American Wake

I've run into a bit of a snag in my efforts at researching an aspect of the Iraq War, so rather than just post what amounts to little more than a personal opinion, with no facts to back it up (for now), I decided there is something else that needs to be said that requires no proof, only powers of observation.

I think the idea that America is still a free and democratic society is every day becoming more of a delusion than an ideal to be grasped and nurtured. Just look at the current political season, the race for the two major parties presidential nominations, and you have to wonder, is there ever a break from this shit?

After the election of '04, the pundits were already discussing in earnest prospects for the '08 election, as well as the then next '06 mid-terms. It has been non-stop.

There used to be a saying to the effect that the only two things that kept the American economy going were war and Christmas. Soon, you might well be able to add politics to the list.

So, what is the reason for this? It looks to me like we are heading back to the days when political conventions picked their candidates in the confines of the proverbial "smoke filled rooms", only we are fed the illusion that the people actually have a say in the process.

And, with the internet, it looked for a while as though the people might actually be given a voice after all, might actually make an impact. In the '04 elections, it started to look as though former Vermont Governor Dr. Howard Dean might well have succeeded in translating a grass roots internet based campaign into the surprise nomination of the century. However, the power brokers of the Democratic Party, fearful of a general election debaucle, joined forces to derail Dean by the time the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries rolled around. By the time of the South Carolina primary, his campaign was obviously done.

To his credit, he parlayed his initial success into a movement to take over successfully the chairmanship of the DNC, after which he initiated the "50 state strategy" that was of paramount importance to the Democrats electoral mid-term victories in '06.

Though Dean is unfairly, in my opinion, maligned by the right as a "far leftist", his strategy has actually presented a problem for the entrenched leftist majority of the Democratic party. After all, the success of Dean's strategy depended on the enlistment of centrist candidates to run in states like Montana, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The danger here, of course, is that these candidates might actually turn out to be legitimate centrists (as opposed to moderates of convenience, like Hillary Clinton) and so actually bring the party over toward the center, where of course is where most people in America reside. True, this would make the party all but unbeatable, but the left PAC gravy train would be seriously in jeopardy. Also, the people that make up the majority of Americans-the moderate majority-would tend to actually hold them or any political party accountable for their actions-something most parties aren't used to from their established bases of support.

So, how best to derail this movement than by moving the primary season up and compressing it into a time span early enough in the year so that both parties will have chosen their candidates by early April, at least. This gives the party power brokers the opportunity to insure that their chosen candidates have the money to get their message out before a lesser known candidate, such as Dean, has time to get off the ground, financially or otherwise.

The end result of this is that in order to be competitive, candidates must begin their campaigns ridiculously early, thus we have this phenomenon of the never ending campaign. But unless you're a Hillary Clinton or a Rudy Giulliani, it's a losing proposition. A whole year of tilting at windmills during an off year leading up to the legitimate and traditional campaign season is not a recipe for success. By the time the campaign starts in earnest, the establishment candidates have all their papers in order, their war chests overflowing, and their talking points memorized. They also have the state party machines lined up, as well as most media outlets who are ready to fawn over their every utterance, as they have for the most part throughout the off year.

It is almost a sure fire bet that Hillary Clinton will be the nominee of the Democratic Party, and though the Republican outcome isn't nearly as certain, the smart money is on Giulliani, for now. Of course, the uncertainty of the Republican outcome is based on a lot of soul searching and angst over the last electoral defeat, not over the viability of the system at large.

But the people at large have less say about these matters, as the PACS, other big money contributors, and the party elites, and all those who by and large profit from the system as it is, will do anything to protect their own interests, which sometimes dovetails with the national interest, but at least just as often does not.

But who cares about all that? There's a party going on-a political party primary season, that is. Get out early when it comes to your state, make sure you dress warmly, and vote early and often. This year, your state could well put the winning nominee over the top. Wave at the nice cameraman. Remember, if you are lucky enough to be singled out by a reporter, you are the face of your state and region. Act appropriately.

And remember-though this might be like a wake, of sorts, for American politics, at least it will give the local economy a shot in the arm.