The Greek Tragedy in My Head

Transitioning from ebullient optimism to paralysis by fear over the coming election, I find myself unable to think straight enough to write–unable to find a dominant belief and tease it out.

Instead, there are competing optimistic and pessimistic Greek choruses in my head. They go like this:

The Pesimistiks: W is winning! He’s winning! He’s as good as won! Ohio is wierd. You don’t know shit. They love this guy!

The Optimystics: John’s a closer! He’s a winner! You can’t be so depressed! Look at Oregon! Look at, well, Oregon! Things are better than you think!



The Pesimistiks: Karl Rove’s a genius, a fucking genius! He has. a. message. It’s working! It’s working! Kerry can’t recover!



The Optimystics: But now there’s Carville, and all the Clintons, and there are 8 (well close) weeks left! Look at the primaries, when it was January, we thought it was Howard Dean! Kerry’s saving it! He’s got the stuff!



The Pesimistiks: You are insane! You’re out of touch! Look at the map, the red threat’s growing!



The Optimystics: You know Republicans put out that map, it’s full of lies, lies I tell you!



The Pesimistiks: Just like the lies that Dan Rather told, fabricating documents. Why it our side always gets caught? They lie like rugs. They get away with it. We can’t get away with nothin.



And so on–I wish you could see me sing this whole thing to you with facial expressions. I think it would help, there’s music and everything in my head and it never never ends. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!