"Hey, you were there. You had Kennedy. I didn't. I've never heard a president use words like 'destiny' and 'sacrifice' without it being bullshit. And, okay, maybe it was bullshit with Kennedy too, but ... but, people believed it. And, I guess, that's what I want. I want to believe it." - Primary Colors
I just finished Primary Colors, only 8 years after it was published, pretty good for me. The line above is the perfect expression of what I've felt for the last few years as my eye and mind has wandered to politics. I think that I did, just a little, believe it that is. Wes Clark brought a little of that out, and the Deniacs exuded it from their pours, until the harsh light of politics finally shone on their candidate.
I'm lucky, I live in Iowa and here you can feel like you're making a difference in national politics every four years. It's only for a few weeks, maybe a month, and then the stark reality of appealing to the lowest common denominator rears it's ugly head. You're left like a one-night-stand hoping that the candidates will call you, but knowing that you've had your fling and there was never any real emotion in that moment of callous caucus coitus.
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