The October surprise[s]

Posted by Evan Derkacz at 7:32 AM on October 30, 2006.

With so much talk of what the October Surprise will be, it's becoming quickly apparent that there will be many.

A number of critics have remarked over the years that one of ingenious methods of the GOP machine has been to say and do so many outrageous and unconscionable things with such astonishing consistency, that people get "scandal fatigue." Over time their natural sense of outrage breaks down and their responses ineffective as the public turns to the next and then the next...

It's a distant cousin to Stalin's remark: One death is a tragedy, a million deaths are a statistic.

So it is with the October surprise. While Josh is quite right to be focusing on the unbelievable (literally) timing of the Saddam verdict, there are so many "coincidences" these days it's hard to really crown one The October Surprise.

As usual, Rove's cooking up surprises across the nation, "put[ting] the resources of the federal government to use for political gain," according to the LA Times.

The article either insinuates that, or flat-out accuses Turd Blossom of, rigging events to prop up weak Republicans.

• He appears to have gotten FEMA to give Republican Tom Reynolds' district a bunch of relief money, announced just hours after the congressman testified about his role in the Foley coverup
• He had the president sign enviro legislation with uber-polluter Richard Pombo
• He even had the breast cancer pink lighting of the St. Louis Arch correspond to Laura Bush's visit to campaign for Jim Talent, whose mother died of breast cancer.

On the other hand, Rove and Mehlman are having such a hard time getting and keeping recruits for their "72-hour plan" that they've resorted to gimmicks:

In a twist that resembled an Amway sales meeting more than a political strategy session, they offered those who signed up on the spot a chance to win an iPod and other prizes.

So yes, there are probably dozens of surprises going on all month, right up till Monday's conviction of Saddam Hussein, The Man Who Did Not Attack the World Trade Center,™ but a proper balance is crucial: it's possible to be so vigilant about what your opponent is apt to do that you lose sight of what you can do. Don't be freaked out, don't throw up your hands, and don't expend all your energy on the "evil other." Read this quick article on what you can do about possible election fraud, and for the love of God, when someone calls and asks you to phone bank, do it.

Tagged as: election06

Evan Derkacz is an AlterNet editor. He writes and edits PEEK, the blog of blogs.