Iowa caucus: Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R); Senator Barack Obama (D).
New Hampshire primary: Senator John McCain (R); Senator Hillary Clinton (D).
Michigan primary: Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R); Senator Hillary Clinton (D). Caveat: She ran unopposed and still lost over 30% to “Uncommitted,” an Obama protest vote.
This calls to mind Winston Churchill’s old adage about democracy: it’s the worst form of government, except for all the others.
So far, we’ve had three states produce anomolous results in bollixed-up primaries. Nobody has anything to brag about, there’s no leader on either side, no momentum for anybody.
This election was supposed to be electric, with the first viable black and female candidates on the Democratic side and a wide-open field of vastly different Republican candidates, each with their own cult of personality. All that, plus a wild-hair former president running around, dragging with him a colorful psyche and enough baggage for a transatlantic voyage.
And yet, I find myself yawning. The three states that have voted so far have been idiosyncratic, and each one has rewarded its favorite sons. But a national campaign, this is not. It’s election a la carte, with each quirky state doing its own thing. Democracy? Yes. But the mess has also become boring.
No wonder Americans are riveted by Britney running off with a paparazzo. Most Americans are asking themselves: where’s our knight in shining armor? (And if you think it’s New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, know this: if he enters the race, he’ll be wearing armor, all right, but it won’t be particularly shiny.)
This election, with all of its bells and whistles, still has us grasping for something more. And asking a rather existential question: Is this all there is?
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