i can’t wait to realize that this nightmare of an election is just one big social experiment to see if an American democracy can put a vapid robot in office. I thought Biden took over the election with his debate performance, hands down. I felt exhilarated. And yet the post-debate recaps on the Post are conceding that Biden thankfully avoided gaffes and that Palin has redeemed herself by appearing confident. Sure she talked confidently and had a few solid, trained arguments, but if you listen closely, half of the time she wasn’t talking about anything. It was the kind of empty, over-broad rhetoric that you would do in a highschool faux UN meeting when everybody’s knowledge is totally limited because you’re obviously a kid, and what we’re all really watching is someone learning to perfect the art of bullshitting to get that good grade. And looks like she got that good grade. People fell for it! Biden, on the other hand, was extremely articulate, pointed out McCain’s track record on regulation and taxes, had great quips like ‘the bridge to nowhere,’ but also had the lengthy, detailed exposition to back his arguments up. And it’s not that Palin isn’t articulate, it’s just that it’s impossible to be articulate about something if you have no idea what you’re talking about. Instead, she could only convey this strange, heady belief – i just know – that we are fighting the right war and that our awesome commanding generals will know when it’s that time to withdraw. On the gay issues, she came across completely provincial, like the person you know who smiles politely to her gay acquaintance and cringes the moment she leaves. As for keeping government out of your life, how about applying that to gays’ and women’s choices?

Em was in London on a different time zone so she couldn’t watch the debate. I’m just going to give her this paraphrased quote as a wrap-up:

“Hey, can I call you Joe? I am a maverick and we need to protect American democracy, because it is the most beautiful and grand thing in the world and no country can ever stop our love of freedom and tolerance, and we need to fight the terrorists and protect our country because the American people are the greatest in the world and deserve the best because our Founding Fathers were awesome and they were smart and therefore you should trust us because we are mavericks and you betcha. wink wink. can we talk about energy again? and so therefore in conclusion that is why America should vote for me to be vice president of the United States.”

This election has been a flashy, glamorous one with fascinating characters and a lot of rockstar appeal to the masses, but this debate was a very dark moment. I see Matt Sesow paintings, Hunter S. Thompson, or a Franz Kafka-esque scene, where the characters’ actions are bizarre and strangely engrossing to watch but the underlying implications are so incredibly chilling.