NAFTA SHMAFTA

Ok, Democrats. Reality check time. Ohio is pissed, fine. You both want to win, we get it. But undoubtedly, the democrats have sunk to a new low.

As Brian Williams, George Stephanapolous, the NYT, and Michael Cooper have all pointed out, the democrats have been trying their darndest to out-pander one another by twisting economic reality in order to convince Ohio voters that things will get better if one of them is elected president. It is without a doubt the ugliest part of this entire 08 campaign (well, now that rudy is out).

Indeed, it is hard to argue with the fact that exploiting economic fears in this manner is in any way fundamentally different than the exploitation of national security fears that propelled both the 02 and 04 election cycles, to detrimental effects (or the ones that are propelling McCain's candidacy).

If 08 really turns into this, into a campaign in which the main question is which candidate can scare more people about these respective issues, then we will get a government with a mandate to take extreme, counter-productive measures; it will reignite the partisanship of the 20-aughts, and it will become just another chapter in the long history of the downfall of the American empire. So wake up Barack, and get back to work.