SHARKWATER

Monday, April 21, 2008

American Political Discourse

It is getting very hard to satirize American politics, but this is a pretty good attempt:

LINCOLN: Ahem, I do not expect the Union to be dissolved -- I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect slavery will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other...

STEPHANOPOULOS: Do you love America this much (extending fingers), this much (extending hands slightly), or thiiiiiis much (extending hands broadly)?

LINCOLN: I think we covered this…

GIBSON: If I may interrupt…

LINCOLN: Please.

GIBSON: I noticed, Mr. Lincoln, that your American flag pin was upside down…

LINCOLN: Yes, the wind caught it. Now, as I was saying...

GIBSON: We get questions about this all the time over at Powerline and on Hannity’s talk show. Mr. Douglas has said this is a major vulnerability for you in the fall. So I’ll ask again – do you love America?

LINCOLN: (scowling with a forced smile). Yes.

GIBSON: If your love for America were ice cream, what flavor would it be?

*sigh*

1 comment:

dragonfly said...

Interesting that Lincoln scowlls... I think today's politicians may enjoy such debate because they don't have to say much about what really matters. They don't have to delve deep into their plans for Iraq or anything messy, lengthy, or controversial. I've also recently watched the BBC documentary "Century of the Self," which, in part, describes how politicians have been interested in the idea of the voter as a consumer, that their demands and desires dictate what issues are covered and how. Of course, there are a variety of problems with this, such as the dumbing down of political discourse and debates.