Worst Nightmares

        Scanning the NYT and Washington Post for something to comment on, I read a couple of articles which seemed to encapsulate my worst fears about the coming election.
       In a long meandering story about a primary for county sheriff in a southern Georgia county centered around a town named Cairo, the reporter set out to try and get the meaning of the contest among three men.   The incumbent sheriff, a good ole boy named Harry expressed worry that he might not win the GOP primary which in that county is tantamount to election.  His competition in the majority white county were two deputies, one white and one black.   The reporter focused on the black man, who considered himself a democrat, but was running as a republican to reassure white voters.   This may have been a tactical error, since black turnout was about 15% of normal in heavily black areas and virtually all white voters endorsed his competitors.   Harry and the other deputy will participate in a runoff election.  The black deputy received too few votes to participate.
     A story in the NYT sets the stage for democratic nightmares in November.  It describes the plight of the local boards of elections in the face of tens of thousands of uncounted mail in ballots, many of which are being disqualified for minor issues or the failure of the post office to postmark the prepaid return envelopes containing many ballots.  You may consider this a dress rehearsal for the November elections, or the lead up to an epic fail.   In my present mood, I am inclined to the latter.