Monday, August 20, 2007

Blindfold and Whack

Politics is like psychoanalysis - you can analyze and analyze, but no matter how far you delve into the deepest reaches of a patient's cortex, you might be completely off the mark. And also, there's usually a cigar involved. A patient could just be insane, simple as that - not suffering from some acute disorder wired into his or her brain by a unique, intricate web of neurons. And this is what is so similar and equally frustrating about politics. No matter what kind of "strategy" we try to eke out from any given side/campaign, the true motives may never become clear - or there may not be any motives at all. And like that intertwining, mysterious cranial landscape, the answers to all our political questions are never truly answered, because usually, they can't be. They are not so black and white - more than anything, they exist in gray matter.

So its hard to understand the motives when Rove gets up and criticizes Clinton, and proclaims that she will probably be the nominated Democratic candidate, but that she is also "fatally flawed." People sit up and take notice, and try to understand the interworkings behind Rove's statement. And make no mistake, unlike some psychological disorders with no explanation - you can be sure Rove has planned out every word that escapes his mouth when it comes to the positions of candidates. He's been cleverly engineering Republican policy and turnout for as many years as he can remember, probably since diapers, but definitely since his basement campaign days for Nixon.

Some say that Rove is using his notoriety to help launch Clinton as the one of choice - the one everyone will verify as a threat, strangely making her more popular, and possibly helping her gain the nomination. Some think that the Republicans believe that they can beat Clinton easier than they could an Obama, and therefore they are trying to mark her as the candidate in order to have an easier go of it in the general election. Others say that Rove is just trying to discredit Clinton, and see her numbers plummet, because as of right now she is the biggest threat. So what is it? Or is it something completely different than the options offered? Rove won't be telling us, that's for sure. But ultimately, his words shouldn't mean too much. The fact that we're analyzing them, sadly, says something about us and the dangerous climate where we are essentially trying to understand the words of a brilliant madman. The best way to combat this political insanity is to completely ignore it - the madness within is only greater reflected when people project it into the world. Let it sit there, unbidden in Rove's head. Hopefully, someday it might swell and explode, and like pinata, out will tumble a messy tangle of gerrymandering, pork barrels, and leaks. This is the man who reportedly riffled through garbage cans to dig up Democratic dirt during the Nixon years. He's not averse to getting his hands dirty, but he's certainly crafty when it comes to hiding the evidence of his tactics. But sometimes garbage is just garbage.

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