I had an interesting conversation with my lawn guy yesterday. I think it should put us all on notice about a little bit of what is going on out here...And the fact we have to use every opportunity to fight the fear.
My lawn guy (Walter, not his real name) came by yesterday to treat my yard, possibly the last yard in my neighborhood that is being maintained thanks to ungodly gas prices. When people are trying to decide whether to buy food or gas, they're not going to have someone treat their lawn even if the HOA could sue them for it. I don't know how much longer I can pay for this, but it's still cheaper than buying the chemicals myself.
Anyway, Walter and I were chatting outside and he volunteered, "We really need a democrat for president this time." Now Walter's from New York, my old stomping ground, and this is Florida where prejudice bubbles beneath the surface like a tar pit, even among too many newcomers.
So I replied, "Yes we do. My God, look at the economy. People like you, the people who do the hard work we all need done (yes, echoing Clinton on purpose without the implied racial slur) can hardly get by. Something has to change."
Well, Walter agreed. We complained about the economy for a while, about how hard young folks are having it trying to get on their own feet, how kids have to come home to live, etc. etc.
Then Walter said something that brought me up short. He said, "I can't stand McCain, so I'm not going to vote."
Chain yanked, I stood there for a second, then said, "For goodness sake, why not?"
He said, "Think about it. The first black man to be president. There's going to be a sniper waiting at the inauguration. I don't want to be responsible for that."
Well, I gave him all the arguments: Not his fault if that happens, they won't dare because we're all fed up and there'd be riots in the street, etc etc and finally, "IF YOU DON'T VOTE MCCAIN WILL WIN."
Now I don't know if Walter was expressing a latent prejudice, or if he was stating his real fear. But it sure gave me an idea of what we may be up against: people choosing not to vote at all.