the devils we know

well, this is it: E minus 0. today is the day the canadian electorate puts its future in the hands of one of these white men. democracy is inspiring. it is awesome. it is also nauseating.

a feminist mentor said to me this morning that she has taken the day off because she wouldn't be able to concentrate anyways, what with the throbbing of her heart and belly. not to mention that she really doesn't know how to write her funding proposal for swc given that the person who may be reading it next month could be following orders to shut down her organization. she says she's clinging to the cpac poll that still has the tories with a minority win. the g&m also speculates a tory minority.


the unpamused poll is wishing for a miracle that assuredly will not come.

miracle has no reason to show up to this event. she's bloody well busy, thank you very much. her blackberry is chock full of appointments with people and populations who have actual hope, people who are so in the hole that anything is better, if not deserved, people whose hopes are backed by bona fide belief.

this is not a fundamentalist rant of one of harper's zealots. it is little-ole-unreligious me, an idealogue who is genuinely baffled by the unpreditability of the electorate. i guess i'm a naive dreamer who worries that people don't 'get it'. because the hole we are slipping into is not a visible one. it's darkness and danger are more insidious than palpable. i truly don't understand how it is people get so dazzled by shiny glittery things, like promises of $100 bucks a month per kid or talk of a gst cut ... folks are prepared to overlook the 'other stuff' that isn't really clear anyways, you know, some sorta rumours about threats to human rights and environmental protections ... c'mon, he's pro-life and all, but he wouldn't actually DO anything to take away a woman's right to choose ... would he?

but i should know better than to trust polls, or even follow them. i studied polling in university. i read (and consult often) the book "how to lie with statistics". i know all about flawed samples and leading questions. and didn't we all learn our lesson in 2004? by comparison, my ulcer today is microscopic -- we were convinced then by pollsters to expect a conservative landslide. turned out to be a mud puddle.

so maybe my fellow voters pursuing their civil duty will surprise the fuck out of me. i am fully prepared to have them BLOW MY MIND. maybe they know a serious threat when they see one. maybe they recognize the stepford grin for what it is: ominous.

either way, the political forecast could be dramatically different tomorrow morning. seems like folks are so tired of seeing red (justifiably so, perhaps) that we may just be willing to sign over our souls in a rotten deal with the you-know-what. my stomach turns at the thought of where we might be going if that happens. the average person may not notice any obvious shifts in temperature or climate. even some political colleagues have suggested that changes may not be terribly noticeable. well i disagree. those of us working in this area will friggin' notice. and pretty soon, so will our neighbours.

guess i'll heed the recommendation of the vancouver sun and stay up late. in 2004, many people went to bed thinking the ndp had 32 seats and woke up with 18. maybe they're prepping for an all-nighter this time around.