Post-Primary Pondering

I’m pretty disappointed in the primary results, but probably not for reasons anyone would expect. Jim Webb is as good of a candidate as anyone else, and his Reagan Democrat status can only help him in the battle against George Allen.

I’m disappointed in two things: First and foremost, as an introvert living in a society that glorifies extrovertism, I’m always disappointed when charisma wins out over wisdom and intellect. From now on, I’m just going to call elections what they are: “Beauty pageants.” I’m convinced that Jim Webb drifted to victory on charisma alone. He had no discernible message, no experience, and no advertising. He didn’t even have money! It was all about “electability,” a quaint euphemism for “showmanship” and “personal magnetism,” or “how much people would want to hang with you at parties.” It’s a rare talent that one is either born with or not born with. And the poor people that aren’t born with it are forever pushed to the back of the lines, no matter what other talents they might have.

Second, this is probably the first election where I’ve really thought carefully about the issues, spent time reading all the angles and deciphering all the spin, and come to a clear and well-informed decision. It turned out to be a complete waste of time. Apparently nobody else does that, which further devolves the whole process into a shallow popularity contest. Now I understand why Representative Democracy is way better than Direct Democracy. Voters clearly aren’t qualified to make decisions. :)

Related

• Mild Voter Apathy
• What To Watch In The Primary
• Hardball Post-Mortem
• WWJ[N]D?
• The Right Words For The Right Occasion