Scott Adams neatly expresses the reason that I have close to zero interest in the result of US presedential election that takes place sometime this week (in a blog post that’s mostly about a previous blog post that has something to do with medical marijuana dispensaries in California)
My observation is that voters often – perhaps usually – don’t get what they think they voted for. Nixon surprised everyone by getting cuddly with China. Bush Junior turned from isolationist to military adventurer. Obama went from weed-friendly to badass destroyer of state-approved dispensaries. Some fiscal conservatives have blown up the budget while some free-spending Democrats balanced it. If you think you can predict how a candidate will act in office, you might need a history lesson, or perhaps a booster shot of humility.
Now consider Mitt Romney, the most famous chameleon of all time. I submit that a hypothetical Romney presidency would be nearly impossible to predict with any accuracy. In each of his past leadership roles he has morphed into whatever the job required. … Romney knows that the electorate is full of idiots and he needs to be a gigantic liar to win their votes.
In any event, Congress will be the ones who decide on the next budget. It will probably look similar no matter who gets elected. I don’t believe, for example, that a Romney budget would overfund the military. Congress would moderate that, and Romney probably doesn’t mean it anyway. Remember, his job today is to lie to get elected. His job once elected is quite different.
Not that I have any delusions that Romney might avoid making the world a worse place to live in any possible way. But Obama has made it pretty clear, if it wasn’t before, that the whole thing is a charade and behind the appearances, the same interests are furthered regardless of which party is officially in control.
