Fear and Deja Vu on the Campaign trail 1972-2004

I just finished re-re-re-reading Hunter Thompson's Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972.  It's one of my favorite all time political books, really cutting through the bullshit and laying open that year's race with a clarity that is belied by Thompson's "crazy guy" public image.  More than anything I think it should be required reading for everyone voting in this year's election. 
Nothing.  And I mean nothing has changed since 1972.  It's the same shit, only this time, instead of getting the McGovern (the only comparison this year would be Kucinichor to a lesser degree Dean) we got Muskie (Kerry), the Old Party Hack that McGovern's candidacy, had he won, was supposed to signal the end of.  See, in spite of recent argument to the contrary, the Democratic party has long had a problem with being afraid of what it is.  It's the alternative to the Republican Party.  At least on paper. 
That means it's unabashedly liberal.  It is concerned with people over profits.  Change and radicalism over stagnancy and fearful conservatism.  It hates big business.  And if big labor becomes another form of big business it should hate big labor too.  The Democratic Party, at least on paper is supposed to be captured by the term "democratic"  which means, for the people. 
John Kerry is Muskie.  McGovern got his clock cleaned by Nixon not because he was a radical candidate but because he was perceived as going to the middle and because of the disastrous mistake that was picking Eagleton as his VP.  He was choked off by his own indecision.  If McGovern was running now, they would've played an audio cut of him clearing his throat or something until he was the laughing stock of the world.  The thing that freaks me out is, in the past the candidates had to hang themselves.  In '04 the media has demonstrated it can kill of candidates over nothing (Dean's WHoo-AAH) or by simply pretending they don't exist (Kucinich)  It's like the very vehicles that McGovern used back in 72 are no longer available.  And that's a shame. 
because Kerry will probably lose too.  For the same reason only from the opposite end.  McGovern lost because he was perceived to be a maverick and then looked just like another politician by the way he handled Eagleton. As a result, no one came out to vote for him.  Kerry's gonna have the same thing happen, only he IS just another politician and everybody knew it from the start.  No one is gonna come out to vote for him.  He's worthless.  He stands for nothing.  He might as well be a republican.  Like Nixon, Bush is gonna lay low.  If he wins re-election I would bet anyone (and give YOU odds) that Bush is going to be impeached by the end of his four years.  If not, we ALL are gonna get what we deserve, an America that is little more than a shell.  A Christian corporate hellhole with us as serfs. 
If John Kerry wins.  It'll just be a corporate hellhole.  What a choice.  What a bummer. 
The more I think about it I'm just gonna vote NO this November.  No to Bush.  No to Kerry.  Even No to Nader who's getting 10 percent of his funding from W's inner circle and still doesn't see that at this point he's working for the Republicans. 
If you didn't understand the bulk of this particular entry, read the F&L '72.  Like Orwell's 1984, it's the truth for today, written decades ago and it's proof that history goes in circles.