Presidential Election Post Mortem II

As usual readers should begin from the bottom entry and read UP. 

READ THIS LAST: #7 Weighs in. 

Personality.

Yep, personality held sway in this elections and we're all the worse for it. This was a victory for the incredibly shallow media and the electorate that goes with it. This election was certainly not decided by any kind of principal; it was decided on personality, image, and likability. Obama skated by with little to no scrutiny from anyone while Romney was sliced and diced for every little sound bite, and finally dismissed as a flat-out liar along with his running-mate Ryan. In that kind of atmosphere, it's a wonder that Romney expressed any kind position. Every tiny step was a politically fatal. 

More hope and change? What hope? What change? You mean more stimulus? More stalling? More campaigning for gays and liberated women wanting cheaper easier access to birth control and abortions? More taxes for the rich that they'll still elude through loopholes? More bailouts? More gridlock in congress? More genocide in the Middle East? More can-kicking (my new favorite verb from this arduous two-year campaign)? Seems all the same to me.

I know, to the Democrats this is more alarmist talk from a stupid conservative who can't figure out his own interests. However, besides his rhetoric, what has Obama done for the little guy? And, more importantly, how much of the little that he has done will actually last? Perhaps some folks (as Obama calls them) have insurance now, thanks to no preconditions, but where will that burden be shifted, if not the young? Working guys like myself. I still await the price reduction in healthcare. And how will we pay for this system that isn't even sustainable? Oh, shift a little here, shift a little there, and tax a few billionaires, and voila! Problem solved. I'm not convinced and remain rather dubious on that whole thing.

Focus groups and polls dictate the national discussion more and more. It's quite odd: normally, the national discussion (in the media or in the debates) will dictate the focus groups and polls, not vice versa. There was no logic, just percentages of people who don't know anything to begin with. There goes any talk about foreign affairs. There goes any particulars about policy. There go any real analysis of history, recent or long ago. Economy become a mighty god to assuage, not a science of property, capital, and wages. There was no logic, just impulse--I won't even grace the opinions with the word feeling. And I won't necessarily blame fat stupid American citizens for the lack of logic. Pundits and leaders have made a concerted effort to make this election stupid and one-sided. Individualism? Free-market economies? Morality? Isolationism? All these things have too many syllables.. Voting adults read young-adult trash, if they read at all. They act decades younger than they are. And they're hooked on all seven deadly sins. But, it's all OKAY....Consider this reality, and never has the choice for president been so much easier to predict.

That being said, was Romney the best candidate? He was bland, but I grew to like him in the end. I'm not sure anyone could have been better. This was a hostile environment for any candidate not named Obama. I don't know what Romney could have said to change that. Newt, though a much better speaker, had no chance with his past marriages, stupid yet enough to knock him out. Santorum and the rest of primary guys picked one GOP constituency and had no chance to appeal to anyone outside of that. Poor Perry was just too darn stupid, even for a dumbed-down election like this one. I don't think wearing jeans, drinking beer, and pretending like dealing out entitlements and perks to key voters would have done anything for the out-of-touch sofa with great hair. He'd just be accused of lying, and suffering from "Romneysia". 

I will say that I think it's time to reevaluate the electoral system. It's hard to argue for it. I know it's supposed to be a representative democracy and all constituents are thus represented, but they really aren't. Ohio and Florida are represented while other states are neglected almost completely. Geeze, even Texan primary meant diddly, even though we're the biggest conservative state. Why bother? If you're not a Cuban in Florida, an autoworker in Ohio, or some farmer in Iowa, nothing the candidates say 90% of the time applies to you. 

It's all a game of numbers, not real ideas. It makes the crusty 30 year old lawyers in Texas guffaw at the lack of sleek sexiness in the GOP image. So much for the future.

There's a lesson in all of this. I think we become more ancient as we become more modern. We had the choice between a demagogue and a patrician. I guess that makes us helots or plebeians. Those well-wishing liberals will have their wish. I hope it works out, but, judging from the looming "fiscal crisis" and the dour picture in Europe, the picture may darken a bit in the time ahead.

#7

Second Entry: Jean-Jaques answers #6

Cher Numéro 6, 
Quand les voix se partagent pratiquement également entre Democrates et Républicains, on peut difficilement dire qu'Obama ait remporté aisement la victoire! Le "Électoral College System" devrait être abandonné car il masque la realité d'un pays divisé par le milieu. En outre, en obligeant les candidats à concentrer leurs efforts sur les fameux "swing states", l'élection presidentielle devient une guerre de tranchées aussi stupide qu'en 14-18!

Papa

BEGIN HERE. #6 is the lone Democrat in this election. He gets to gloat.

Hello Everyone!

Obama wins easily. No surprise there. Seriously, did the Republicans actually think they could win with a candidate so out of touch like Romney who has the personality of a sofa, hides his money in offshore accounts to pay less in taxes, and made his millions as a vulture capitalist? So much for Romney's electability. Strangely enough, I think Herman Cain would have made a much stronger republican candidate as he had at least some humor and a catchy 9-9-9 tax plan easy to remember among the population. Instead, all Romney could offer was the same rehashed Republican talking points. Here's for more hope and change! 

#6