Unless you're Rush Limbaugh, it seems fashionable to pick Obama as the winner at this point in the very long game. Polls, pundits and the rest of the world all seemed resigned to the prospect of an Obama world to come.
While it may seem stylish and fashionable to predict an Obama win, is anybody describing the essence of the transition to come ? Probably, but I don't really care about them as much as my own blog entry, so here's a vision of November 5th, 2008 and a little beyond . . .
If there isn't a systematic meltdown like Florida in 2000, the networks will race to have picked the winner by 9PM Eastern Time. Eight years is a long time to wait.
McCain stumbles out between 10 and 11 PM and concedes to Senator Obama. All is forgiven, he'll work with the new Prez like the Patriotic American that he has always been.
Obama takes the stage at midnight and declares a new hope for the country. Chris Matthews and Wolf Blitzer gush until the wee hours of the morning. The Fox News HQ scrambles to bring meaning to it all by sampling Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter and Judge Napolitano. Brit Hume still seems as grumpy as before.
The next day the nightly news shows clips of the election and a quick take on Obama's day, possibly a news conference of some sort. Suddenly old names start popping up. Madeline Albright, Richard Holbrooke and Robert Rubin. A nice spread in the NY Times describes the possible transition teams and one of the right wing pundits has an aneurysm.
To the extent it matters, each third party takes it's doses and starts looking at the numbers. Pockets of resistance become discernible to the Nader and Barr efforts, but the big surprise is Chuck Baldwin. Everyone points to the Ron Paul endorsement and only lightly touches upon the religious element. Angry Greens call for a recount in Ohio . . .
Talk of Hillary as the Secretary of State falls way to the possibility of Bill instead. Obama's transition poo poo's the idea, but strangely acknowledge the presence of so many former Clinton advisers.
By Thanksgiving most Americans are fully caught up in their own lives, as the market stabilizes knowing a transition is on the horizon. Happy, happy joy joy stuff emanates from the morning shows and all the late night shows have plenty of material coming in from VP-Elect Biden and First Lady Michelle.
By inauguration a clearer picture on Iraq emerges. The Obama administration denies any possibility of a quick or immediate withdrawal. Indicating that special circumstances on the ground don't permit consideration of withdrawal at the moment, the American people are asked to be patient and trust their new leader. The right howls, but it doesn't matter now. Rush & Co. settle into the prospects of a boring, but fruitful year.
The honeymoon is over by summer and the real financial implications drive mini-panics as the huge budget is not tamed or even considered a problem. While the hip and cool new administration minimizes the evils created by a larger, bigger governent, the idea of war crimes starts circulating at international venues . . . .
Maybe a McCain win scenario soon.
A "McCain wins" scenario? Just change the names and leave the implications the same.