Might this be a GOOD election to Lose?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Right now, the polls show Al Gore and George Bush in a near dead heat. (That may have changed, of course, by the time you read this.) SO, the race is very much up for grabs. The question is, when you look at some signs on the horizon…

  1. The economy, though still strong, is shoing signs of weakness and slowdown.

  2. Oil prices remain high, and the resurgence of OPEC is likely. This may well entail new riches and vastly increased power for guys like Saddam Hussein.

  3. Whereas a few months ago, peace in the Mideast looked like a good bet, all hell seems to be breaking loose right now.

  4. The much discussed budget “surplus” may be a mirage after all.

Now, OBVIOUSLY, the world has always been a complicated and dangerous place. And one shouldn’t run for President unless one is willing to face that. But I get the feeling both Gore and Bush expect the good times to continue in perpetuity. Gore can’t wait to spend the surplus, and Bush can’t wait to disperse it via tax cuts.

My hunch is, no matter WHO wins, the next eight years will be a LOT tougher than the past eight years. My question is, from a PURELY pragmatic, cynical, political point of view… mightn’t THIS be a good election for your/my party to lose?

Cause let’s face it, things can only go downhill from here.

2

Hmm. You know, I’ve always had the suspicion that the Republicans did something similar in 1992–how they could run a campaign so inept that a president with approval ratings in the 90% range the year before could draw only 38% of the vote has always been beyond me. But if that was the case, it backfired on them.

So I think the proposition that this is a good election to let the other guys win is mainly useful for the losers to console themselves with.