For crying out loud, get over a potential Obama Presidency already! There’s nothing to be SCARED of!

I am quite sick of seeing rednecks, bigots, conspiracy theorists, blind partisans and white trash talk about being “scared” of an Obama Presidency.

There isn’t anything more to be scared of than there is that George Bush is going to declare martial law and establish himself as some kind of authoritarian leader under the guise of formulated and largely faked national chaos.  Quite frankly, I imagine that had George Bush ever seriously entertained the idea, it wouldn’t have lasted in his head for five second before being blown to smithereens by, oh I don’t know, totally selfish self-interest.  Here is a guy whose ticket is written, for as long as he’s alive.  He doesn’t have to work another day in his life if he doesn’t want to.  Medical care, security, fame, influence . . . being a former President may not be the easiest job in the world, but I suspect that is because of the type of personality that usually ends up being President–the type of personality that can’t be happy just relaxing.  But really, does Bush strike anyone at this point as the type of guy who is looking forward to doing anything more than taking the next few years off?  I suspect they’ll establish a semi-permanent security perimeter around his ranch and favorite fishing spot and pretty much not have to move too much until sometime in 2010 or 2011.  Bush may actually contribute to an obesity epidemic in the Secret Service.

He’d give that up for what exactly?

Back to Obama.  He’s being called a socialist, a Marxist, a traitor, a terrorist (or at least someone with such sympathy for terrorists that he would make America’s interests secondary to those of terrorists or other foreign powers), etc., etc., etc.  If he wins the Presidency, teh gayz are going to over-run the country, and Obama is going to start sneaking in Sharia law because, after all, he is a closeted Muslim foreign national, and we’ll offer immediate military surrender to Canada.

Truth:  Obama is a charismatic, but ultimately run-of-the-mill (from a policy perspective), Democrat.  Many of his proposals are moderate by liberal standards.  There is nothing about this election that will cause real change.  The differences are, I guess measurable, but ultimately not terribly significant.  Oh noes, a McCain Presidency will mean the overturning of Roe v. Wade!  No it won’t.  Democrats are shooting for a filibustering majority, and certainly will attain a solid simple majority even if McCain somehow magically pulls through.  McCain would ultimately be forced to nominate a justice that would uphold Roe v. Wade and maintain the status quo.  And here we’re talking about legitimate and expected political opposition, not radical departures.  Obama is actually not going to take away your right to defend yourself with a gun.  The government is not going to unilaterally start seizing property (any more than it currently does, anyway).  We’re not going to give up national sovereignty to join a one world government headed by the UN (or anyone else).

There really isn’t anything that should need to be added to that.  Time to put away the crazy and fold up the foil hat.  The next four years may not be exactly like the last eight years, but they’re gong to be a whole lot on average like the last 30 or 40 years than some bizzaro leaping off point into America becoming like North Korea, or Saudi Arabia, or whatever.  Get a grip.