Would’ve posted earlier, but Mr. Slowpoke insisted that I join him for "Cube Zero," the final installment of "The Cube" trilogy. The films are about, well, being stuck in a cube with no way out — a fairly apt metaphor for how I feel about American politics sometimes.
I’m getting the sense that the rest of the world is really starting to look at us funny. I mean, funnier than they did already. An Australian colleague I’ve been chatting with sees Sarah Palin as bizarre, fascinating, and scary. "Bloody hell!" she writes, imploring me to reassure her that the Republicans aren’t actually going to win again.
Then there’s this recent article from Canada’s Globe and Mail, written by a Canadian woman living in England. She finds it strange that some Americans were shocked by British comedian Russell Brand’s monologue at MTV’s Video Music Awards, where he referred to Bush as "that retarded cowboy fella" who, in England, "wouldn’t be trusted with a pair of scissors." She adds:
I can’t walk through the playground without someone hearing my accent, sidling up to me and saying, “The Republicans aren’t going to win, are they?” It pains me to explain that Canadians aren’t technically eligible to vote in American elections, and that I could no more explain the surge in the Republicans’ popularity than I could the workings of that giant particle-smasher in Switzerland.
Well, I have a few hunches myself. Let’s just say I don’t think a clear picture of McCain’s and Palin’s far-right agenda, or their dishonest campaign tactics, is trickling down to low-information swing voters. Some big media outlets have admirably tried to call the campaign on its ludicrous statements like the "lipstick on a pig" lie, the "Bridge to Nowhere" lie, and the "enemies in Iraq planned the 9-11 attacks" lie. But are people paying attention?
The Republicans have also inoculated themselves against such criticism by convincing many not to trust the media except for right-wing outlets. And so we get an impenetrable reality bubble.
What I’d like to know — and maybe you can help me, since I don’t watch a lot of TV: is any of this making its way to other venues, like late-night comedy shows? Places where it might become conventional wisdom? Or is Jay Leno just cracking jokes about McCain’s old age and Palin’s penchant for blasting moose?