No Dancing in the End Zone!

Hold on ! It's not time to celebrate a likely Obama victory this year!

Things could still go very wrong. Like with the economy:
... Rising gas prices are draining money from consumer spending. Not good.
... Banks may decide not to lend to expanding businesses.
... Greece may not get the deal it is always "about" to get, goes bankrupt, and pulls down Europe.
... Europe may go down anyway because of its economically stupid austerity policies, and we thus lose 20% of our overseas market.
... For whatever reason, unemployment goes up.

Or a lot of people who should vote in November just don't bother.

Democrats are not the greatest voters by a long shot. Republicans will crawl to the polls on two broken legs to vote. Democrats have to be driven with a whip. Or lured with cupcakes. (I not-so-fondly remember carrying an old lady to my car so she could vote, but I dropped her.)

If Obama's chances begin to look fairly good, it's likely a lot of Democratic voters will just yawn and stay home on election day.

So, Houston, we have a problem. If things get bad, Obama loses. If things get good, Obama loses. But it doesn't really have to be this way.

It's actually up to you.

Don't dance away into the end zone now or before November. Become involved. Work hard to get this eminently decent and intelligent man re-elected. No matter how rosy (or gray) the picture may look now or at any point, it's a long way until November. Remember that the Great Recession didn't crash down on us until September of 2008. So anything can happen at any time. And if nothing bad happens, remember that a lot of your friends and neighbors will doze off and not get to the polls unless you get them there.

Either way, Obama will lose without you.

For all the talk about big money in politics and the terrible influence of the super pacs, the most potent force in elective politics is still the precinct worker at the door.

That's you.

And I'll be explaining in the near future why you are so powerful. But remember that this is not a game with a 100-yard pass. It's a long slog of a ground game, and the end zone is a long way off.

"And, darlin', save the last dance for me."