Poli-tiking
It's getting to be that time of year again. No, not Fall, not Daylight Savings, not flu season, but the time of year where two figureheads of the red and blue expend large amounts of time and energy to thoroughly villanize the other while offering little in the way of concrete policy or even moderately hopeful leadership to an electorate burned to a crisp by apathy. Yep, it's an election year.
I went to the debate between the two senatorial candidates Conrad Burns and John Tester. There was, of course, a third candidate but we all know better than to afford him any significance. And he was blue like a smurf. And he said there should be no professors. These two things alone make it politi-physics-ly impossible for him to win any reasonable portion of the vote even if he did arrive in a garishly green bus run on used vegetable oil.
So what's a voter to do? Conrad has been around for awhile. He has a voting record that is consitent and conservative. He holds senior positions on committees and has brought good amounts of funding back to Montana. John brings a breath of fresh air. He has a voting record that is loud and liberal.
Conrad is linked to Jack Abramoff. He can't articulate himself outside of a rambling senatorial rhetoric. He cannot give a straight answer to questions regarding environmental policies. John thinks we should impeach our president. He cannot offer a concrete solution to cutting or at least maintaining taxes while also balancing the budget. He would not be able to sit on any congressional committees.
John Tester also has only seven fingers, and the green candidate knows that the Ameuro will be the new currency of the continent in an elaborate but thinly veiled communistic overthrow of the now defunct constitution. But that's beside the point.
The point is that the voters do not have much of a choice. Candidates seem to be more about identifying their opponent's position on issues (labeling/libeling) than standing firm for real solutions. Growing some sort of political spine may involve, perhaps should involve a dialogue and cooperation between the two sides of Congress that works for the people, not inspite of the people.
Perhaps I am too much of an idealist to stomach the democratic process. Perhaps I am too much of a pessimist to believe that we will ever be able to reverse the decline and corruption. Maybe I should just run for office. I think I will write myself in when I get my absentee ballot under the Purple Party. At least I would know the candidate wouldn't be in it for the money!
I went to the debate between the two senatorial candidates Conrad Burns and John Tester. There was, of course, a third candidate but we all know better than to afford him any significance. And he was blue like a smurf. And he said there should be no professors. These two things alone make it politi-physics-ly impossible for him to win any reasonable portion of the vote even if he did arrive in a garishly green bus run on used vegetable oil.
So what's a voter to do? Conrad has been around for awhile. He has a voting record that is consitent and conservative. He holds senior positions on committees and has brought good amounts of funding back to Montana. John brings a breath of fresh air. He has a voting record that is loud and liberal.
Conrad is linked to Jack Abramoff. He can't articulate himself outside of a rambling senatorial rhetoric. He cannot give a straight answer to questions regarding environmental policies. John thinks we should impeach our president. He cannot offer a concrete solution to cutting or at least maintaining taxes while also balancing the budget. He would not be able to sit on any congressional committees.
John Tester also has only seven fingers, and the green candidate knows that the Ameuro will be the new currency of the continent in an elaborate but thinly veiled communistic overthrow of the now defunct constitution. But that's beside the point.
The point is that the voters do not have much of a choice. Candidates seem to be more about identifying their opponent's position on issues (labeling/libeling) than standing firm for real solutions. Growing some sort of political spine may involve, perhaps should involve a dialogue and cooperation between the two sides of Congress that works for the people, not inspite of the people.
Perhaps I am too much of an idealist to stomach the democratic process. Perhaps I am too much of a pessimist to believe that we will ever be able to reverse the decline and corruption. Maybe I should just run for office. I think I will write myself in when I get my absentee ballot under the Purple Party. At least I would know the candidate wouldn't be in it for the money!
posted by Charity at 9:00 PM
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