Lunchtime Politics

The current US election features one Joe Biden as democratic vice-president and for that I’m glad. While I’ve been clouded in my own ignorance to most of the happenings in the drama that is the US election process - save the occasional entertaining conspiracy theory YouTube thread blaming Barrack for the sub-prime mortgage crisis – the appointment of Sarah Palin as republican vice-president candidate has made it impossible to ignore the increasing quirkiness defining each of the players involved. Besides Obama the potential first black president there’s McCain the close to death War Hero backing up for the republicans, fighting alongside Palin the caricature conservitive mom ready to usurp the moment his heart fails. And it's not too early to forget steely Hilary and her close second to be presidential candidate featuring the support of her saxophone playing, stood-by husband.

I can't convince myself that to even get to the senate it wouldn’t require a supreme level of intelligence and determination. However, 2008's election candidates seem cut by the same typecasters responsible for the next spinoff of Grey’s Anatomy. With all their weirdness, are these seriously the best people that could be running for office? Out of the whole country? Say what you like about Australian politics but at least here you know an election is going to be contested between one generic, middle-aged white guy and another generic, middle-aged white guy and that the elected will more likely win on the strength of their policies (and the effects of tall poppy syndrome) over being the contestant television audiences related to the most. This election seems like it was built for entertainment, or worse like it's a sneak peak of the future where President is won in a political equivalent of American Idol broadcast for a season on in prime time and occasionally pre-empted by Sunday Night Football.

It's simply dangerous the amount of room for character development among the candidates. Any season of Lost should be enough to convince you that when individuals with controversial and demographic differences combine, plot twists are inevitable. And frequent! Will Palin poison McCain to accelerate her conservative agenda? Will America struggle with personal demons and vote for Obama just to prove they're not racist? Will a hidden secret in Bill's past come back to haunt him at a critical time? Will Biden… Oh God, compared to the rest of them he’s so vanilla I just want to say skip the elections, make him president and let's avoid the drama. But, I'm afraid a shot of him behind the desk in the Oval Office, on the phone with Osama and confirming that everything is falling into place could make the best end of season cliff hanger ever...