Remember When

Some issues are black and white

30oct2008: I had work done on my car Monday. While sitting in the waiting room, I was in the middle of a political discussion between two old ladies. Both lamented that they couldn't vote for Hilary. Both also seemed to think that Obama (if elected) would not survive very long as president. Appealing to rumours and psychics, they predicted a KKK-koordinated assassination.

Craziest of all was the old lady who claimed to be undecided. She said that she was tempted to vote for Nader, but then said that she didn't like Obama because of his lack of government experience and his never having served in the military. She had an inexplicable hatred of Joe Biden, which combined with her confidence that Obama would die to make her not want to vote for them. It seems to me that she was just an uncomfortable racist, wanting to rationalize her vote for the crazy, crotchety white man and his moose-hunting fellow traveller.

I live in New York, where the dithering old biddies are sure to make no difference in the electoral outcome. The question is just how wide the margin here will be.