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roachboy · 08-09-2007, 06:10 AM

i am not sure why anyone is really paying too much attention at this point--the campaign for president is now so bloody long that it nearly dissolves as a discrete activity, becoming as much a war of attrition that favors the candidate(s) with the greatest financial resources.

so it seems that these events function in a way like being in the court of louis 14 did for the french aristocracy, forcing enormous expenditures onto the candidates so they can simply continue appearing at the appropriate rituals because it is only by appearing that one is available for the glance that might result in Favor. the difference is that louis organized the court to break the aristocracy's ability to revolt by draining off their resources (a reaction to the fronde) while the american system is ultimately about teaching voters to subordinate themselves.

this elongation of the presidential campaign does nothing for the amount and quality of information voters can access, nothing for the nature and quality of voting decisions (on that one day in every 4 year cycle during which we might plausibly be seen as exercising political freedom)---and it is not about this fiction of american democratic process--rather it is about generating an illusion of increased flows of information--behind it is the same old same old--in this american order, money is THE index of quality----behind the candidates left standing at the end of this empty, stupid process is a huge pile of cash. the argument made across this theater: candidate x was able to afford to weather this process because he or she had a Huge Amount of Money from Important Donors who Know More Than You DO and so you really should just submit and choose one and everything will turn out hunky dory because economic actors are always rational capitalism is the best of all possible worlds and american democracy is not a joke.

the endless campaign is relatively new and seems to have grown to truly neurotic proportions this time out. were there a Volition running the show, i would think that the tactical decision behind this long tedious charade would be that in a context shaped by legitimation crisis it is important to put on a nice show and if it is long enough and boring enough and glittery enough and gets enough tv coverage, folk will forget what is happening in reality, they will forget and confuse this sorry spectacle with something that happens in a functional democracy.

08-09-2007, 06:10 AM	#3 (permalink)
roachboy Super Moderator Location: essex ma	i am not sure why anyone is really paying too much attention at this point--the campaign for president is now so bloody long that it nearly dissolves as a discrete activity, becoming as much a war of attrition that favors the candidate(s) with the greatest financial resources. so it seems that these events function in a way like being in the court of louis 14 did for the french aristocracy, forcing enormous expenditures onto the candidates so they can simply continue appearing at the appropriate rituals because it is only by appearing that one is available for the glance that might result in Favor. the difference is that louis organized the court to break the aristocracy's ability to revolt by draining off their resources (a reaction to the fronde) while the american system is ultimately about teaching voters to subordinate themselves. this elongation of the presidential campaign does nothing for the amount and quality of information voters can access, nothing for the nature and quality of voting decisions (on that one day in every 4 year cycle during which we might plausibly be seen as exercising political freedom)---and it is not about this fiction of american democratic process--rather it is about generating an illusion of increased flows of information--behind it is the same old same old--in this american order, money is THE index of quality----behind the candidates left standing at the end of this empty, stupid process is a huge pile of cash. the argument made across this theater: candidate x was able to afford to weather this process because he or she had a Huge Amount of Money from Important Donors who Know More Than You DO and so you really should just submit and choose one and everything will turn out hunky dory because economic actors are always rational capitalism is the best of all possible worlds and american democracy is not a joke. the endless campaign is relatively new and seems to have grown to truly neurotic proportions this time out. were there a Volition running the show, i would think that the tactical decision behind this long tedious charade would be that in a context shaped by legitimation crisis it is important to put on a nice show and if it is long enough and boring enough and glittery enough and gets enough tv coverage, folk will forget what is happening in reality, they will forget and confuse this sorry spectacle with something that happens in a functional democracy. __________________ a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear it make you sick. -kamau brathwaite Last edited by roachboy; 08-09-2007 at 06:15 AM..