I have been asked to comment on American politics, specifically the results of the DNC primary. Do I have thoughts on this? A couple, which may or may not become more developed as the season wears on.

The first is that the DNC is royally fucked. I don't mean that they have fucked themselves, or that anyone in particular has fucked them; I don't intend to pass judgment on that. But there is some fuckage, and it falls upon the DNC. There are reports going at cross-angles with each-other: some say that the voting demographics haven't changed much; on the other hand, a "Hillary supporters for McCain" website, profiled initially at 5000 responses, had gained thirty thousand more by the time I stumbled across it later that day despite its amateur look (and aim, really).

I can only comment for a few people--such as my mother, who pointed out that she has voted in every presidential election since 1976 and for the first time doesn't think she can cast a vote in good conscience. For myself, I think Obama is a scumbag, but I have a viable option because I agree with McCain on a few key issues that happen to be his key issues. I have no doubt that the number of people who will not be voting Democrat in November is substantial--maybe significant, and maybe not, but substantial.

But of course, it would've been the same had the opposite happened--as it goes, on a national scale, in the presidential elections. In part, I wonder if this was not because there were zero differences between Obama and Clinton besides personality--when you're voting personality, instead of issues, it changes things a little when your personality loses, and it may be a little harder to support "the other guy". On the other hand the centre-groping fanaticism of the DNC makes an issues candidate unlikely.

One thing that this primary season has made clear--and here, perhaps, we are seeing the results of the geometric progression of technology and media access--is that the odds are good that no matter who succeeds Bush in the fall, and regardless of the "anyone but Bush" current logic, the next president will be the worst we ever have. If he goes to two terms, I predict now if not record-setting than at least incredibly high disapproval ratings and incredibly low approval ratings and marginal belief in the centre. Such is the nature of things. The president after him will suffer from the same problems. This comes back to a thesis I've discussed before about information flow, and should probably write out more fully.

The second thing (remember when I said I had a couple thoughts?) is that for all that people talk about change, the next president is not going to create any. Unless a couple of people currently on the sidelines grow a pair and step in as third-party candidates. I see room for at least six, in declining order of how many votes I think they'd get:

1. The inevitable Obama-Clinton ticket, running on the "plus ca change, by the way we're Democrats kind of" platform
2. The McCain-Lieberman ticket, running on the "kill 'em all and oh also did you know we're Republicans kind of" platform
3. The Huckabee-Romney (?) ticket, running on the "when Iraq is gone, faggots and baby-killers will still be problems we need to deal with" platform
4. The Bloomberg-[Gingrich? Christ I don't know] ticket, running on the "it's the economy, stupid" platform
5. The Gore-[Richardson?] ticket, running on the "save the whales" platform
6. The Kucinich-[Hollywood celebrity?] ticket, running on the "yes we're loons, but the troops will come home" platform

Hop to it, kids! I can really see at least the first five able to pull double digits this season. Now we just need people to give up the kumbayah "house divided against itself" shit with regards to their parties shit. So let's drop the "two parties are enough and voting for a third party isn't pragmatic because they'll lose" nonsense. I have no idea how Americans, who disproportionately drive SUVs, buy new iPods every six months, rack up unsustainable unsecured debt, and pay attention to astrologers are able to claim pragmatism as a belief with a straight face. We wouldn't know pragmatism if it screwed us without lube while shouting "Jeremy Bentham" as it climaxed. I think it's more laziness; laziness is something we Americans understand fairly well.

Anyway I was going to write some more but I want to get drunk and play XBox instead, so I'm off to do that.

-Alex