Politics is like professional sports
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It has taken me years to figure this out – basically, American politics is a spectator event very much like and almost identical to professional sports. The two parties are opposing teams on a football field. They are comprised of overpaid players, some of whom are not very bright. They make obscene amounts of money to perform services that really aren’t all that important.
Good government is very important. But with the payola system now in place, it is irrelevant. The players and politicians prance around attempting to put the fans into a frenzy, but when the sun goes down, the fat check is still in the mail.
The players/politicians appear on cable news and blather about each other. We are led to believe that a real and substantial conflict is occurring, all for our benefit. Are we seeing the best and brightest people in our society? Far from it. The entire show is comprised of narcissists and sycophants who pay homage to the entire event, but are only there for the payout.
The team owners/special Interests/ super PACS really call all the shots. They solicit the fan/voter stream into their stadium/participatory democracy in an attempt to make believe that a real sportsmanlike contest is occurring. They make you feel that you are part of the action. Once in the game, you endure astronomical prices, poor, overpriced products, and really don’t have a good view of the game. They pay homage to the fan/voter in a choreographed fiasco designed to make you feel special.
Oh yes, one can vote. That’s this thing known as democracy. But, in fact, you are drafting players for the owners to put on the field. Once drafted they do the bidding of the owners, not the fans. Instructions are given behind closed doors and it takes a battalion of attorneys acting as money changers to make the charade function. It’s all a racket designed to make money, while giving false empowerment to the folks who pay the bills. Unfortunately, the spectators get shafted and usually feel good about leaving with a banner, a traffic jam, a poor performance, and a warm, really expensive cup of beer.
Lawrence Nader
Canonsburg