Everything you ever wanted to know about the world's most expensive election but were afraid to ask: Here's the tale of the single-most psychotic leadership-selection method, and in the world's most heavily-armed nation -- a country totally unafraid to randomly flex its military and financial might, whimsically, this way or that -- and it can be found right here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20163081
It provides a crisp, clear 3-minute view of the infernal inferno of an election process we bright Americans have created for ourselves and then rapidly, placidly accepted -- if we dare look, and if we dare see.
At "only" $2.5 billion, this is the most expensive election in history -- about 20 bucks a vote. Great use of money, making teevee stations rich? Go ahead, make yourself crazy: Take ten seconds to wonder what else that money could have done instead. OK, you should stop now, before you really hurt yourself.
Super PACs alone raised $600 million, with just 1% of donors giving 60% of the money. This seem right to you? How about the ability -- thank you, activist SCOTUS -- to donate as much as you want without having to identify who it is giving the money? That seem OK, too, to let anyone try to buy the election?
There are other equally disturbing things, too. How about a political party based on rotating mountains of lies, and enough candidate secrecy to stuff Mount Everest full -- and a standard kit bag of dirty tricks large enough to stash the moon right inside?
There's something truly frightening about a secretive, impulsive, bully of a liar attracting even one fog-bound voter for the office of dog catcher, let alone drawing half the nation's voters onto a shaky platform that hides such a vast cesspool of lies, special interests, connections, favors, and such a wide assortment of dirty dealings and howlingly un-American tricks.
As I type these lines, on June 3, 2013, Private First Class Bradley Edward Manning is...
