Are we really that pessimistic?

Barack Obama is probably going to be the next President of the United States. I know because international gambling sites have told me so. I think he would be an amazing and inspiring president. I am invigorated and my apathy subsides when I hear some of his speeches and I am pleased to know that, as a professor of constitutional law that he would actually know what the role of the president is. But there are some concerns about this election that have been keeping me up at night.

It all surrounds the ever-present fear of an assassination of this amazing man.

I have seen some scary things in the media recently. It seems that many in the media are almost trying to push people to this. Whether it is making accusations that Obama is a Muslim or a terrorist or even the “accidental” association between Obama and America's #1 hated man alive today; 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

All of these factors make me wary, but none so much as the “Obama-Osama” bit. This association is all over the media, and it can ring true with certain groups. The hatred that many Americans have with Osama Bin Laden is so extreme that it can easily be transferred if the situation is right. The fact that the concept that Obama was raised in a Muslim setting or is in fact Muslim strengthens that association and solidifies the transferred hate; invigorating certain still-established and burgeoning hate groups.

I am not the only one who has these fears however. There are Nobel laureates that share my fear, there are even those who have attempted to hypothesize what would happen as a result of such an event and the fact that there are so many people out there that have this concern proves to me that the rumbling before the storm is happening.

Some have been outraged over the new coverage and treatment of this issue, such as famous rapper/star/neo-pundit Nas and some have dismissed it as childish.

By the way, my favorite part of this article was;

"I wanted to see [Obama] before he gets assassinated," commented one Emo-looking youth, in town for the summer – a comment that prompted a chorus of boos from the other young Americans in his vicinity. This issue, at least, seemed worth pressing: who would assassinate Obama, exactly? "The military-industrial complex that runs America," he replied flatly. But, if they're already running America, why would they care? He shrugged and said no more.

It has gotten to the point where the news seems to be perpetuating the situation and there was even a HUGE Hilary gaff that has gotten little coverage and some jokes over Obama assassination such as the one shown above (more on that here) and a callous little joke to the NRA by Mike Huckabee.

The concerns over an Obama assassination have become such a normality in the mainstay that it has developed to the point where it has entered into popular art, in fact this controversial Art Exhibit about it was actually shut down.

I am unsure how this situation should be dealt with, I just know that it frightens me and many don't seem to actually be talking about it or taking it serious. Four presidents in the history of our nation have been assassinated for various reasons; Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy. I am not sure this nation could survive another one over the race card.

For me this is a serious situation. Obama is, at least for me, a symbol. He is this hope for a new America, a new opportunity for an oppressed underclass, and will completely change the international presence of the United States. I am very afraid of some bigoted idiot picking up a gun and ruining that for everyone. I could see certain actions taking place after such an incident that would not only lead to riots and looting and general disarray, but extended to the breakdown of the Union. I could see the assassination of Obama, be it before or after being sworn in, as the catalyst for another civil war. I may be completely paranoid, but I know that it would at least show the world that the United States does not have their proverbial “shit” together, and I would have to say that the American experiment failed.