President Santorum or President Romney ... Not the End of the World

I see the threat of a Republican victory in 2012 in the same way I view the possibility of the election of Islamic fundamentalists in other places.  I don’t like it, but I believe in democracy.  If they get elected they get to run a country.  I also think that radicals tend to have their views modified by the realities of governance.  Plus, people say a lot of stuff they don’t really mean.  This is especially true of Romney.  Now, the anger and intolerance is troubling.  The views toward women seem a little … historical.  The focus on social policies not favored by most citizens is a little scary.  The black and white view of the world is probably a brand of fantasy that a country that wants to succeed can’t afford.  The failure of democrats or anyone else to step up and really challenge this nonsense, to take control of the narrative and bring some truth and facts and logic into it, is very troubling.  But, in the end, if things don’t work out I’m not going to flee across the border or go off the grid.  In a democracy things don’t always work out the way you would want.  They also never only go in one direction.  It’s not the end of the world if the Muslim Brotherhood and Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum find themselves in positions of power.  Rick Santorum as president does come pretty close, much closer than having the Muslim Brotherhood share power in Egypt, but I’m still pretty sure even President Santorum wouldn’t be the end of the world.  I certainly hope that this brand of Republicanism, the brand that is driving good representatives like Olympia Snowe into retirement, is ultimately unsuccessful and that we can soon relegate it to a history book along with McCarthyism.  I’m certainly going to do my part to make sure that happens.  I’m not going to get hysterical about it though.  It sucks that people can be successful spewing this kind of hate, anger, and nonsense.  It sucks, but it’s not the end of the world.