[Change / Hope / Experience] seem to be the dueling political memes of the moment. Somebody's winning, somebody's losing, somebody's going, somebody's coming.... Cue the ancient Procol Harum chant "Boredom:"
Some say they willI don't know about you but to me this whole pile of yabble is just that, yabble. Yabble to fuel the pundits and political junkies. Yabble that keeps underemployed newscasters running around the screen sticking microphones in people's faces. Drudge and a thousand fellow travelers aside, I don't think anybody is going anywhere, much less out of the race.
and some say they won't
Some say they do
and some say they don't
Some say they shall
and some say they shan't
and some say they can
and some say they can'tAll in all
it's all the same
but call me
if there's any change
Because none of this, absolutely none of it, is about "change," or "hope," or "experience." This is politics and politics is about one thing and one thing only -- w i n n i n g. It's about the biggest win you can get. And the prize is using Air Force One as your private plane for four or eight years. Better than hitting the Lotto, that one.
New Hampshite doesn't, for Hill or Bill or Barack, decide who is the winner. That's for later, much later. Some lower level flotsam may become jetsam today, but it won't be the above.
But, in the meantime, as a friend of mine says when she's confronted with a hopeful question about a possible change: "No, but isn't it pretty to think so?" And she's experienced.
Posted by Vanderleun at January 8, 2008 1:25 PM | TrackBackI agree completely. I could have retched when it turned out that the Cry of the Clinton came from her profound compassion for a country that needs her to give it opportunities. Good grief. It's really about the trappings of power and the use of power. It's about being able to interfere with as many people's lives as possible.
Posted by: ELC at January 8, 2008 3:03 PMIt's really all about making sure only the right people vote. Which means, in large part, that as few people vote as you can get away with. The two best tools for dissuading voting are disgust and boredom, and boredom has a smaller chance of backfiring on you.
Though on Barack Obama I must say this. His flaw is he's naive. His virtue is, he makes people enthusiastic. In my experience naivety is much easier dealt with than apathy.
Now remember what Mr. Spock told Captain Kirk in The Undiscovered Country, "There's an old Vulcan saying, 'Only Nixon can go to China.'" It may just be that only Obama can go to war with Pakistan.
Posted by: Alan Kellogg at January 8, 2008 3:10 PM"It is impossible to speak in such a way that you cannot be misunderstood." -- Karl Popper N.B.: Comments are moderated to combat spam and may not appear immediately. Comments that exceed the obscenity or stupidity limits will be either edited or expunged.