Fun stuff indeed
I get the sense that this election may be held up in later years as a great turning point in many different facets of American events. I only hope that the promise that these new forces hold can be realized over the next four years. I've seen plenty of idealists go to Washington and prove unable to chop a single head off the hydra that is the current political system.
As Gust said, "We'll see..."
Meanwhile, I am wasting many hours on primary nights watching the returns come in.
You know, Micro's "dispute" with you is a sort of microcosm of how politics in America has been conducted during the Baby Boomer years. While you were taking what seemed a purely academic approach to his assertions about the consumer space, he took a tribalistic, "with me or against me" approach. Once you pointed out shortcomings in his arguments, he took it as an impending ouster from the group, and chose to make his own, rather splashy exit, followed by much gnashing of teeth over on the "Bob."
This is how American politics has felt for some time- Choose your group and stick to the group rhetoric at all costs. Be sure to utter the correct shibboleths, and you are in. Meanwhile, denigrate the opposing view (as he now seeks to do with ad hominem tactics against you) and maintain a lockstep with the prevailing group ethos. It has been interesting watching Micro settle in amongst the bashers, and change his tune dramatically to fit their group rhetoric. Their "soothing" welcome was pretty priceless, as well. Do you think that he realizes that he is just being used by them? Probably not, he is too focused on belongingness.
It is John McCain's failure to pronounce the correct shibboleths for the conservative evangelicals that will sink his campaign eventually. Meanwhile, Obama seems to be able to avoid this destructive pattern.
What if people could move past this old pattern of tribalistic politics? I'm sure many in Washington would not know what to do with themselves.
And yes, if the only thing that comes of this possible moment of "Change" is that it becomes harder for corporations and special interests to buy influence, then it will be a most excellent election, no matter who wins.
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