Politics! What is it good for? (Absolutely Nothin'!)

I've been reading my ballots (Oregon is a "Vote By Mail" state) and I admit that I am despondent.

When I think about the presidential elections  ... yet to come ... it's even worse.

Oregon cannot field a decent candidate in the Senatorial elections.  This sorry state of affairs (pun intended) has existed for years.

When it comes to local elections, it's even worse.  I'm sure that there are honest folks out there who would represent their constituents honestly and in good faith .. but are they capable?  We can't know.

I'm reminded of the quote (often attributed to Mark Twain and/or Benjamin Disraeli .. but perhaps even those citations are wrong) concerning the three types of lies:

"Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics"!

Perhaps the more mordant quote should be:  "Liars, Damn Liars, and Politicians!"

And how about war?  Watch the video ... and substitute "Politics" for the word "War":





It's probably redundant to mention that all politicians are liars.  Who said that 'anybody who wants to campaign for a public office is probably not someone you would want to hold it'?  Well ... I did, for one.

Will Rogers had a bunch of things to say about politicians, politics and campaigning.  But he didn't go far enough.

Voters today ... probably always ... have the choice of voting for the least dishonest/vompetent candidate.  That's Hobson's Choice.  (Look it up; I did)  Or worst, Procrustes; who stretched or sawed off the legs of his guests to fit the bed.

We're at the mercy of the "least bad" alternatives when it comes to voting.  Our candidates prove themselves to be venal, criminal, insane and/or incompetent.  I offer Clinton, Nixon, Carter, Ford, Obama  as examples (not necessarily in that order).

And yes, I even include Reagan .. who was a dunderhead but still a leader; we don't get many men of that caliber nowadays.  * (Or Eisenhower, either, for that matter.)


We should have voted for Nancy.

At least she encouraged us to  not 'do drugs'.  What part of "Just Say No!" is a bad idea?

So we are left with the conundrum:  "If you don't vote, you can't complain!"

Therefore, I am registering my complaints NOW, before the elections.  Whomever is elected .. they're a dunderhead without charisma.

Or they have charisma ... but they're a STUPID, INEXPERIENCED dunderhead without the sense God gave a jackass.  Yes, I specifically include the reigning President in that category.

Frankly, I would prefer a dishonest politician over an incompetent one.  Which is why I thought Nixon was a 'good president'. He would have made a great Secretary of State, but he over-reached himself when he kept trying for the Presidency until the nation, in a fit of pique, elected him 'anyway'.  He was A Leader.  He may not have led us in the direction in which we wanted to go; he was the ugliest man who was ever elected to public office; and yes, he was "a crook".

But he was an Honest Politician.

The definition of which is: when he was bought, he stayed bought.

The same can be said for Lyndon Johnson, of the 'opposing party';  except that while Johnson was obviously for sale to the highest bidder, he was overwhelmed by his exalted position and imposed some draconian social policies which have undermined our nation for decades.

We should have elected Lady Bird, who at least encouraged us to put up walls between highways and junk yards in her (seemingly) bizarre "Highway Beautification Program" .. which was in itself more beneficial than most Presidential Edicts.

Come to think of it, most First Ladies had more balls than their presidential husbands.  Remember Dolly Madison?  Now there is a Lady I would have voted for.

Dolley Madison also helped to furnish the newly constructed White House. When the British set fire to it in 1814, she was credited with saving the classic portrait of George Washington. In widowhood, she often lived in poverty, partially relieved by the sale of her late husband’s papers.


But we don't have any Dolly Madisons.  We almost had a Sara Palin.  We almost had a Geraldine Ferraro.

Pity.  I would have voted for any of them.

Instead, we continue to vote for men who look good on television.

Which is why I don't own a television.

And it's why I am so despondent about voting,

......

You call me a curmudgeon.  I consider myself a realist.

Okay, so sometimes I 'over-think'.  And I WILL vote; I'm just not expecting to be happy about the results, even if the people I vote for win the election.  (Perhaps especially in that case.)