tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219836196183200787.post1349753419609116129..comments2024-03-22T17:16:45.373-07:00Comments on "The Charbor Chronicles": More on the 2016 ElectionThe Charbor Chronicleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16834960856531538870noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219836196183200787.post-80262192215601831422016-11-10T08:47:35.968-08:002016-11-10T08:47:35.968-08:00I think if anything positive can emerge from this ...I think if anything positive can emerge from this train wreck, it will be to serve as the vivid, omnipresent symbol of what the perfect storm of complacency, corruption and intellectual laziness can and does lead to.<br /><br />The complacency of the two major parties, seemingly under the impression that milquetoast candidates regurgitating tired, carefully scripted, well rehearsed soundbites, canned answers and empty promises ad infinitum constituted a magic formula for permanently thwarting all threats to the status quo. And the complacency of voters who've essentially told such candidates "That's good enough for me", thereby allowing their mediocrity to go unchallenged for far too long.<br /><br />The corruption of the electoral process itself (some examples of which you cited in your post), not to mention the apathy with which that corruption is generally met.<br /><br />And of course the intellectual laziness (probably more euphemistic than it needs to me – "abject fucking stupidity" is a more concise way of putting it) of those whose frustration and disgust with "business as usual" (a sentiment I can certainly relate to in and of itself) leads them to be easily swayed by pandering, self-aggrandizing blowhards and their glib, simplistic remedies for society's ills.<br /><br />Perhaps the political landscape will become far more polarized here than it had been. One could make the case that that's already happened, seeing as Democrats and Republicans alike are beginning to find out – the hard way – that they can only get so much mileage from patronizingly pretending to share the hopes and concerns of their base, only to screw that base over afterwards. <br /><br />I certainly agree with your earlier description of the Trump campaign as a joke taken too far. As many of the luminaries who voted for him are bound to discover, the joke was on us. As Van Jones said, "You can't polish this turd". Hopefully that sobering realization will lead to something akin to critical thinking prior to entering the voting booth four years from now. I wouldn't bet the ranch on it, but one can hope...Some Guy in Jerseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14060966365329157247noreply@blogger.com