Midterm Cramming

It seems like 2k4 pretty much tapped every single drop of energy and enthusiasm I had for blogging about politics, which I frankly have come to view as a good thing. I tuned out completely from the topic for months after -- I even stopped watching the Daily Show for a while! Then the local public radio affiliate plugged that asshat of a show 'Open Source' into just that part of the day when I'm often tuned in at home, and I realized just how obnoxious uncredentialed political blogging can be.

There have definitely been some cases where blogs had a huge influence by picking up on topics the media neglected, but let's be honest. Outside of a few truly dedicated and hard-working folks who do serious research and actually hold their work to certain standards, most of what counts for political blogging are guys like me spouting high-falutin' rants to the like-minded.

As with many things, I think it's not so much the deed itself as the hype around it that bothers me. That anybody actually cares enough about politics to write a few hundred words about it regularly should have any civic-minded individual doing cartwheels. It just bothers me when it's viewed as anything more than some random guy venting some thoughts about what he heard in the news.

As I'm about to do.

Election eve, and I find myself once again kind of cramming so that I can fulfill my civic obligations with at least some competency. Thoughts:

• In spite of my bitching and moaning in '03, I do believe I'll be voting for Arnold this year. Let it be recorded that Nov. 7 will be the day Kai voted Republican for the first and probably the only time ever. You have to understand how uncompelling the alternative is. There's just no way around it. If he gets in, it will absolutely be politics as usual in this state. Arnie's really done some interesting things with politics, and having been tamed from the special election, did some pretty good things with the legislature. I also just saw the most ridiculously desperate ad against Arnie that kept cutting shots of him at a 2k4 presidential rally for shrub with figures from the war and the national economy or what have you, and absolutely nothing about California or his actual record.

• Kerry needs to shut the hell up. I brought it up earlier elsewhere, but Ira Glass's piece( 1) on Kerry precisely reflects my frustrations with him and my deep desire that he go work quietly for a long time on good causes to build up the karma he'll need to re-enter public life.

• Do Rove and shrub's confidence about the outcomes on Tuesday really creep anybody else out? The press is challenging that by pressing them on poll figures, but the question in my mind is just what the hell are they planning??? I don't think much doubt remains that they stole Florida in 2k, and I count myself among the reasonable people who really think Ohio was more than a little suspicious in 2k4. Add in e-voting and I think it's seriously time to talk about UN monitoring.

• It will be a sad, sad thing if 87 doesn't pass. The cynicism reflected in the no campaign is profound. And I love how their attack ad points out the "12,000 legally-binding words!". Oh no! Words! Whatever will we do? Wherever shall we go?

That is all. Vote, dammit!

( 1) The Cat Came Back -- This American Life (cue 24 min)