Different Race, Same Song

One of the oddly liberating things about not being particularly partisan is that I can see candidates for public office as people, rather than harbingers of the fate of civilization. I mention this because it's about that time again; when we, as a nation, apparently forget that we're going to elect the head of a large government bureaucracy (along with a raft of legislators and other assorted ne'er-do-wells) rather than (depending on your outlook) the next messiah or great adversary.

Despite the fact that one administration tend to be more alike than different when compared to the one that precedes of follows it, campaign season will be wall-to-wall with expectations that slide right past the unrealistic and into the completely ridiculous.

“If Obama’s re-elected, it will happen. There’s no IF about this. And it’s gonna be ugly. It’s gonna be gut-wrenching, but it will happen. The country’s economy is going to collapse if Obama is re-elected. I don’t know how long: a year and a half, two years, three years.”

“California is going to declare bankruptcy and you know what Obama will do? He’ll go to states like Texas or Arizona, Florida to bail them out. That’s what he’ll do, and that’s gonna precipitate this stuff. California is showing where we’re headed in every which way,”
Limbaugh Predicts 'Economic Collapse' If Obama Re-elected

Rush's three years are going to be up soon - the apocalypse had better get it in gear if it's going to get here on time.

Of course, Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer, and this is the sort of thing that his audience prefers. It's entirely possible that he doesn't believe much, or any, of it himself. And it's fairly hyperbolic, even for election-year hysterics. But it illustrates the sort of baggage that tends to attach itself to political figures, especially when polarization is high.You can already see the dynamic taking shape for the 2016 elections, despite the fact that the primaries are nearly a year away still.