It's that magical time when the leaves turn colors, political robo-calls ring non-stop and the TV becomes inundated with ads that were approved by so and so. At this point in my life I've seen my fair share of political cycles and the one thing that really hasn't changed is the promise of change. All politicians promise to be an agent of change that will bring lasting prosperity and hope. After all, change is good, right? But after a while the message loses its luster and, after seeing enough candidates under-deliver on their promises, loses meaning altogether.
But then I sit back and think to myself, "Why are candidates promising anything? Aren't they just supposed to do what we tell them to do? Isn't that the role of a politician?" At which point my other self says, "Yes, but when a politician is following up on his/her constituent's demands it becomes his/her responsibility to carry through with their wishes and sometimes that comes across as a personal agenda." Then third self jumps in with a "That's crap! Politicians only carry through on things they agree with. No way an anti-abortion politician is going to defend abortions even if everyone in his/her state wants it legalized." Fourth self then leaves the room and checks to see if there are any brownies left in the kitchen.
Oh, yeah. I've decided to extend this storyline for the next few weeks until the elections in early November. I apologize in advance.
I wrote this strip in 2004 as things were heating up for the presidential elections. Bush had just clinched enough delegates to assure his candidacy and Kerry won big on Super Tuesday. The country was splitting apart at the seams.
