The Curmudgeon

Make no mistake about it- the US Senate race in Minnesota is heading to a recount. This portends to have all the fun of a long play date with an at-home DIY dentistry kit sans morphine or even nitrous oxide. The 'story' will be just compelling enough to keep ruminating in the news cycle, but any actual new information will be sparse enough that the reportage by the crack local mainstream media will feel like shadowy after-images of the Great Franken-Coleman Hate Advertising Barrage...

While the Curmudgeon does in his heart want the recount to proceed according to the pre-established rules (because really, everyone who voted deserves to have their vote counted), nonetheless the snide cattiness back-n-forth between the two camps somehow screams for a "pox on both houses" outcome.

Let's face it, folks: Norm the Windsock ain't all that, and Al Franken is definitely flawed at best. This ain't good vs evil, this ain't good guys vs bad guys, this is bought-off banality vs bought-off entitlement.

The Curmudgeon credits the comment section at The Cucking Stool for the inspiration of this solution: send 'em both to share a desk in the Senate. The Curmudgeon insists that while this is a good start, the real solution is to take it one step further:

Fit both Coleman and Franken with choke-chains, linked together on a very short chain. This way, their own antics will likely provide instant correction (not to mention endless voter amusement). Taken as a whole, this solution would provide Minnesota with what we deserve for allowing two such flawed candidates get this far in the process in the first place. Constant squabbling, palpable vacuousness on the issues, and a short list of actually doing anything- yeah that fits the bill.

But mostly I just like to imagine Norman and Al having to live life attached by choke-chains.

Can't speak for anywhere else, but the sense I have here is that we're about to get a new alphabet soup goin' on:

We'll be hearing the L word (Landslide), the M word (Mandate), and yes, the N word (NOW), as for the O word- well, I think you get the picture...

A brief anecdote: I voted early (um, duh, working at a precinct all day...), and the normal routine is one polling place, downtown, and it is dead. On that day (Saturday), there was an additional place open.

AND THERE WERE LINES THERE, TOO.

As I was waiting in line, a group of first time voters (I say first time, because there's no way in hell a one of 'em was even 20) coming out of the voting area. They were laughing, dancing- it was the happiest damn scene I've seen in a long, long time. I had no idea my turn was coming.

But come it did, when I got my ballot, and start to vote. Four plus years of screaming, ranting about this madness that passed for an administration, eight years of all the bullshit, eight years of the ruling wealthy elite fistfucking the nation, all of it came pouring out as I filled in my votes. Yeah, it may be only a spit in the ocean, but byfuckingGAWD I get to at least spit. I could feel my eyes welling up, as they are right now as I recall that feeling.

Talk about a catharsis! I can't say I left the polls dancing per se, but I was certainly a Fat Man Smiling.