Wednesday, August 30, 2006

The Stricken Body Politic

With the fall election campaign ready to kick into full gear post Labor Day weekend, how fares America’s body politic? The right and the left sides still function per orders from the opposite side of the brain. The problem arises from the aftermath of the series of strokes rendering the two sides of the brain incapable of communicating with each other.

The first stoke occurred with the advent of the permanent campaign, where candidates essentially never stop running for office. Every move is couched in win/lose. The following series of strokes happened after selling the elected soul for campaign donations, the parlaying of political influence into financial gain.

With money and prestige as the reward elections became hyper-competitive, rendering larger parts of the brain inoperable. Thus the right side of the body operates on orders from the left which is incapable of communicating with its counterpart. The left side, controlled by the right brain does its own thing. Thus the body politic flails around uncontrollably.

And politicians wonder why people don’t vote? When we find a person in such a state, we call an ambulance. Why shouldn’t we do likewise here?

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