My good friend and icon Paul Bunyan contacted me today about the election. Here is what he had to say:
Remember when the sock monkey was choking on pretzels and growing nasty looking boils out of the side of his face? Even as recently as this spring he had a near breakdown during his brief televised press-conference. But Satan has filled him with strength, and he hardly seems like the same man. The AntiChrist clearly is a role that one grows into.The demonic flame that animates him is tricky to manage, it falters when exposed to life, and burns too bright if allowed to feed too hungrily on bloodlust and vengeance. The monkey man, the mockery wrapped in human skin, is always at risk of exposure via some stray flick of the tail. But when he is put through perfectly controlled simulations, he glows with piety and strength. As Satan’s PR guys sharpen their skills, we cross into the era of the manufactured event, the manufactured reality, the manufactured person. We hear the vaguely sinister news that Bush forces audience members at his rallies to sign loyalty oaths, and at first it makes no sense. By the old logic of politics, a politician wants to show himself, to speak to the people. But Bush is an avatar of Power, Power for its own sake, built around a contentless, devouring void. The rallies of the faithful are a shroud of concealment around his emptiness, and at the same time they are a kind of summoning ritual. The faith of the believers is the power source from which is manufactured the illusion of Bush, the good and strong man.
