anti-Bush. The two are consistent.