Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Outsiders Inside

     The HuffPo has gone schizty:

     Yeppers, those socialistic, xenophobic New Hamsters are a-gonna break out into decidedly uncivil war any day now.

     Or not.

     You'll probably hate me for saying this, but those Donald and Bernie voters are, in many ways, voting for the same thing: they want the "Washington insiders" out.  What wafts from D.C. these days is anything but inspirational and no matter which totemic animal you follow, waddling pachyderm or braying jackass, it doesn't have your best interests at heart.  We've got, mostly, King Hog rather than King Log and its troughs are overflowing.  Mr. Sanders and Mr. Trump are both very much King Stork -- and in the end, the voters may well get what the froggies got.*  Nevertheless, they're darned sure they don't like what they have now, so promises of more of the same with a different arrangement of deck chairs and going-under music† don't hold much appeal at the ballot box.

     Votors often prefer "outsider" candidates for President, especially if they're not too outside.  And there's nothing they'd like more than to see the waters turn in the nation's capitol.  As a cautionary note for both sides, I will note the last times voters went for a new face at the helm, we got Presidents Carter, Reagan -- and Obama, sweeping in with "hope" and "change."   How are you liking those odds?

     Alas, the odds are odder and lower-grade than ever this time.  Those three had their flaws (pick your least fave and there's plenty to loathe!) but none of them was Mussolini with no style or Lenin with no brain.  Brace for King Stork!
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* Aesop told the tale -- and please note he lists not two but three kinds of rule.  Alas, once you've opted for kings, you lose the first and best option: self-rule.
 
Your choice of "Autumn" or "Nearer My God To Thee."

6 comments:

Old NFO said...

What I want to know is how Shillary got all the delegates from NH, when she LOST!!!

Anonymous said...


"You'll probably hate me for saying this, but those Donald and Bernie voters are, in many ways, voting for the same thing: they want the "Washington insiders" out."

No, not at all.

A danger in democratic politics (and yes, I'm fully aware we are a representative republic) is that if you get an extremist in power, you run the risk of an equal or greater extremest at the opposite end of the political spectrum winning the next election cycle.

Just another flavor of pie.

This may be an entertaining next 5 years, as in the Chinese "interesting times" curse way.

If Bernie wins, he's so naive he actually believes he can sit the left and the right down at the table and compromise to get legislation passed.

Ain't. Gonna. Happen.

If he wins, it's solid gridlock.

If 'The Donald' wins, who the hell knows what will happen...

Anonymous said...

If the ballot box does not work, there are not a lot of other options.
We have to try, because the alternative options are bloody awful.

Monty James said...

Impossible to be lower than Obama.

Joe in PNG said...

Monty- Don't worry, they'll do their dead level best to beat that benchmark.

Anonymous said...

Well..do we really want a President who sounds like Doc Brown? Or-a common culture comparison for the Hildebeest escapes me. Perhaps the donk is an apt totem after all. Great Scot!