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The Quadrennial Circus

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Every four years, the United States embarks on a grand spectacle that is both the height of democracy and the peak of hypocrisy: the presidential election cycle.

Hello and welcome to "The Quadrennial Circus." I'm Darren, and I'll be your guide as we delve into the marvelously hypocritical world of presidential election years and try to answer the question, "what the hell just happened?"

"The more we think we know about, the greater the unknown. We suspend our disbelief, and we are not alone."

Modern presidential election years are a time when politics transforms from a tedious background noise into the greatest show on earth, complete with enough drama, plot twists, and character assassinations to make Shakespeare look like a community theater director.

Now, I don't want to get off on a rant here, but by now, you've already started to see that, as the general election approaches, Americans experience a sudden and remarkable surge in patriotism. Flags and candidate yard signs pop up on every lawn, and suddenly, everyone’s got an opinion on the Preamble to the Constitution. For a few glorious months, people will passionately debate the nuances of democracy while simultaneously ignoring their neighbor’s attempts to park a car in a non-existent space. It’s like a nationwide version of “American Idol,” but with more freedom and (thankfully) fewer karaoke performances.

"We sometimes catch a window, a glimpse of what's beyond. Was it just imagination stringing us along?"

During election years, Old Party candidates up and down the political ticket morph like chameleons on a color wheel. One day, they're claiming to be champions of small government, and the next, they're advocating for policies that make the government bigger than our great state of Texas. They evolve from scandalous tax evaders to tax-saving saints, and their personal histories get edited more than a director’s cut of a blockbuster film. This transformation is less about authenticity and more about perfecting the art of pretending to be everything to everyone.

Don't believe me? Just watch their political ads. You know, the masterpieces of hypocrisy that pop up during every commercial break on broadcast channels and streaming service platforms. Watch any ad, and you'll see a candidate denounce the very issues they championed in their last campaign. They’ll cast their opponent (or opponents) as a villain who single-handedly caused the end of the world, while they, on the other hand, have recently discovered the cure for global warming and will make your neighborhood crime-free with a single executive order. It’s a creative endeavor in which reality takes a back seat to the art of spinning misinformation through a centrifuge.

"More things than are dreamed about, unseen and unexplained. We suspend our disbelief, and we are entertained."

The broadcast media turns into a circus of teenage hyperbole where every minor scandal becomes a national catastrophe, and every policy proposal is portrayed as either the greatest thing since sliced bread or the beginning of the apocalypse. Sensationalism becomes the order of the day, and subtlety is as extinct as common sense. The broadcast media’s complicit role in the coverage of the election cycle often seems less about informing the public and more about selling ad space and feeding the ever-hungry beast of political outrage.

And it's not just limited to broadcast media. Social media during election years is a playground for the loud and the outraged. Virtually every post is a passionate plea or a scathing attack. Your Aunt Mildred will suddenly be an expert on international diplomacy, and your high school buddy will be posting memes that claim to reveal the truth about everything from candidate tax returns to extraterrestrial election interference. It’s a cacophony of opinions, often with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

"Primitive things stir the hearts of everyone."

Election years bring out the “concerned citizen” in many. These individuals have suddenly become passionate about issues they’ve never previously cared about and will engage in heated debates about policies they can barely understand, all the while neglecting to vote in local elections. It’s like deciding to train for a marathon by running a mile every six months and then claiming you're an elite athlete.

In short, presidential election years are a dazzling display of hypocrisy, self-delusion, and political theater. While the process can be as maddening as it is entertaining, it’s important to remember that amid the grand performances and staged controversies, democracy marches on like am Army parade platoon; usually out-of-step, and looking like a bouncing accordion, albeit with a slightly more exaggerated sense of drama. After all, it's not the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon.

Some of my other opinions in this series:


Committee to Elect Darren Hamilton
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