Mass Rejection

On the occasion of the President's last (hopefully) State of the Union address, during which he will undoubtedly try to break his own record for using the word "freedom" in a speech, we address the latest political developments in this mean season...where Democrat turns on Democrat and Republicans joyously bash each other in desperate hope of mass approval. It's a sick system, but it's ours so we will pretend to love it as long as the trains keep running and the fast-food windows stay open well past midnight.

What makes it especially joyous is how poorly one Rudolph Ghouliani is faring so far in the primaries. It warms my heart to see the man rejected by so many groups of people in so many different areas of the country. Yet there he was the other day on the campaign trail in Florida gamely jabbing at the air with those spastic arms of his flailing about. At his side at one Florida venue were pseudo-celebrities like New York Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon, proving that baseball players are consistently among the dumbest athletes in all of professional sports, ranking just ahead of ultimate fighters and NBA street ballers, as well as once-promising actor Jon Voigt, perhaps providing insight into why daughter Angelina Jolie wants nothing to do with him anymore.

Witnessing the sweet failure of Candidate Rudy, one of the more dispiriting, soul-crushing people to ever occupy a place in our depraved American diaspora, is reminiscent of that famous scene in the Wizard of Oz where the Wicked Witch literally melts into the floor, only Rudy's humiliation will play out agonizingly over the next few weeks. And behold, because there was great rejoicing and shouting unto the heavens, such was the joy of the faces of the people. Or something like that.

It now looks like John McCain will be the presumptive nominee. No way a plastic man like Mitt Romney will continue fooling people too far into the future. The guy will change his values and his opinions and even attempt to rewrite his past public record as he goes. Say what you like, but McCain is too damn stubborn to change now, and he will present a formidable challenger to the Democratic candidate, especially if that turns out to be Hillary Clinton -- a candidate with so much negative baggage that she would be the only one of this year's main contenders with the ability to turn the election in the Republicans' favor.
Let's put it this way. Nobody hates conservatives and right-wingers more than me, yet even the prospect of a Hillary presidency freaking these people out over a four- or eight-year period is not enough to sway me. In fact, were Hillary to capture the nomination, having to hold my nose and vote for the Manchurian Candidate against the Republicans would be a lot like what I'm faced with in the upcoming Super Bowl: rooting for the hated Patriots to emerge victorious because I detest the Giants just that little bit more -- a hate forged of a thousand burning volcanoes.

This is not the time for another Clinton, Hillary or Bill. Even before Bill starting making an ass of himself recently on the campaign trail with his jabs at Barack Obama, I was against an American presidential cycle playing itself out over 30 years as Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton. It's not good for the country, it's not good for business, it's not right for the customer. But I digress...

Caught John Edwards on Letterman last week. The guy seems genuine to me, and I believe his economic message has resonance in this savage Darwinistic economy we find ourselves in. Not that this rich trial lawyer was channeling Eugene Debs or something, but speaking truth to entrenched, fixed economic power has been a long time coming, and his stump speech contains a lot of truth in it. I believe a lot of voters would've been receptive to his anti-greed, anti-corruption, anti-lobbyist message. I was hoping Edwards would win, and ultimately team with Obama on the Democratic ticket. But it looks like there's no stopping Obama now, fresh off his trouncing of Team Clinton in North Carolina.

Boy, that love affair America had with Fred Thompson sure came and went, didn't it? There's only so far that spouting cornpone platitudes will get you, even if you announce your candidacy on the Jay Leno show. I saw through this guy's faux Reagan routine from jump street, and the rest of the country soon thereafter. I think Romney is next to fall, even if he still has a fortune to spend literally buying each vote one at a time. I don't know what that leaves, but as the residency of George W. Bush comes to its merciful close, it's shaping up as a McCain-Obama title fight, and I would put my money on the energetic up-and-comer against the grizzled old veteran. Politics, like boxing, is still a young man's game. McCain can also be a scary dude when you see the blood rushing to his face and he starts repeatedly pointing his finger out at the audience for emphasis, what some might call playing to his base.
Obama continues to tap into something unseen in American politics since JFK last strode to a podium over 40 years ago. As the major endorsements continue to roll in, I would not wager large sums of money against his continued ascension to the presidency. Only a fool, or a Republican operative, would tell you different. Some would tell you they're one and the same.