The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for October, 2018

Well, Dear Readers, today is Friday, October 26th - the last Friday in October, and eleven days until the midterm elections. If you are like me (and if you're reading this, you probably are, at least in part), you're utterly sick of brainless political attack ads, candidates who can't answer a simple question without telling you how bad his (or her) opponent is, and the supreme annoyance of door-to-door vote wranglers who can't answer basic questions about their preferred candidates.

All this means that it's been relatively easy to pick

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for October, 2018

and the award goes - in a tie - to

The Republican and the Democratic Parties

It would be easy and satisfying to present this award to the GOP alone, simply on the basis of its shameless hypocrisy and betrayal of true and laudable conservative principles. This, however, would ignore the fact that the Democratic Party has failed utterly to present a comprehensive and rational program that could present liberal principles and goals in a defensible way. If Republicans have reduced their program to simple bumper stickers ("America First," "I'm a Nationalist," "Democrats Are Evil Incarnate"), the Democrats don't even have enough of a coherent program to fill a single bumper sticker.

Republicans and Democrats rely on demonizing each other, rather than on explaining in clear and precise English exactly what they want to do, why it's better than the specific programs advocated by their opposition, and how they propose to pay for it all. "Make America Great Again" is a great mantra for mindless chanting by armies of true believers, but it's no more a blueprint for useful action than is "Medicare for All" or any other Democratic line.

One might wish that the Libertarians could provide some adult options, but that's a forlorn hope. Libertarian belief in a world of near-zero government and limitless personal freedom crashes spectacularly on the rocks of human nature, yet remains smugly secure in the belief that every problem can be solved by grit and personal responsibility for ones actions.

This is the best campaign sign I've seen yet ...

... but there aren't any in the running. And we're not insisting on it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the Left-Cheek Ass Clown Award for October, 2018, is presented to the Republican and Democratic parties. We deserve better. Don't wait up for it.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow, the last Cartoon Saturday of our annual Halloween Extravaganza.

Bilbo