Go Mitt in Your Hat: Reflections on the Election

Discussing politics is largely a game, one played by people who have the luxury to devote time to it. Like most games, discussing politics can be fun but doesn’t really have any effect on the world. Hell, the actual electoral process itself has only a slight effect. At the end of the day, here in modern America at least, the “choice” offered to voters is usually between candidates who are, in the big picture, remarkably similar. No matter who wins, very little is likely to change in the fundamentals of the system. For me personally, the outcome one way or the other doesn’t really affect how I carry out my True Will, so politics isn’t exactly a pressing issue.

That being said, it can be fun to talk about politics, especially when these Republican clods select the most odious “suit” possible to represent them and have their candidate (along with their dumbass, harmful policies) rejected by the country.

There’s an old Simpsons joke featuring banners at the conventions of the two main American political parties. The Republican banners read, “We’re just plain evil!” and “We want what’s worst for everybody!” and the Democrat banners read, “We hate life and ourselves!” and “We can’t govern!”

For those who dip their heads down to play the (relatively meaningless) game of political discussions, that joke pretty much sums up the playing field. It’s amazing that a joke made twenty years ago is even more relevant today than it was then.

It's also more than a bit disconcerting (once again, relatively speaking from here within "the game") how many American conservatives -- and especially Republican politicians -- seem not only misinformed but positively allergic to facts. Comedian Bill Maher provided a chuckle-worthy take on the phenomenon of the Republican "bubble" here.

Anyway, before this Romney character rides off into the footnotes of history, I wanted to share these links that I found entertaining:

A well-written and insightful review of Mitt Romney's book, written by a fellow Simpsons fan, as witnessed by the great quote that heads the entry.

An amusing parody of Gangnam Style ("Mitt Romney Style") by the folks at College Humor.