10 More Days

I have to hand it to you - you yanks are a colourful and eclectic bunch. How else could you possibly stand election campaigns that last almost 2 bloody years? As a voyeur from the frozen tundra above, gazing down (and over at Alaska) from a place where eating poutine while watching Hockey Nite in Canada on a Saturday is aboot as exciting as it gets (according to every known Canuck stereotype) and being one of basically a handful of ye frozen people who actually puts up with covering our 37 day federal election campaign in any detail (and believe me, 37 days is more than enough), I know that it takes a special kind of political junkie (and I do mean "special") to sustain an interest in a race between 2 American parties that are virtually the same (in too many ways) for any length of time.

Rah rah patriotism, character flaws magnified and examined to the nth degree - sort of a colonoscopy of the mind, if you will, hundreds of millions of dollars spent on the US election industry (probably more than the entire economies of some small countries and certainly enough to eventually end world hunger), promises, promises, promises - just waiting to be broken, wild-eyed partisans who for some insane reason "love" their candidates and who are willing to do practically anything to get them elected, weary-eyed extremely monotonous pundits and journalists from hell who actually think they contribute something of worth to the national conversation; and stump speeches - spoken and shown over and over and over and over again by candidates who, after all of that oratory, still need teleprompters to guide them when most of their followers could recite their words verbatim for them.

It's a modern-day traveling circus: freaks and snake-oil salesmen included, not to mention the revival tent set up on the side for those who may have strayed from The Way (or The One). The curious are drawn in and suckered, leaving with smiles on their faces but feeling vaguely ripped off at the same time - prepared to shrug that off because they need to believe that they actually got value for their money. And besides, maybe it'll be better the next time. (But it never really is, is it?)

Just 10 more days...and then it starts all over again. Enjoy the show.