mercredi, décembre 05, 2007

In the Immortal Words of Cher: "If I Could Turn Back Time..."

Today at noon, Minnesota Public Radio aired an address that Al Gore gave this summer at the Aspen Institute. You can find it here.

As I listened, I found myself nearly overwhelmed by sadness and regret. He was so articulate and so passionate about something productive and positive. On hearing him, one cannot help but draw comparisons to the inarticulate ideologue, the miserable failure currently dwelling at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (in body if not in spirit).

Gore was candid and funny, but more than anything, I had this really weird sense that his words were his own. That he could (shock, gasp, awe) speak (wait for it) extemporaneously.

As I thought about it more, I realized that a lot of my complete apathy toward the Presidential nomination process is really owing to how devastated I was/am by the Supreme Court election in 2000 and (perhaps even more so) by the also tainted outcome in 2004. I still see both as unqualified indictments of the American electorate.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve paid attention, and I have my favorite Democratic candidates But, I have not donated, volunteered, or even really thought about donating or volunteering.

Still, I’m slowly starting to revert to form. I find myself listening more, reading more, caring more, thinking about it all more, and talking about it more. I'm quite sure I'll be burned again, but I cannot help but touch the hot stove that is Presidential politics.

Anywho, my plan is to weigh on in the selection process over the days leading up to the Iowa caucus.

For now, give me one more day of “what could have been” malaise.

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