The popular vote

Escaped African Grey Parrot
refuses to talk to police, gives
name and address to veterinarian.

Is it politics as usual? I guess it is if you think politics is an intrinsically sleazy business that need not follow the rules. Why else would Clinton keep pushing the popular vote scenario? Whatever you might think of Clinton I don’t think anyone believes she is stupid. She knows the rules, and she herself agreed to them. The Democratic candidate is to be picked on the basis of delegates won. It has nothing to do with the popular vote. So why does she persist in trying to change the rules in the middle of the game? First, it is not certain that she will have won the popular vote. Second, it doesn’t make any difference if she does. Third, the argument that because she might win the popular vote she would necessarily be the best candidate against McCain is not self-evident. Fourth, the argument that Obama cannot win the election is highly questionable and is contradicted by the polls that show Obama would defeat McCain. Fifth, her argument that Obama cannot win the white working-class vote seems to apply only in Appalachia where racism is obviously much of the problem, and where a Democratic candidate probably can’t win in the general election anyway. Sixth, it is inconceivable that even if Clinton did win the popular vote the superdelegates would award the nomination to her that would, at best, destroy the Democratic Party and at worst risk another American revolution. As she is not stupid she has to be aware of this. So why does she persist in pursing this doomed strategy? Is she merely trying to prove how much (part of) the American public loves her? Does she have a specific goal in mind, like the vice-presidency? It seems unlikely to me that Obama would agree to her on the ticket and she must be aware of that also. Does she want to become Senate majority leader? Perhaps. Does she want to be nominated for the Supreme Court? Perhaps. Is she gambling on weakening Obama enough so she can become President in 2012? Maybe. Will we ever know just what she is trying to do? I hope so. In the meanwhile we just have to go along with this monumental charade, promoted and encouraged by the MSM in spite of it’s being nonsensical.

And speaking of the MSM and their 24/7 news, today it has gone much like this:

The latest on the medical condition of Senator Ted Kennedy. He has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor (shot of Kennedy leaving the hospital).

Ten minutes or so later: The latest on the condition of Senator Ted Kennedy, who has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor (shot of Kennedy entering a car and leaving the hospital)

Fifteen minutes later: The latest on the condition of Senator Ted Kennedy. He has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He is on his way to Kennybunkport.

Another fifteen minutes later: The latest on the condition of Senator Ted Kennedy, who has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He says he wants to go sailing.

An hour later: The latest on the medical condition of Senator Ted Kennedy. He has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. He is sailing with his family. He likes to sail.

Aaaaaagh!!! I feel terrible for Senator Kennedy and his family. It is a terrible tragedy. I wish him all the best luck in the world and sincerely hope he will fully recover. But, really, do we need this kind of “news” coverage? Can’t they leave it alone even for a minute. Can’t he have any privacy even while ill? I fully expect we’ll be getting reports on his appetite soon, perhaps, given the absolutely dismal performance of the media, we’ll even start hearing about his bowel movements. Enough, god damn it! Leave it alone. We should never have allowed 24/7 news if they are not going to actually give us meaningful news from all around the world (and even then could they really fill up the full 24 hours)? I do not either want or need to see any more car chases in Los Angeles, or any house fires in Birmingham, or any minor explosions in Perth Amboy, or the latest Britney episode, and I certainly do not need everything repeated endlessly hour after hour after hour. Furthermore, I don’t want to see any sheriff or fireman interviewed to tell me they don’t yet have any information. I want them to wait until there is some information, I want it announced as simply and clearly as possible, and then I want them to move on to some other REAL news story. And if they persist in spending as much or more time per hour on ridiculous commercials as they do on “news” they can just count me out. I’ll stick to the internet until they manage to commercialize it, too, and then, happily, I’ll probably be dead and gone. Why have we allowed our culture to deteriorate so completely?

“weathered dock
half as long today
I too
have wished to vanish
into winter mist”

Fred Donovan