Moronic Political Media, Elections are about Character

Every day, on every media channel – online, newspaper, television, radio – we read the same crap from the so-called political literati. They promised this, they promised that. Perhaps it is my ongoing black cloud of anger and depression but reading Neil Macdonald’s piece of crap, “Liberals sunny on the surface, much fudgier underneath“, was one piece of idiotic crap too many.

This is 2016 not 1938. As voters, we have access to more information than we can handle. We know that our political leaders are imperfect people with overlarge egos, conflicted agendas, an almost psychopathic desire for power and a fear of being seen doing something wrong that verges on a constant state of panic. We know that they struggle to mouth the talking points and platitudes they receive from the bright boys and girls in head office, hoping their loyalty will bring them the leverage for future benefits, both personal and for their supporters.

We are of the post-Nixon and post-W era. We know we will can never view any politician in the way our ancestors saw FDR. Many are of the generation of W, who only lied when breathing. Our youngest are of the Obama-era, that centre-right leader who succeeded in making changes sufficient to look progressive but limited enough to avoid offending those who paid his way to the White House.

This may sound cynical but this is our world. During campaigns, large groups of partisans knock on doors and spread a message they believe in at the time, knowing deep down that the purpose of the message is to win an election. Even the most partisan don’t truly believe a campaign promise is etched in stone. They know it is carved in butter.

So what do people vote for when they cast a ballot? There are a few reasons.

1. Oddly, some do believe that the campaign promises are etched in stone. In Canada and the US, these people are allowed to vote, despite their mental shortcomings.
2. Many vote against the existing government. Like a fish or a houseguest, governments start to smell after a time. If the alternative party of self-serving crooks does not look to be as bad as the existing group of trough-feeders, a change will come.
3. A larger number than we might want to admit vote out of habit. Their local politician could be found in bed having sexual congress with two dogs, a cat and a sheep, yet they would still receive thousands of votes are election time.

Campaign promises are not policy diktat. We know that circumstances change. Campaign promises are an indicator of the character and ideas of the ones making promises. Almost 40% of voters decided that of their three choices, Trudeau’s ideas and character was the combination best suited to address what faced Canada for the next four years.

We knew that the government would start it’s reign telling us that the previous government left less than they thought. Every government says the same thing. The only people who were surprised were political journalists and spinmeisters, who public memory starts anew every day and whose virginity is reset every afternoon. They are the ones who seem to truly believe that every utterance is of equal importance. They believe any change is a lie and any concession to reality a betrayal.

What a fucking bunch of shits.