Do You Have PEST?

Apparently a lot of folks in South Florida are still suffering from a malady that now has an official name - Post Election Selection Trauma, or PEST for short. John Fund has the story in today's OpinionJournal Political Diary:

I was in South Florida over the weekend and it is remarkable how many people say their Democratic friends haven't recovered from the election. An angry woman from Cleveland berated me at the Palm Beach airport and said I should investigate how George W. Bush "stole" Ohio.

The newspapers in South Florida read like a skit from Comedy Central's "Daily Show." More than 50 Kerry supporters have sought psychological counseling since the election. "A post-therapy John Kerry supporter spoke out about her trauma treatment for the first time this weekend, saying Florida psychologist Douglas Schooler took her from the depths of despair over President Bush's victory to a new lease on life," began a story in Sunday's Boca Raton News.

The article describes how a 44-year-old woman who would only identify herself as Karen had trouble sleeping and was "unsettled and fearful" about the war and economic issues. Then she said Dr. Schooler helped her comprehend that it was unhealthy for her to have been so certain that Mr. Kerry would be elected. "If I'd had time, I would have volunteered for Kerry, but I work full-time," Karen said. "I thought Bush's actions were war crimes. But I'm sleeping again since the therapy and have felt better ever since."

Those who can't afford expensive therapy are signing up for free support group sessions sponsored by the non-profit American Health Association. Executive Director Rob Gordon says his group has termed the travail that Kerry supporters are going through as Post Election Selection Trauma (PEST). "These unresolved issues from four years ago seem worst in Palm Beach County because this is where the pregnant chad scandal happened," he said. "People here still think Bush was appointed, not elected."

I certainly have met such people, including many in South Florida. That's why this month's election is such a clarifying moment in that there was an unambiguous winner. The election also provides anti-Bush voters with the time-tested therapy that democratic elections have always given to losers: the chance to improve their message and win the next time.