Today we are 52 weeks away from the election, so it's now truly campaign season (yeah, I know the campaigns started a long time ago, but I consider that "pre-season"). Now we'll get to see who's got the best arm when slinging the mud. We'll watch the media spin the images to fit the pre-planned narrative. By the time the actual votes are cast, the average voter will be disgusted with the entire process. They'll be voting for whoever they hate the least.
Brilliant prognostication, right? Not really. Just the observations of a political junkie who's been involved in every election since 1968.
The consensus amongst the pundits seems to be that the Dems are a shoe in, in the wake of the disaster that is shrub. I don't buy it. There is plenty of time for slime.
Likewise, the punditocracy has chosen Hillary as the winning Dem. I remain unconvinced. While she has great name recognition, she's not that popular with the general public. The question is whether Obama/Edwards/Other can take advantage of the opening.
On the rethuglican side...agh, I'm not going there (I would rather retain my lunch). Suffice to say that the eventual nominee will be a white guy who the media will portray as strong and manly. The talking heads will swoon over him while blathering for hours on any petty flaw they can find on the Democratic nominee.
Thanks to the flurry of early primaries, the nominees will probably be chosen by February, leaving plenty of time for a long mud slinging season. But there is a real possibility that all the early primaries will split between candidates, creating an intense political playoff lasting into March. We'll see.
The bottom line is that we will not get the person who would be the best President, but rather the person with the best mud slinging and dodging talent. It's a strange, sad system.
Brilliant prognostication, right? Not really. Just the observations of a political junkie who's been involved in every election since 1968.
The consensus amongst the pundits seems to be that the Dems are a shoe in, in the wake of the disaster that is shrub. I don't buy it. There is plenty of time for slime.
Likewise, the punditocracy has chosen Hillary as the winning Dem. I remain unconvinced. While she has great name recognition, she's not that popular with the general public. The question is whether Obama/Edwards/Other can take advantage of the opening.
On the rethuglican side...agh, I'm not going there (I would rather retain my lunch). Suffice to say that the eventual nominee will be a white guy who the media will portray as strong and manly. The talking heads will swoon over him while blathering for hours on any petty flaw they can find on the Democratic nominee.
Thanks to the flurry of early primaries, the nominees will probably be chosen by February, leaving plenty of time for a long mud slinging season. But there is a real possibility that all the early primaries will split between candidates, creating an intense political playoff lasting into March. We'll see.
The bottom line is that we will not get the person who would be the best President, but rather the person with the best mud slinging and dodging talent. It's a strange, sad system.
3 comments:
I don't care for Hillary not because she a woman but because she sounds like a faint echo of Bush. We'll be in Iraq for a long time from what she's said.
Still like Edwards as he is the only one to admit his mistake in voting for the war.
Still there is the overall weakness of the Democratic party. Come on guys and girls grow some bolas and stand up to these criminals.
I think it is clear Hillary is the preferred establishment candidate. TV likes to blame her lead in the polls for her monopoly on media coverage but of course there is a problem with cause ans effect here.
One of the most dangerous myths for American politics right now is the glorious age of Bill Clinton. We should not forget that under Bill Clinton the USA signed NAFTA, the Crime Bill, and Welfare Reform. All of these are from the Republican play book and have been disastrous for America's working class and Poor. Further, Clinton continued the economic sanctions against IRaq, killing an estimated 500,000 civilians with Madeline Albright stating publicly, "we think it is worth it". Clinton alos continued the US/Saudi alliance, keeping US military bases in SAudia Arabia.
The last two points are main reasons the "ISlamo-fascists" want us dead dead dead.
Clinton CHOSE to sell out the poor in the US and the World for the free movement of capital. Clinton is allied to the largest IFIs and MNCs. The establishement realizes that "new democrats" or "republican lights" are more competent in steering the state toward profits and power for the few. Republicans got their chance for explicit greed and aggression, but this backfired. Not the velvet glove is being put back on the iron fist, and we common folk will call it "progress".
I dont expect anything from Hillary of the federal dems. They have an empire of privilege to protect and this will limit their choices. Sometimes I wonder if it is better to have greedy nasty people in power who openly screw you, or to have two faced people who lie in promising to pursue progressive policies. Hillary is a great example of the latter.
End of rant: Hillary's vote for the Iraq war shows what an opportunist she really is. WAR HAWK HILLARY! KILL IRAQI KIDS! GET VOTES! Her claims of "ignorance" under "faulty intelligence" is pure nonsense. These claims she makes means she is either incredibly gullible and stupid, or a bold faced liar. I think the latter is more correct.
Vote Kucinich!
Gandhisxmas
I'm writing myself in as a President.
If we're going to have crazy people running the country, it may as well be me.
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