Scenario:
All during the summer Senator Obama's slim delegate lead, currently 1367 to 1224, continues to dwindle to a hair's breadth, and both candidates remain well short of the 2,025 needed for the nomination. The nomination is truly up to the super-delegates.
Meanwhile the economy continues to skid, unemployment and prices continue to rise. White unemployment rises to 6.9%, black unemployment rises to 2.5 times as much, but because the skid has begun to accelerate, everyone know the government figures are outdated. Black unemployment probably exceeds 20% and is going higher. In the poorest areas it exceeds 50%. There are warnings of a long hot summer. The dollar continues to sink. Gasoline nears $5 a gallon.
Former President Bill Clinton and the party machines go to work. The convention, originally scheduled for three days in August, drags into the Dog Days of September. It starts to look like Senator Clinton will get the nomination. The Reverend Al Sharpton makes a widely televised speech from the pulpit of a church in Atlanta. He announces that "the fix is in", and denounces unnamed "powers that be". He may even be right.
There are major riots in Los Angeles, Detroit, and Newark, lesser ones in a dozen other cities.
Sub-scenario 1 -- The convention nominates Senator Obama. Anger about the riots and Republican claims that the Democrats "caved in" to the rioters cost the Democrats dearly. Everybody hears Obama's appeals "to heal a divided nation" as appeasement and rewarding rioters. Senator McCain wins in a landslide.
Sub-scenario 2 -- The convention nominates Senator Clinton. Her appearances all over the country are met with angry demonstrations. There are marches, arrests, tear gas, sit-ins. Black voters stay home. Senator McCain wins in a mudslide.
2009 - Media finally gets past their infatuation with President McCain the War-Hero pilot (he heroically got shot down) and President McCain the Maverick. They finally notice President McCain the Prickly Mediocrity.
Hey Jack, nice picture. Of you, not McCain. But one correction to your bio. You do not live in a duplex. there may be two units, but the word duplex implies something more or rather something less than what you have. You have a slightly faded grand home, two stories with a lovely staircase, huge kitchen and fabulous possibilities. The fact that there is a small mother-in-law unit does not make it a duplex.
ReplyDeleteTwo front doors ain't enough?
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I am reminded of the question: What brother combo hit the most home runs in the majors?
ReplyDeleteThe Answer is Hank and Tommie Aaron hit 756 home runs. Hank hit 755 and Tommie hit 1.
That's is what your house and the MIL unit is.
God, that may be too convoluted even for me.
That is pretty obscure even in the company of big league obscure like us.
ReplyDeleteOMG! Are you sure early retirement didn't leave you with too much time on your hands to comment on other people's blogs? I think McCain will not win, no matter how badly Clinton and Obama self-destruct, and they will. But I do think you are bummed by the economy, war, debates, etc., as I am. I'm usually quite a cheery person and Bear Stears nearly did me in.
ReplyDelete