The worry warts are getting irritating

[Dr. Jack]

I have a quick thing to rant about so please bare with me. I don’t know about all of you but the people that are extremely pessimistic about the election, despite how good things are looking, are getting very tiresome. I don’t mean the people that say “these polls look good but I’m still a bit nervous” or “I hope the polls are right but still, go vote”. That’s fine, I understand the cautious optimism. No, there is another breed of people I see online who turn every piece of good news about the election into a 5 paragraph long rant about how screwed we all are.

For example, there was an article posted on reddit politics today which discussed the latest polls and how Trump seems to be heading for serious trouble with key demographics. High quality national polls were out today showing Biden up by 10 nationally and doing very well in key swing states. Things are looking quite promising. Sure it’s not over yet but we seem to be heading for a solid Biden win. But there are so many people in the comments reacting with things like “This lead is no where near enough. Trump is going to everything he can to steal the election. The Russians are going to hack into our voting systems, people are going to be purged from voter rolls, there aren’t going to be any voting machines, the USPS is going to be shut down. Trump is absolutely going to steal this election and there is nothing we can do about it. None of these polls matter. Trump is on his way to being a dictator. American democracy is dead. Anyone who thinks any of this matters is a fool. It’s over. Just you wait. America as we know it is gone.”

I get feeling a bit burned after 2016, even though polls and many experts were saying Trump had a real shot at winning. I don’t personally remember ever encountering anyone saying the election was in the bag for Clinton or that Trump couldn’t win. But I guess there is a sense that people got it way wrong in 2016, even if that is not really the case. Fine. And I get being nervous about President Mushroomdick fucking with things. But Jesus Christ, some people are going way, way overboard with the election anxiety and if anyone reading this is one of those people, please for the love of god, tone it down a tad, would you? The pessimism is becoming a real drag.

Yes, be weary about what Trump is up to and vote, but nothing wrong with a bit of optimism. Being optimistic isn’t going to jinx the election.

Alright rant over.

[sfstaxprep]

1. The Stakes Are Life & Death

And the Death of our Democracy.

I feel that's worth worrying over.

Having seen 2000, 2004 & 2016, I won't be content until it's November 4, and Biden is headed towards a guaranteed landslide.

I only get relief from watching the days tick down, and Drumpf's #'s not changing. But I'm probably going to be worried until the days are in the single digits, and all signs are pointing towards a Biden victory.

[Dr. Jack]

2. I understand that and I agree

I’m not saying I’m not a bit nervous as well. And you don’t really strike me as the kind of person I was referring to. You still seem to have some hope and optimism but are taking it one day at a time. My biggest annoyance is with those who see no hope and who irrationally fear that election fuckery can somehow cause Trump to be down by double digits but still steal the election, and that everyone would just let it happen.

[sfstaxprep]

4. About That Fuckery

I do worry about how big a lead Biden really needs, in order to be far enough ahead that any Fuckery does not result in a loss.

I believe that this Administration is inherently EVIL, and they are capable of quite a lot. And that worries me.

And my hope remains that Biden has a large enough lead, that if any Fuckery is successful, the public will fight it like their lives depend upon it.

[Ms. Toad]

3. So you want a repeat of 2016?

And if you don't recall seeing comments on DU that the election was in the bag for Clinton or that Trump couldn't win, you weren't looking very hard.

We were so arrogant that people voted for the third party candidate to send a message to "president Clinton." Others switched parties in the primary to vote for Trump because he would be so easy to beat.

Your comment is a near-duplicate of tons of near epithets hurled at me (and others who understood that Trump might well win) in the run-up to the 2016 election. I was s concern troll, I was a worry wart, I was spouting right-wing talking points.

Guess what - I was none of those things.

And if we don't learn from the past - welcome to the future.