Monday, December 24, 2007

Going to the Horse Races



Have we yet measured the height and weight of the presidential candidates? Have we looked at their teeth? There's probably an article or two that could be written about any speed-enhancing substances they may have taken.

It is an odd thing, this reframing of a political election into a horse race. The journalists must write so as to make the race more interesting, bashing the front-runners and pushing up the rear. It's all fun and games, and very little of it has to do with democracy at all. If Adolf Hitler rose up from the grave and was running for the president of the United States someone, somewhere, would write that sure his mustache looks like a dead cockroach and sure his haircut is terrible but the man can speak!

Ok. Now put me in a barrel and nail down the lid, for I have committed a Godwinism.