Keller @ Large: Get Ready For A ‘Wave Election’
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BOSTON (CBS) – In the political science rackets, they call them “wave elections,” years when there’s something in the air, or the water, or the snacks voters are eating, that riles them up and they take it out on one of the parties in power, or on incumbents, or both.
Many pundits are calling this year’s vote a “wave election” in the making, so it must be true.
And they’re hard at work trying to give the voters’ mood a name, like it was a hurricane.
The answer, I think, is right there on the front page of Politico, the punditry bible, in a write up of their latest poll: “An overwhelming majority of voters in the most competitive 2014 elections say it feels as if events in the United States are ‘out of control’ and expressed mounting alarm about terrorism, anxiety about Ebola and harsh skepticism of both political parties.”
Better put up the storm windows, here comes Hurricane Out-Of-Control Alarm Anxiety And Skepticism!
The sports fan side of me wants to cheer this force of nature on for the sheer novelty of it, and because it will force quite a few inept bureaucrats out into the same unforgiving economy they’ve done such a great job of repairing these last few years.
Gosh, if some of them lose their official car and driver, they may have to rub elbows with the Americans who told Politico’s pollster they believe the government is poorly run and only really good at driving the cost of living up.
But while this is more serious than a sporting event, you can’t help but hope this coming hurricane sends a wakeup call to the status quo. This would be four wave elections out of the last five if it happens, an unprecedented streak.
Apparently, we’ve come to need regular correction by the voters.
Either that, or nobody knows how to surf anymore.
Listen to Jon’s commentary:
You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.
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