If you only listened to the news, or only read headlines on the Intertubes, you’d have to conclude that there are just plain not enough adults running for office this year. Let’s review exhibits A through E on that subject:
- Joe Miller, Senate candidate in Alaska, thinks we ought to emulate the immigration policies of the former East Germany.
- Christine O’Donnell, Senate candidate in Delaware, doesn’t think that the prohibition on an establishment of religion is part of the First Amendment.
- Jack Conway, Senate candidate in Kentucky, seems to think that there is a religious test for the office to which he aspires.
- Joe Manchin, Senate candidate for West Virginia, makes clear his opposition to “cap and trade” climate control laws by shooting a copy of the bill with a rifle.
- There seems to be a great debate about Sarah Palin cautioning her supporters to not yet “party like it’s 1773.” (For the record, 1773 is when the Boston Tea Party took place. Sadly for Gov. Palin, this reference is probably too obscure and subtle for most Americans.)
You know, politics hasn’t been this entertaining since free beer and cider was passed out at rallies back in the Gilded Age. But where yesteryear’s “free beer” rallies were the way serious politicians got elected, today fundamentally unserious politicians are now getting elected by promising free beer. Or at least, lower rent. People from other parts of the world have to be looking in to American politics this year and wondering what in the hell is going on over here. Come to think of it, you don’t have to be from abroad to be wondering exactly the same thing.
Yeah, I read about Miller yesterday. What an astonishing dunce.
"People from other parts of the world have to be looking in to American politics this year and wondering what in the hell is going on over here."Compared to what goes on in French politics? Or compared to the antics of George Galloway? =PTruthfully, we foreigners are simply astonished that Louisiana has a nonwhite Republican governor and that the mayor of Houston is a lesbian. And, if we were honest with ourselves, we'd be astonished that you don't have prominant bigoted parties such as the BNP or Front national .But then, Paladino is running for office…
Hortensio FTW!George Galloway in the UK = Ron Dellums + James Traficantin the USA. How do you get yourself permanently kicked out of pluralistically-tolerant Canada?
*shudders*I'd forgotten about James Traficant.Is Manchin more or less insane than the typical Senate candidate from West Virginia? I typically read Canadian news sources, so I don't know enough about him to judge whether he'd be a less embarrassing Senator than Byrd.