The title of this piece is a quote from fellow curmudgeon HL Mencken. Although he died over half a century ago, his jaundiced view of politics seems just as relevant today. The current contest to be elected President, although in its' early stages, is a prime example of this.
With all of the people running for the Republican nomination, everyone is wanting attention, and is saying whatever they need to in order to get it. The recent debate was reminiscent of a dysfunctional family Thanksgiving dinner, with the adult table and the children's' table. Although I chose not to watch the entire debate, the news clips clearly communicated the substance (not much) and the entertainment value of the event.
Will the future debates that are planned have any substance? While I have my doubts, the field will likely narrow as some of the lesser-known candidates fade into obscurity where they belong and drop out. If enough do this, the children's table will go away. In the end, we may be left with three or four candidates, although the way polls change, it's hard to know for sure who they will ultimately be. In the last campaign cycle, Herman Cain was flying high at the top of the polls for awhile, and faded quickly. Just about anything is possible. Pundits say that Donald Trump will eventually fade, but his bombast and total aversion to etiquette in the meantime is priceless.
For the Democrats, you have Hillary, Bernie, and former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley. Hillary has the baggage of being associated with the sometimes-sleazy Clinton Political Machine, Bernie is a nice guy who is totally ineffectual as a legislator, and O'Malley is just not doing or saying anything to get any attention. Would any of them make an effective President? It is hard to imagine.
Right now, the monkey cage is crowded and most of the inhabitants are doing little more than throwing poop at each other. While entertaining, it hardly instills confidence in any of them. Hopefully, as the cage becomes less crowded, the remaining candidates will do a better job of convincing you that they deserve your vote.
Then again, maybe not, but that's democracy.
