Second Life Shrink

Reptilia

I don’t usually get too emotionally exercised about politics – though I have strong opinions, my engagement tends to be confined to ideas rather than passions. This is due in part to my generally phlegmatic personality, but also reflects the political temperament of my homeland, a country where change, even of the most profound nature, mostly presents itself as slow evolution rather than violent revolution. This is a decidedly mixed blessing; it bestows a reassuring stability on the polity, but allows our governments to get away with things that would provoke insurrection in more excitable nations.

It is rare then for me to feel anxiety, let alone twinges of fear, when I am considering some political question, especially one concerning a foreign country. Yet the more I read about Sarah Palin, the more I find myself worrying about John McCain’s health.

Faced with the prospect of a US president who believes that The Rapture will happen within her lifetime, all one can do is embrace the relatively comforting notion that the occupant of the White House has no real power anyway, since the world is actually controlled by a cabal of giant lizards.

All change

I’m not sure how I feel about the Republican ticket now; I swing between conviction that McCain/Palin have no hope of election, and a horrible, gnawing fear that they might just pull it off.

The GOP strategists have obviously figured out that “experience” and “continuity” are not themes that are going to win many votes at a time when the country looks as if it is headed straight to economic hell, so they have decided to vie with the Democratics for the mantle of “change”. Suddenly McCain is a “maverick” again, ready to storm Washington and kick out the special interests, gun-toting God-fearing Everywoman Palin by his side.

The gap between the Republican propaganda and reality is surely too wide for even the best advertising to bridge. McCain’s campaign is run by lobbyists. He has supported Bush on practically every issue of importance in the last eight years. Palin, supposed scourge of the earmark, hired teams of lobbyists to gouge Federal dollars for her small town when she was mayor, and as Governer has continued gorging in the Washington pork-barrel.

There can be no way that they will get away with this flagrant reinvention of history, can there? All Obama has to do is point out the facts, right? The US electorate knows when it’s being lied to, doesn’t it?

But Obama and McCain are neck and neck in the national polls, it’s too close to call in the swing states, and the Republican base is looking more energised than it has done in months. They’re beginning to believe that they can win this thing. I can only hope that their judgement on that is as poor as it is on everything else.

Palin into insignificance

On the other hand, the Presidential race is just heating up, and browsing Google News, looking for the latest on the car-wreck that is the Republican ticket may just consume all my online hours.

Thinking to do in Denver

Catching up with the news from the DNC has raised my level of interest in US politics again, after a spell when I couldn’t be bothered with it. I figured that the Democrats had blown it again by picking the wrong candidate, thus landing the rest of the world with four more years of Republican nonsense.

Having watched Obama’s speech, read the contributions of the Clintons (say what you like about Bill and Hillary, but you can’t deny that they know the meaning of party discipline), and felt the general mood of excitement amongst the rank and file, I had been feeling a bit more optimistic.

But now McCain has picked Sarah Palin as his running mate I’m filled with doubt again. It’s obviously a transparent bid for the votes of disaffected Hillary supporters, and it might backfire – it undermines the GOP’s ability to hammer Obama for his inexperience, and it increases concerns about McCain’s age and health – but in a close race it might just be enough to carry the day. Brilliant or stupid? We’ll know in November.