Finally, the 2016 election can start!
That's right, ladies and gentlemen. At long last, we can finally begin the 2016 election cycle that you've all so anticipated. At least judging by the non-stop flood of politically-leaning posts we've seen on Facebook and Twitter and everywhere else in creation. It's just a little unfortunate that the election cycle doesn't conclude for another 280 days. 280 long, long days...
Today marks the first time people actually cast votes in the election we've heard about almost non-stop for the last year and a half or so. Give or take.
It's another election between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party which have spent the last 7 years racing to their ideological extremes, abandoning the political center. Forcing people into the notion that their beliefs (and make no mistake, they are beliefs) are entirely correct, and the other party's beliefs are leading (or have led) to the demise of America, democracy, freedom, the world...what have you.
Is it a wonder now that 42% of people in a recent poll have identified themselves as Independent voters, who do not associate themselves with either party? (Full disclosure...I am one of those people. I have never had a political affiliation, I certainly do not wish one now, I currently support no candidate running for president, and I hereby publicly endorse writing in "Mickey Mouse" for your presidential vote in 2016.)
Because of the political divide (and no, I don't give a crap whose fault it is), we now have a race between lots and lots of people that lots and lots of voters don't want to be president. Sure, they all have their supporters, but not a single one of them comes without millions upon millions of absolute blood enemies. Make no mistake, we're not talking about people with a different political viewpoint...we're talking about people who have made up their minds to enthusiastically, vehemently, and vociferously despise each candidate. Yes, that is primarily the fault of cable news and the internet, but it's the way it is, and the way it's going to be. We are too far down the rabbit hole to actually try to understand the viewpoint of an opposing politician. It's a phenomenon I like to call The Misinformation Age. I've ranted about that sort of thing before, but I don't think I had given it a name at the time.
So this is the row we've sowed.
From the left: We have a seriously flawed candidate who has been the heir apparent to the current administration for 7 years but comes with non-stop credibility issues which may or may not be relevant, but that doesn't matter in The Misinformation Age. People will hate her no matter what she says or does and constantly bring up her alleged character flaws. Her chief rival on the left is a cranky old guy who is channeling his inner Robin Hood, spewing lots and lots of interesting ideas to benefit the poor without any means of actually getting any of these things accomplished given the fact that there is a congress who will never pass bills with any of his ideas, or paying for them if he somehow did. I think there's still one other Democrat running, but we won't be hearing from him for much longer, so don't worry about it.
From the right: We have a thoroughly unqualified mouthpiece who encourages and enables The Misinformation Age through speeches all about getting people to hate other people for whatever reason seems to fit the given mood. Foreign, Poor, Rich, Democrat, Female, Unemployed, Muslim...it's all in play. And he has the same problem as mentioned above, where there is no way any of the stuff he talks about will ever happen. There's a Senator who is reviled in the senate for not being willing to work with other elected officials to accomplish the things he wants to accomplish for the small sliver of the populace that his views represent. Oh, and he can't stop lying about current policy issues. There's the other Senator who might have some good ideas and some willingness to get them accomplished with support from others, who is vilified by the two former candidates for being part of "The Establishment" (which is who at least pays lip service to representing the aforementioned 42% in the Politically Abandoned Center), and can't get enough support from the party fringes to make meaningful progress in this election. There's the legacy pledge who used to be a mildly successful governor of a state nobody likes and whose best chance to win was always a full on Thomas Jefferson Johnson moment. There's the other governor who might stand a chance to win if he would actually say anything.
And then there's everybody else who will remain relevant long enough to write a book about their experience and cash out for another 4 years.
I understand that it may seem like I'm a little pessimistic about this year's election. That's understandable, mostly because I am entirely pessimistic about this year's election. I genuinely don't want any of these people to win, and more to the point...regardless of who wins, it will not be a candidate who is capable of correcting the political discourse. That is to say, none of these candidates will be one we won't have to hear about as the main reason for the demise of America, democracy, freedom, and the world for another 4 years. Why shouldn't I be pessimistic?
No comments:
Post a Comment