Perchance to dream...

What should be a slam-dunk election for Democrats is still too close for my comfort. I cannot fathom how Americans can look at Barack Obama and John McCain and not clearly see that Obama is, by far, the superior candidate.

I have not gotten a good night's sleep in weeks. I take my politics as seriously as a heart attack, so I am constantly on edge. Four years ago, I ended up in the hospital with exhaustion and an inflamed, arthritic back that I hadn't realized I had, from all the legwork that I'd put into the Kerry campaign. The doctor said that driving is extremely bad for the back. At the time, I was commuting 74 miles round-trip to work, plus all the driving and late-into-the-night campaigning and organizing that I was doing across Cuyahoga County.

This time, I promised myself that I wouldn't get as emotionally or physically involved. Hey, I've been doing this stuff for over 25 years--let the young 'uns take their turns. But, sure enough, even from the sidelines I'm having anxiety attacks. My sister called me the other day. She could tell that I was tense.

"What's wrong? You sound kinda down."

"I'm worried about the election. I feel like I should be doing...something."

"Uh, huh. You promised that you were going to take it easy, remember?"

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Easier said than done.

Mitch Bard at HuffPo very eloquently puts my feelings into words. I've watched numerous Democratic candidates for President go down in flames, beginning with Jimmy Carter in 1980, my senior year in high school. Watching all those snot-nosed rich kids at my Catholic school sit in the student center on Inauguration Day cheering Ronald Reagan still pisses me off. It was an early lesson that politics, like life, is not fair.

Now, there are but four days until E-Day. I know that I will get progressively less sleep over the next few nights. This weekend I will bake cookies and brownies for the poll workers--my small contribution down the home stretch. Tuesday evening I will commune with a group of fellow Democrats and progressives at a bar right after work to watch the verdict--er, election results.

If Obama wins, I will finally enjoy a decent night's sleep.

If McCain wins, I may never be able to sleep again.