Man, I used to be so plugged in to politics.
There was a time when I thrived on the electoral process in this country, believed that because I was following things, keeping track of the players and thus making informed choices at the ballot box, I was taking part in something grand, unprecedented (in a good way) in human history. Fortified by a daily diet of political banter and bluster, I indulged in the delight of designing a political edifice all my own, carefully chiseled out of what I heard, read, or watched, a careful consideration of the great American debate in uncertain times. Deciding who made sense, what made sense, what was logical, illogical, unlikely, offensive, not to be taken seriously, painfully obvious and/or the painful truth was an ever-evolving art, and I must say, there was a time I came up with some ornate detailing.
I was mostly conservative, but not completely. Folded into my starboard leanings was an assortment of determinedly liberal views, guaranteed to make me persona non grata at any Republican fundraiser. But that was okay; that was the point. Concession, compromise, bargaining for a common good...these were the primary ingredients in the road to prosperity as far as I was concerned, truths as self-evident to the Founders as any - and I proudly displayed 'See, I Told You So...' by Rush Limbaugh and 'Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot' by (now Senator) Al Franken side by side on my book shelf because I had read them both, and others like them, and thought they were both right, and both wrong, at different times, on different issues.
All of this is still true of me. When I awake in the morning and look in the mirror I'm never sure what political face I'll see smiling back. It might be blood red one day, a deep baby blue the next. Sometimes my political complexion flickers like agitation rippling through the skin of a Humboldt squid. I watch O'Reilly on Fox, I miss Olbermann on MSNBC...Maddow makes a lot of sense once in a while, so does Schultz...Hannity's always a gentleman...John Stewart's a kind of hero, Stephen Colbert's funny as hell...and to this day I'm still a great, great admirer of Senator Bob Dole.
Problem is, politics was fun for me once. It's not anymore, and I no longer believe the great American debate is leading anywhere good. It has become rancorous and at the same time dumbed-down on both sides, worthy these days of only Comedy Central's satire, and this is reflected daily in the broadcasts of primary news organizations like MSNBC and Fox News. Each panders shamelessly to a pre-conceived viewership, forging entertainment first and foremost. Left or right, the hosts go to great lengths to build and perpetuate their 'personalities'. They lean forward in their seats, noses practically pressed up against my TV screen; they talk too loudly, as if not sure whether the mic is on; they widen their eyes and nod their heads to emphasize their indignation, flare their nostrils, veins bulging, or worse, worse...try to be cute, adorably snarky, smirk and role their eyes as they dish out their version of pigs in a blanket: news wrapped in opinion. They play race cards, they play class cards, presume the stereotypes of their viewers as they recite their political talking points, and it's impossible to tell a lot of the time what's been verified and what they've merely found to be 'trending' somewhere.
The sorry state of the Fourth Estate is perhaps a whole other post....suffice to say, when it comes to politics:
Conservatives are ignorant. Liberals are arrogant. Sometimes it's the other way around.
That's about as good as it gets.
My disillusionment has gotten so bad in recent years, I've started losing interest in voting, started believing what George Carlin once said might be true: voting is meaningless, because this country was bought and paid for around 1800. He said this under the auspices of a gag narrative, but if ever there were a comedian who made you think, it was Carlin...and yeah, right now...lately...it all seems pretty meaningless.
I don't think I'm ready to stop voting, but all in all I'd rather be driving along some Wyoming highway in the rain listening to Waylon Jennings than stuck pretending to care about politics.
Or letting the white sand sift through my fingers in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.
Or fly-fishing on the Chattahoochee.
Or lying in the grass in a park in Omaha, making shapes out of clouds.
Or standing beneath a California redwood.
Asleep would even be preferable.
