The third presidential debate was not a good omen for democracy. Over and over, it seemed clear to me that candidates were saying what they thought Americans would be dumb enough to believe and trivial enough to expect. Bush waved the word "liberal" around like a magic sword, and Kerry displayed a touching faith in the power of preventative medicine -- forgetting, I think, that preventative medicine, if it works, delays death without delaying the onset of very expensive chronic conditions. Facing a hugely uncertain world, both alike treated "increased taxes on the moderately wealthy" as the ultimate unspeakable evil, the step they would never take. I hope the American people are smarter and less selfish than the candidates believe them to be.
One comforting thought, perhaps. So far as I can tell, after November 2 some sort of cartoon hero is going up against the cartoon villains of the International Terrorist League. That is likely good. The last thing we want is for someone smart and subtle to provoke the terrorists into evolving into smart and subtle villains. I don't know whether that is worth the price: living so very far from the truth for four more years. But one takes one's comfort where one finds it.
Posted by shea0017 at October 16, 2004 9:56 PM