Song of the Day: Don't worry baby

Ellen Goodman writes the column I've been thinking about for weeks.

The closer Obama comes to victory, the more terror strikes deep in the (blue) heartland. The better things look, the more they worry that it's "trick or trick" time. The election, like that dollar bill on the sidewalk, will be whipped out of their hands.

Did that pundit say that Obama is on the precipice of victory? See I told you, he's on a precipice! Does Obama have a lead in the polls between 4 percent and 15 percent? Isn't that the margin of error? Is Arizona now in play? BOO! Does Obama have more money?YIKES! Is Palin playing for 2012? EEEK!

Once this election was framed as a contest between fear and hope, with Obama leading the hope team. Now hope is politically incorrect and the Democrats have embraced their inner scaredy cat.

I've tried to bolster the spirits and confidence of fellow Dems by forwarding encouraging news, but it alway seems to be received with reservation. It's not just the "well, we can't get overconfident" thing, either. It's more fear of the boogeyman. I mean, I'm all for being as vigilant and hardworking and focused as possible until the results of the election are final. But when you can't take a bit of good news without fear--not worry, but outright fear--that it can't possibly be real, that's a problem.