The stock market had its worst day since 9/11. How many times have we heard that phrase? Doesn’t it feel like we’ve been in a pretty constant state of financial instability since Bill Clinton left office?

I know it’s difficult to make sense of the connection between the economy and politics, but I sure have a hard time understanding how anyone could look at the state of our country right now and say, “I am going to vote for the pro-life party, because the most pressing issue we face is underpopulation.” Oh, and preserving fossil fuels as our primary source of energy.

Something else I don’t get: why are issues that would improve everyone’s quality of life (like affordable health care and worker rights) identified as liberal, and what is daily life like for most Americans that they wouldn’t rank their quality of life as pretty high on their list of concerns? Is that some kind of holdover from the Puritans, the belief that we’re put on Earth to suffer? And if so, does that mean there are a lot of people purposely voting against their self-interests, because they prefer misery to contentment?

That, I can understand. If you are planning on voting for McCain and Palin because you think they’re going to increase the world’s suffering, I absolutely cannot argue with you. Your logic is sound, Goodman You.

But I feel good today. I think the Palin excitement was a nice little entertainment break for us all, but she’s already starting to feel like yesterday’s news. The wonderful thing about our 24-hour news cycle is that overexposure can ruin people just as swiftly as it builds them up. Give her another 2 weeks and she’ll become the establishment. And then Obama and Biden will be all creepin on ah come up and be like, “yo, remember us? NOW YOU KNOW!”

Note: I spent far, far too much time making this illustration, and it still isn’t particularly funny.