I’ve just got back from seeing the new Al Franken movie, God Spoke, introduced by the film’s directors, Chris Hegedus and Nick Doob.
It’s a funny and enjoyable film, but there’s a stretch in the middle that was difficult to watch. Just before the 2004 election, with polls showing John Kerry beating Bush, Franken jokes that the first twenty-four hours after the election should be reserved for pure gloating. He brainstorms with the staff of his Air America radio talk show about how to gloat and still be funny. Then we see him at the “victory party” in Boston, slowly realizing that there will be nothing to gloat about. It’s a sinking sensation that brings back a lot of unhappy memories.
I visit a lot of anti-Bush blogs these days, and I get that same queasy sensation as I see some bloggers practicing their end-zone victory dance weeks before election day. National polls show Democrats with a big generic edge, but I’ve also see a lot of analysts doing race-by-race totals and concluding that Republicans may very well hold onto both houses of Congress. Bush may get another two years with no checks, no balances, and no Congressional oversight.
There’s still an election to win.
If it’s close, they’ll steal it. So we have to win big.
Win first. Victory dance later. Don’t worry about the missed dance rehearsals — after the victory, feel free to improvise.
But first, win the victory.
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