Stop Me Before I Vote Again

From one of my lefty mailing lists -- let's call the writer Holtkamp:

I also have to say standing in a long line... really brought home to me what the possibility of having a black pres means to black Americans. I know many of them will be disappointed - and I also suspect many of them know pretty well what's likely to happen. (And it will freak the hell out of a lot of white racists.) Who am I, white boy leftist, to dismiss all that?

This guilty-conscience thing weighs like a nightmare on the brain of white American lefties.

It's more than understandable that a lot of black folks would be excited about the prospect of a brother in the White House. Rooting for the home team is human nature.

But if the team in question is not your home team... then you have the luxury of asking yourself: what is this team going to do for me? For the world?

In the Obama case, there's precious little reason to think that the world and I -- and Holtkamp -- are going to be much better off.

Holtkamp, I happen to know, is no fool. So why is he deploying this thoroughly stupid argument?

I suspect it's just apotropaic: Holtkamp knows he's done wrong, and wants to frighten away the harpies of criticism. So... wave the Bloody Shirt!

* * * * *

I just popped into the room where the rest of my family are watching the election returns -- as if it were Oscar Night. Barry O is unsurprisingly in the lead. I can look forward to four years -- maybe eight! -- of twitting Holtkamp about his cave-in.

Hey, we take the pleasures we can get.