Thursday, April 3, 2008
The Anchoress, cogent as always, nails it:
This 2008 election - and much of our electoral process - is already a two-ring circus; Rush is simply adding a third ring, and he’s perhaps also demonstrating how absurdly dishonest and vapid has it all become - the endless campaigning, maneuvering, manipulating and lying. And like a good capitalist he is turning a profit on the thing, besides. (If the “Operation Chaos†tee shirts, hats, etc are meant to support a charity, please let me know.)[Emphasis mine].
So, I don’t think Limbaugh should “be stopped.†But I also don’t know that people should be giggling and guffawing over “Operation Chaos†without considering that — if the “operation†is rooted in a spirit of spiteful payback — it is bound to reap negative fruit. Moreover, I am old-fashioned enough to think of our vote is “a sacred trust†even if that is unsophisticated of me, even if others think vote manipulation is timely sport.
I keep thinking about the Russian Immigrant who looked forward to his first chance to vote in America, and told Gerard Vanderleun, “I will vote always for best, always†and about the people in Iraq who braved so much to hold their purple fingers in the air…and about the Iraqi and American dead who fought to give them that right.
And in thinking about them, I’m a bit ashamed of our three-ring circus and the casual menace which we are bringing to our own sacred process. They all deserve better than we’re giving them, right now.
I don't think adding a third ring (great metaphor, that) of absurdity to our current political circus is funny, cute, moral, or, on a purely pragmatic level, ultimately effective.
Plus, many of us in the conservative camp are also purportedly committed Christians. So why are we playing the role of the insurgent in the Democratic primaries? The answer "Well, they do it to us!" doesn't cut it for me, at least when said by someone who claims Jesus as Lord. It would make us pretty mad if the Democrats were mucking up Republican primaries, especially on this scale.
Sowing to this wind has a chance of reaping a whirlwind of bitterness, hatred and revenge in our political system for years ahead. Think about it: if the plan "works" and McCain wins, the next election is going to be even nastier, since we've, by our actions, disavowed any rules of fair play. It could also colossally backfire, and Hillary could win. And there's only one good thing about that: all Limbaugh's chuckling acolytes might gain a new, more sober perspective on how stupid Limbaugh's plan was the whole time, and perhaps next time fewer of them would be willing to play along.
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets." - Jesus
I agree. This whole election cycle has really gotten ridiculous. While I'm normally a political junkie, this go-round I'm barely listening to the chattering masses. It's sad.