I have been wondering what the Hell I will be doing at the Republican Convention. [Besides going to parties? -ed. Right, besides that.] Though I’ve been known to wear a fedora, I don’t particularly have an affinity for people running around in funny hats. And I’m not a Republican… or a Democrat, these days, for that matter. But that may be the point – and my assignment. I am going to investigate whether the two-party system actually works anymore.
Yes, I know that’s biting off more than I can chew. [I advise you to stick to the parties. -ed. We know you love martinis.] And, yes, this is only one convention with a predetermined conclusion. But it gives me something to think about. The conventional wisdom is that the two big tents find a way to keep America going forward in a healthy manner that parliamentary systems don’t. Yet somehow I and I think a number of others who post here are feeling disenfranchised by both parties, aliens in both. And, ironically, those people are of the political center. The middle has been pushed to the fringe by our system. Perhaps that is why I am looking forward to Schwarzenegger’s speech more than any other event at the convention. [Didn’t you used to think he was a dumb actor? -ed. Actually not, I thought he was a shrewd real estate investor. He bought up half of Main Street in Santa Monica years ago. I wish I’d bought a measly storefront.] More to come, obviously. Don’t expect it to be consistent.
