BOSTON -- SPORTING two world championship teams, Bostonians are walking around with a bit of a swagger in their step these days. Unsurprisingly, that bravado extends to supporting their native son for president. In fact, the revelry and optimism is tied directly to the city's recent success. Flyers handed out by Kerry volunteers read in bold print and capital letters: "We won the World Series. We can win the White House." Yet this confidence belies a potential crisis: Here in the Democratic heartland, there is literally no acknowledgement that Bush can possibly win without cheating.
Boston is, as everyone knows, a liberal city. Walking around Monday, not a single Bush sign could be spotted; indeed, the only Bush supporter in sight appeared quite skittish about wearing his Bush/Cheney T-shirt. Still, it was slightly disturbing to see the degree to which the left-leaning public took their politics; of nearly a dozen Kerry volunteers I spoke to, not a single one said they would accept a Bush win as legitimate.
When queried about the veracity of a potential Bush victory, answers ranged from "it would depend on the specifics, but I'd be skeptical," to an unhesitating, definitive "no." One volunteer summed up the rest of his comrades' feelings by stating, "I strongly doubt that more people will go to the polls intending to vote for Bush than for Kerry." If broad sections of the Democratic Party refuse to accept a Bush win, the country could be heading for turmoil. Polls indicate that Boston is but a strong example of a deeper trend: 48 percent of respondents to a recent TIME survey said that they believed an illegitimate candidate could win the presidency.
With massive chrome structures being erected in the background and a partially-finished painted American Flag hanging on a partially-finished stage, it was not hard to imagine Boston's Copley Square as the site of amazing drama tomorrow night. What will happen if it appears Bush wins, but Kerry refuses to gracefully concede, or vice versa? A balance must be struck between ensuring as fair a vote as possible and maintaining the integrity of the government.
There is something worrisome about the mood in Boston. Perhaps the Red Sox triumph has gone to their heads, but it seems as if the only possible scenarios under consideration are a Kerry landslide, narrow Kerry victory or Bush feloniously stealing the election. Most of the rationale stems from memories of the 2000 election, which traumatized many Democrats, and fury at the allegations of voter tampering already coming forth from Ohio and Florida. Any possible evidence of Republican shenanigans simply reinforces an already strong belief of some Democrats that the GOP can only win through malfeasance.
Certainly it is true that some amount of trickery is underway, and evidence seems to suggest that the Republicans are more heavily engaged in such a campaign than the Democrats. Such behavior must be fettered out and stopped. Nonetheless, the serious potential exists that the president will legitimately and fairly win re-election. Rejecting that option is both foolish and dangerous, just as is any Republican who flatly refuses to accept a Kerry victory. While it is encouraging to see people holding Kerry signs in the streets of a state where he leads by 10 percentage points, there simply must be acceptance of the fact that when the dust settles, Bush has a real chance to be the one left standing.
No one knows what is going to transpire tomorrow, and anyone who tells you otherwise is lying. Either way, a trip through downtown Boston and the surrounding college campuses reveals a nation still wounded from the 2000 debacle and perhaps nursing a deeper scar than we ever thought. Our faith in the democratic process has been reduced to furtive glances for illegal activity and declarations that only one candidate can legitimately win. This state of affairs begs the question: Will we ever again have a quiet election night?
With any luck, Election Day 2004 will go down with few hitches, and 2000 will be swept away as an aberration. With any luck, John Kerry will come out on tomorrow night with a blustery wind assaulting his steely gray hair and give either a rousing victory speech or an elegant concession. It could happen -- and if there's any city that feels lucky right now, it's Boston.
Elliot Haspel is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. He can be reached at ehaspel@cavalierdaily.com. He is staying in Boston, and will opine on the election results in tomorrow's paper.
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