The Aerie
Well, I can only speak for myself, but honestly I think it's the aftermath of the 2000 election.
The 2000 election made clear that the electoral system in this country is screwed up. Revelations of all sorts since then simply exposed what has always been the case: it has always been an imperfect system, subject to everything from mechanical failures to organized fraud.
But that forces the electorate to question the system, which is not something the people want to do. Once you tug on one thread, the whole sweater of American Democracy is at risk of unravelling.
And I think that's what everyone is afraid of this time. Last time the controversies were unanticipated, and swiftly dismissed - part of the reason that Al Gore was so willing to stand in the Senate chambers and award the victory to his opponent was to quell America's fear of the system breaking down. His acceptance of the results proclaimed, "Look, the system is working."
But this time... what? Hopefully whoever wins, the victory will be decisive. What we're all worried about is a close, contested election, followed by revelations of impropriety, and then what? What happens? The Supreme Court would probably decide, but... it's that "but" that has people worried.
I don't think those fears are concrete - I don't think people are imagining James Carville or George Stephanopolous marching on the White House at the head of a mob of angry villagers. But I think it's the uncertainty that's lending energy to the anxiety. We want to have faith in the system, but we're forced to question the system, and that leads to fear.
And it doesn't help that the stakes are so high. In peacetime, well, let challengers drag out the process, who cares. But there's a war on. Terrorists are turning their mad gaze our way. And honestly Cheney doesn't help. Sorry to sound partisan, but between using the Effenheimer on the Senate floor to threatening America with nuclear terrorism if they vote Democratic, Cheney is encouraging the view that the system is breaking down. He's torn down the genteel guardrails and we're barreling down the mountain road, glimpsing the abyss at very sharp curve.
Posted by Albatross at October 25, 2004 9:46 PMOn top of the war, there's also the issue of legitimacy of the vision we've been projecting to the world for the last 50+ years that democracy, especially American-style democracy, is the best form of government and the only one where people can operate freely. What happens if our system is proven so corrupt? Does that mean it is illegitimate? Of course not, but there are people who will seize the opportunity to note the fraud and use it to uphold their vision of the world. We've worked so hard to tell people that our way is the right way, what happens if our way is based on fraud?
Posted by: B.D. at October 26, 2004 7:45 AM