Primary Follies

I check Current Astro Weather about as often as I check our local weathermaps and forecasts in tornado season. It's a useful website. As well as a chart showing the current day's transits there's a rundown on interesting prevailing aspects.

Yesterday I looked at the day's chart and noticed a Grand Trine in Earth between Mercury at 1 Taurus, Saturn at 1 Virgo and Pluto at 1 Capricorn (90 degrees between each). The atmosphere ought to have been full of common sense practicality. That wasn't the case - at least from my perspective in front of a computer monitor. A matter mentioned in the list of aspects accompanying yesterday's chart seemed much more appropriate to the day's goings-on:

"Uranus void in Pisces
Actions are unconventional, radical, or surprising. Not everyone agrees on how things should go, therefore there is discord within groups. Others, who have a specific agenda, persevere to make their point despite fierce opposition. Social conditions are volatile now. The bottom could fall out. It’s a time for experimentation and deviant behaviors. Sudden, unusual, and disruptive conditions occur now that reveal deep inequalities in society and culture."

Not a bad summary of the scene across political blogland and media. There was constant wrangling about how sticky was the undeniable dust thrown up after Tuesday's Democratic TV debate. There were also some videos of Senator Obama at a subsequent rally. He was shown allegedly "giving the finger" to his Democratic rival, Senator Clinton, and flicking lint off his shoulder in the style of rappers (about which I am totally clueless). Were these actions involuntary, subliminal, dog-whistle type messages to the in-crowd, or non-existent idiocies? Nobody but Senator Obama will ever know for sure.

Is it my imagination or is this primary season morphing into "The Schoolyard Follies"?

Try as I might, I cannot imagine a British election season developing in this way. Maybe Brits are just too strait-laced and stiff-upper-lipped for such nonsense. Their politicians do have their moments. George Galloway has been known to land a low blow or two, Winston Churchill often used a snarky turn of phrase, Neil Kinnock, the best Prime Minister Britain never had, could rouse the rabble with a great speech before Obama had even dreamed about doing so. But putting themselves in a position where allegations of crude gestures towards a opponent could be made? I doubt it. British politicians aren't all that's wonderful, but they do exhibit, (most of the time) a well-honed shrewdness, which limits opportunities for blood-thirsty reporters to gather tasty tid-bits and place them before an equally blood-thirsty public. (I did say "most of the time!")

Let's hope for better aspects soon, before The Follies turn into pure farce, or worse, a very dangerous spectacle. What started as fresh and hopeful, a clarion call for change from all sides is turning sour. I keep sensing a sinister undercurrent, which I find disquieting. Maybe it's because I don't fully understand the American political scene yet. I hope that's the reason.