Five Before Chaos

These GOP debates are comical, in a pathetic kind of way. A few weeks ago, I said they could increase ratings by billing ‘em as a reality show called America’s Biggest Idiot, but after last night, I think America’s Biggest Asshole would be even more appropriate.

Seriously. They seem like they’re all trying to be the most ignorant, mean dickhead possible. But, hey, that’s what their “base” wants, so they do not fail in that regard. Keep it up, folks, Obama is grateful, no doubt.

… just make shit up.

It’s how they always operate. But I don’t think that’s gonna work anymore.

I’ve been rather silent on the whole OWS thing. Actually, I haven’t been blogging much on anything, which is part of the problem, but considering how big this thing may be getting, I think it’s time to chime in.

My cynicism is so very deep, that it’s keeping me from fully embracing that this thing is as big as some say it is, or that this is the beginning of  some monumental change. I’m following it intensely, but am always ready for the other shoe to drop. Perhaps it’s due to a lifetime of marches and vigils and all sorts of other useless crap where nobody is really putting their asses on the line, in terms of civil disobedience. Vermont will do that to you… lots of sorta-priveleged white folks marching with the same tired slogans, and parking in congressmen’s offices who aren’t even there. You couldn’t get a Burlington cop to beat your head in, short of physically attacking him. What a charmed life we live up here. It’s risk-free protest at its finest. All you gotta do is show up.

In fact, this weekend, there’s an “Occupy Vermont” rally at the Statehouse, where we will undoubtedly see the same people and hear the same speeches we hear at every other rally at the Statehouse, and then people will go home and nothing will really change. Yes, I know it’s about “solidarity”, but if I were actually at OWS, I wouldn’t think too much of it, because real solidarity to me would be Vermonters actually camping out on the Statehouse lawn or City Hall Park in B-ton, and refusing to leave. It’s followed by a “vigil”;  It should be a vigil for the death of creative, effective activism in Vermont. I know some good people involved in this, and I don’t say these things to disparage their efforts, as they’ve participated in and accomplished a gazillion times more than I have. But I won’t be going, as I feel like it’s akin to praying; it might make you feel good, and it might make you feel like you’re doing something, but in the end, it’s accomplished nothing but that. It’s a completely empty experience for me.

And I don’t say that from a high-horse, as some of you are probably saying, “Oh, yeah, what the fuck are you doing?” . Where I’m at in my life right now, I don’t have the balls to get my head beat in by a cop, nor do I have the temperament for it, in part because I strongly believe in self-defense, and it’d make my situation that much worse, nor can I afford to be away from work right now, especially after a prolonged period of unemployment.  I also don’t do too well in jail, as my Montreal WTO arrest in ’03 showed me. I certainly don’t think I’m somehow morally superior, unlike some other online VT’ers. So I have the highest respect for the people that are in NY and other places, actually occupying spaces at risk of arrest and bodily harm. I’m also kinda shocked that the Black Bloc and right-wing saboteurs haven’t shown up and ruined the whole thing. As an anarchist friend pointed out to me a few days ago, “a lot of ‘em have grown up.” That, and maybe they actually realize that this is too big of an opportunity to squander by smashing a few windows.

But people are putting their asses on the line here, and it might be at a critical mass now. More than any other time in my life, I hope my cynicism is wrong. Maybe this is finally the long-overdue tipping point. I sure hope so. I respect the hell out of these people, as they’re disproving a lot of what I’ve always believed.

Joe the Plumber decides he’d like to lose a congressional race.

The weather’s been so shitty lately, and this weekend was like summer. The Sweetie’s sister is in town visiting for the weekend, and she’d never been to the White Mountains, so we all hopped in the car, and saw some major autumn color and great mountain views. We stopped in the tourist trap of North Conway, where I’ve been going forever, and went into Zeb’s general store. I’d never seen the Whites so crowded before, and Zeb’s was no exception. And then the tour bus pulled up outside:

Sweet.

This is too good to be true, I thought. She gave a quick speech outside that I didn’t hear, as I was waiting in a ridiculously long line to pay for my fudge, and then came in and shook hands with everyone in the place, asking each person their name and introducing herself. It was very weird…. she’s very short. So, anyways, the sweetie’s got the camera out, and Bachmann interrupted her picture-taking, lunging forward to shake her had. I wish the movie camera was rolling, as it woulda looked like Bachmann assaulted her.  She did the same to her sister as she was taking the picture.. maybe the corndog pic was still fresh in her mind and wanted as little photographic evidence as possible.

Every now and then, if someone had the look (especially the middle-aged, cross-wearing, vaguely teabagger-looking type), she’d throw a few extra words in, some contrived small-talk, then on to the next. I’ve met a few politicians, and without a doubt, I’ve never seen someone work a crowd that came across as so ingenuine, like some crazy little robot. And yes, she had crazy eyes.

She tried getting crazy-eyed on me, perhaps to suck my soul out through my eyes, but I think her Jeezus-radar detected I didn’t have the Spirit® , so it all went okay. I considered getting on my knees and begging her to rapture me, but instead I just said hi and took her handshake. It happened so quick, I couldn’t really think of anything clever or obnoxious to say. Most of the crowd looked like they didn’t have a clue as to who she was. It was surreal.

Heh:

Peter Singleton and Michelle McCormick left their jobs, homes, and families to move to Iowa to campaign for Sarah Palin. Wednesday evening they found out they didn’t have a candidate.

What’s this media obsession with Chris Christie possibly getting into the race? Sure, we all know that the current crop of GOP candidates ranges from mildly-deranged to full-blown nuts, but how would Christie change that? He’s got the typical I-don’t-give-a-shit asshole personality that the teabaggers find so endearing, and his personal appearance resembles one of ‘em, in that he probably hasn’t exercised in twenty years, which might be a plus, but seriously, what’s the allure? He’s not a raving godidiot as far as I know, so that’s not gonna help him in the Confederacy. I’m at a loss, here.

Maybe the media’s just looking for a new news-cycle narrative, considering how wrong they turned out to be on Perry. I really can’t think of anything else.

If you want to get some major ratings mojo on these GOP debates, promote it as a reality show called “America’s Biggest Idiot.”

The WaPo ponders a really simple question:

No dramatic gaffe or sudden change in direction explains how Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota fell out of favor with Republican voters — almost as quickly as she won them over when she joined the presidential race in June.

One might say because Perry’s crazier, but I disagree.

Perry has a penis, and in the alternate universe of Teabagistan, a crazy man is always more suitable for the job than a crazy woman. Duh.

On the 10th anniversary of 9-11, I’m going kayak camping. I will briefly reflect at how messed up this country has gotten since then, mostly because of our own doing, and hope that if we’re unfortunate enough to have something like it happen again, that we don’t use the opportunity to behave like scared, petulant children again.