In reply to a couple of diaries, where did the hope go, and they all disappoint.
No matter what side of the aisle you stand upon no matter who won if you were a dedicated follower of fashion [in a political sense] after all the hyperbole and electoral speech funded by hundreds of millions of misspent dollars [it should be cheaper it really should].
Your whims have been pandered to; based on careful polling within the campaigns and the well scripted oratory that follows. Whether it is "ra-ra more guns" or "healthcare for all" there is something in it for the true partisan.
In general I vote for the DP candidate [with the rare standout exception, you go Bernie] not because of any innate belief that there will be a turn around how government works but; that there will be a slow down in the crazy and a touch of resistance to giving the wealth of the nation to the 1%.
I have never been surprised if the turnout is low; never, in fact I am always surprised that as many people vote as they do.
I often think elections are more similar to the Crufts dog show than they are to determine political content. The candidates are groomed and presented for us to examine, hopefully the comb-over has worked and the defects are well hidden. We have seen some notable implosions on both sides when the warts are spotted for the first time.
I still vote, only just mind you, but in general the cynicism rationalizes my resistance in getting excited by it all. Whoever wins I just hope they don't go too far to the extent that they
Declare preemptive war
Torture
Pardon Torture
Create panic driven legislation
Use the panic driven legislation
Use fear and loathing to justify racially driven laws
Get upset about the private lives of others and try to legislate against it.
Declare war on women
Declare war on Science
Photograph their private parts for public regard
Ignore the challenges posed by ever increasing anthropogenic global warming.
Fuck up the public education system and prioritize private schools.
Hit the poor hardest to pander to the richest.
Damage whole continents in a war on drugs where the market is driven by our own desires.
You know some pretty basic stuff.
I vote DP because at least there is some commonality in our thoughts and in general I find them less annoying.
Do I vote and enjoy the result?
Pretty rare.
Disappointed?
No
Lost hope?
Not really sure what all that was about in the first place.
Annoyed with the trends in policy and politicians over the last few decades?
You bet.
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