Choiceless 2008
After having suffered through all but one televised debate for both GOP and Democratic candidates, I am left with the feeling of being told my house just burned down. Seriously. I don’t see one single candidate that’s worth a shit. Not one. They’re all turning into brand-X cereal boxes before our eyes. Struggling to fit into the most generic, offense-less, bland characters they possibly can. It’s sickening. Before the gates swung open, they were all talk and fire-branding with hands a-flailing about. Trying to grab attention. Now the prison yard spot light is on them and they’re frozen at a standstill. None will commit to anything that might lose their narrow chances of making it to the final round.
I would seriously vote for almost anyone I personally know rather than this pool of shit-for-brains idiots. Given that that isn’t a likely outcome, I may sit this one out. I’ve threatened to abstain from voting before. I’ve voted in every election but one since I was old enough to vote (I’m now 43). The whole “you can’t afford not to” argument isn’t going to fly with me this time. I still maintain a defensible argument that not one single election in America’s history has ever been decided by a single public vote. In fact, there has been at least one occasion where the public vote was reversed by the electorate. And we still call ourselves a democracy. Hmmm.
Let’s get technical shall we? A “democracy” does not mean a direct public control of government. It means control by proxy. Direct control of government is called Anarchy I believe, but that’s too messy, so we pick up our TV remotes and press the vote-for-___ button to do our dirty work for us. Americans don’t want to miss American Idol after all.
As much as I hate American Idol (any sitcom/pop TV crap these days), I may actually prefer to watch TV than vote next year. Actually, I will probably vote for everything else on the ballot (congress, senate, sheriff, school board, ass-wiper, gum chewer) but I may just do a write-in for president: my dog. Yes, my dog would be a far better choice in my opinion. Her background is impeccable and clean, even though she is a Beagle. She wouldn’t waste time with politi-speak. No, she’d get right down to ankle biting and chewing up things. I’d rather watch that than a State of the Union speech any day.
June 5th, 2007 21:46
You know, I was thinking the same exact thing. Then I saw Ron Paul on the Daily Show the other night. He was very impressive. He said plenty of things that he believed in but would not be popular, and likely ruin any chance of election (like saying he would push for removal of Medicare/Medicaid). Encouraging to see at least someone who has beliefs that aren’t run-of-the-mill and politically correct as possible. I would vote for him (a Republican) in a second, and most people consider me liberal. Unfortunately, I’ll never get the chance (short of a write-in vote).
June 5th, 2007 22:03
I saw that same show, and I have to say he’s the only one, so far, to make me stop and listen to what he had to say. I don’t think he’ll make it to the the starting gate next year, but who really knows? The playing field will probably look very different next year. I think there’s a strong chance that with Fred Thompson jumping in, it might sway Gore to reconsider. If that happens, it will turn the Clinton/Obama/Edwards carts upside down. It would sure be funny also.