Mencken on politics, Me with some birds

Observing the Democratic Primary from abroad has been an eye-opening experience. I came across the following H.L. Mencken quote a couple of weeks ago and thought about posting it, but changed my mind. Now that the Democratic Primary has gotten NASTY I thought it might be helpful to remind ourselves that this isn't anything new to American politics. In fact, if you look at it from the right perspective, its one of the most entertaining spectacles the world has ever known.

Mencken wrote this in 1922:

Consider, for example, the current campaign for the Presidency. Would it be possible to imagine anything more stupendously grotesque? I defy anyone to match it elsewhere on earth. In other lands, at worst, there are at least issues, ideas, personalities. Somebody says something intelligible, and somebody replies. But here, having perfected democracy, we lift the whole combat to a gaudy symbolism, to a disembodied transcendentalism, to metaphysics, that sweet nirvana. Here [politics] is purged of all menace, all sinister quality, all genuine significance – and stuffed with such gorgeous humors, such extravagant imbecilities, such uproarious farce that one comes to the end of it with one’s midriff in tatters.




But I am pretty sure that no one reads this blog for insightful politically commentary (is that an oxymoron?), so here is a picture of me with some birds on my shoulders.