The Chris Moeller Archives

"I know you are, but what am I?"

If you watch Bill Maher on HBO, you probably know Matt Taibbi, political correspondent for Rolling Stone magazine. Matt possesses the proper lack of regard for the major presidential candidates put forward by our dominant political parties, and this week, he has written the definitive piece on the bloody, much-publicized campaign battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

My contribution to the topic is that this culture clash within the Democratic party was inevitable. The two candidates are so remarkably similar and rehearsed on policy issues across the board, and both so disconnected from the actual inequities and challenges facing the American people, the Oval Office applicants had no choice but to get personal in their attacks to differentiate themselves. All along, the 'style over substance' competition between Clinton and Obama was destined to morph into one of shameless race and gender baiting, with a bold helping of disingenuous economic populism besides-- of which Clinton and her thugs have been the main perpetrators since they were playing from behind and because their team has always operated free of a moral compass.

With this election cycle, the Democratic party has hijacked yet another progressive cause (ending the war) and obliterated it. Courageous war opponents like Cindy Sheehan and Cynthia McKinney have been pushed off-stage, and the debate in Washington over putting an end to our blood-soaked occupation of Iraq has gone almost completely silent. The battle for the Democratic nomination laid claim to the media spotlight and transformed our nation's foreign and domestic policy debate into an ugly, unsubstantive pissing match between a pair of political flyweights. America is dumber for the entire spectacle.

posted by CM @ 4:51 PM