objective journalism and the new gladiators

"in what the bbc called the 'rumble in the rada', parliamentarians tumbled over their desks in the parliament chamber in kiev, the capital, on thursday night, trading blows, tearing shirts, and choking on another as reporters and specatators in the balconies whistled and cheered. one deputy, thrown head first into a chair, turned ans tunbled back into the melee. another flipped over a bannister, feet flailing." new york times 5-26-2012 ____________________________________________________________________________ this is where the political system in this country is seriously lacking...all the heated ( albeit pointless ) rhetoric and personal attacks are only really used during campaigning...after the elections the whores get down to the serious business of defending the interests of their handlers which leaves them pretty much on the same side...difficult to work yourself up into a bludgeoning fury with someone you're on the same page with...the ideological orthodoxy of the congress is a major roadblock to the expansion of political bread and circuses in whoretown...there needs to be a sharper philosophical contrast across the aisle...there hasn't been a good caning in congress since preston brooks beat the daylights out of charles sumner on may 22, 1856...a one hundred and fifty-six year drought...bringing the style of the ufc to the floor of congress would generate a good deal of political interest and strengthen c-spans dismal ratings..a little mayhem could recharge the system without really compromising the special-interests-r-us basis for legislative activity...earmarks, campaign finance reform, and closer oversight by the sec would not be high on the lists of concerns of the new class of "voter" this sort of entertainment would generate and it would vastly expand the donor base for politicians...think of the marketing potential for tee shirts and iron-tipped walking sticks emblazoned with the name of the latest political victor in a debate turned battle royal..there's a goldmine in this people...and if there's one thing that captures a politician's interest it's gold...another opportunity missed because of the growing decadence coupled with a lack of vision and political fortitude that has gripped the nation's capitol...another american tragedy.