Today, the Junior Varsity is at their never-ending rumble in the jungle in New Hampshire. The voters go in and the exit poles come out, merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, to see which dreamboat will still float.
It is our way and our ritual. But at this point, wake me when it's over and include me out.
I'm in awe of the discriminating votes of New Hampshire. They know that this is the one time in four years that anyone outside of the state remembers that it's capitol is.... I forget. Still, you can't blame them for trying to get a little time in the sun during the dead of winter.
I'm in awe of the various voices online that are rolling along with this [primary season] -- tilting one day towards this one and the next day towards that one -- as if there really was a dime's bit of difference between them; as if any one of them is worthy of running the United States of America.
Watching these sad captains who were sane enough a few months back to say "goodbye to all that" warming to this, that, or the other Bozo bobbing to the surface of the tank is depressing. It's like watching a drunk who has finally wised up to the dangers of drink; who's gone on the wagon
None of these men are worthy and nothing about their "ideas" and "policies" have the least element of promise. It will never be morning in America, September 10, 2001 again. Deep down, we all know this. Deep down "they" all know it, but they would be king and they would have their primary season.
It is our way and it is our ritual. There's no help for it. We are doomed to spend the next year with "Stuck Inside of Mobile" jammed in the CD player and, in the end, discovering there is no way to get out of going through all these things twice, thrice, ad infiitum... It's our rabbit hole and we've got to fall all the way to rock bottom.
There's the issue of "the economy" -- Up? Down? In? Out? Over? Around? Through? There's the issue of Iraq" -- Never gone in, Gone with Kofi, Gone with permission, Gone with the French, and Get Out Now, Get Out Later. There's the issue of "taxes" -- More Now (from someone else), More Later, More Later Retroactive to Now. And there is always the issue of "Bush" -- Liar? Dictator? Hitler redux? Evil genius or callow deserter? And a sheaf of faintly ripe local issues trumped up at the last minute to appeal to the vanity of these benighted voters who are actually playing along with the game.
It is our way and it is our ritual. Wake me when it's over and include me out.
But there is really only one question that, when all is said and done, must be asked of these men who would be King. But we know their answer as well as we know that their part has become the last refuge of those with fatally short attention spans.
To my mind, the problem with this silliest of seasons, and the problem with the candidates and the games that they play with all these voters in all these states is that they have no policy with an answer to this.
Posted by Vanderleun at January 27, 2004 6:02 PM | TrackBack