THE BIG DIFFERENCE

The big difference between liberal Democrats and rightwing Republicans (a distinction necessary to make since there are very few truly leftwing Democrats and very few moderate or liberal Republicans anymore, though there once were many of all of the above) can be demonstrated in a simple way.

When Bush Junior stole the election in 2000, and again in many observers views, including mine, in 2004, there were no mass demonstrations by liberal Democrats or angry mobs of liberal Democrats screaming for his head (or even Congressional investigations into the methods used to steal the 2000 and 2004 elections once Democrats won a majority in 2006).

And I am certain there were few, if any, worries on the part of the Republican leadership, among Junior's administration, or even in the Republican party ranks, that Junior was in any actual physical danger, other than the usual threats faced by any president of either party.

Even after his actions or inactions caused some of the most devastating calamities of our times, there seemed to be no fear that some liberal Democrat would do anything more to him than voice their opposition, usually modulated with caveats about how their criticism did not imply any criticism of his patriotism or Christian faith and values etc.

But I doubt there is any Obama supporter, except the youngest and most naive, who isn't worried for Obama.

First of all that the election might be stolen, despite the obvious lead he now has in enough states to win not just the popular vote but the electoral college.

Because rightwing Republicans have tried to suppress voting in the elections of the past, including those of the past eight years, including by bringing cases of voter fraud against Democrats in swing districts or districts where Republicans once held sway and were losing traction (that was at the root of the Justice Department scandal with Gonzales firing Republican-faithful federal prosecutors around the country who refused to bring these suits because there wasn't enough evidence or at times any evidence).

All objective studies show that there have been more problems with Republican corporate owned voting machines and voters being turned away for not having the proper I. D., or too few voting machines being available in Democratic districts, and other voter suppression tactics that would benefit Republican candidates (as in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004), than there has been any proven voter fraud that has benefited or might benefit Democrats.

And I doubt there is any Obama supporter except for the youngest and most naive, who isn't concerned for Obama's safety, if he does win the vote (or even in the few days left before the election if it looks as it does inevitable that he will win).

That's a pretty stark difference. Democrats certainly project a glum scenario if McCain and Plain get elected, especially if something happens to McCain in his first term and Palin becomes president. But I doubt anyone in either of the McCain or Palin camp is worried about some "liberal" physically attacking them, or even of the liberal Democratic leadership pressing any investigation against them if they're elected (after all, Pelosi refused to even consider impeaching Junior even though he has commited more treasonable acts than Clinton or Nixon or any other president in history).

Rightwing Republicans, on the other hand, have used the power of the government, including the military and security agencies, to keep tabs on and thwart or overthrow any opposition (e.g. Nixon's "enemies list" and "dirty tricks," the most expensive investigation in history against Clinton which found no wrongdoing other than an extramarital affair etc., Junior's wiretapping of US citizens etc.).

And the McCain/Palin campaign continues to foment anger and hatred toward Obama and liberals and Democrats, while even further-to-the-right commentators like Rush and some of the Fox crowd and the behind the scenes proteges of Rove in the Palin and McCain camps (especially the former) push even harder for anger and hatred toward anything left of their hardcore rightwing ideology, to the point of fomenting a deep paranoia that if Obama gets elected it will only be by "stealing" votes and it will result in the US being hand delivered to either Muslim terrorists or some amorphous international socialist/communist conspiracy, or worse, leading to the kind of desperate acts blind ideology often leads to.

Like that poor girl who cut a reverse "B" on her cheek (didn't that give it away to anyone besides me that she obviously did it herself while looking in the mirror?) after listening to a robocall from Sarah Palin and the McCain/Palin campaign stirring up that kind of paranoia about Obama, enough to make her deliberately inflict that on herself and claim some Obama supporters did it to her.

The closer it gets to the election, the harder I'm praying for Obama's, and his family's, safety and protection from such crazies, and for a peaceful transition into his presidency, if, as all the polls now make clear, he wins the election and it isn't stolen by voter suppression and faulty voting machines (see this recent story, one of too many about voting machine problems in Jersey, where I vote, and in too many other states—like stories today about bad butterfly type ballot design in North Carolina).