| An
awed silence consumed the platforms, as the big screen sets
beamed the words of victory and concession from the two
U.S presidential candidates to the world. Australians, by
the hundreds, stared, captivated by the measured words,
safe in the knowledge that they could watch in peace ' there
of course being no chance of a train turning up on time
to spoil the view.
Only
weeks earlier, we'd witnessed a similar election, albeit
on a smaller scale ' a conservative government consolidating
its position in a polarised electorate after a long and
expensive campaign. With one glaring difference however,
the campaign rally.
As
Rob Sitch commented on The Panel the night before calm descended
on Edgecliff station, U.S presidential candidates enthralled
thousands of supporters every day. In Australia however,
you might have a thousand on the first day, a hundred on
the next and a few hung'over journos on the third. It was
a moment of insight from The Panel, unfortunately all too
infrequent in recent years as Kate (the stupid panellist)
has been given free reign to bellow idiocy over the rest
of her talented ensemble.
Where
were those commuters, held so intransigently by the words
of Bush and Kerry, weeks before during our own political
decision'making process? Sure, there was the guy in the
rat suit, welcoming Latham at the cannery, and Howard
in the trades hall in Tassie being welcomed by unionist
loggers, but where were the brass bands, the confetti
and the celebrity endorsements? Admittedly I'd consider
turning up to a rally if it would legitimise my walking
around with a placard that says ...I'm voting for more
Bush,... but I'm sure the Christian Right in the U.S don't
go for double entendres.
 I
did suffer the distraction of every lamp post in Wentworth
being covered by the smiling face of 'Not a ...Patch...
on the ...Man... who would be ...King... ', but it certainly
didn't encourage me the way Sheryl Crow or the Boss would
have for a Democrat vote. One can only wonder what will
happen in 2008 when Hillary and Arnie lock horns, not
quite the recent movie clash of Predator vs Alien but
the predator will be a common theme' the Democratic candidate
will be married to one and the Republican candidate will
have blown one up in the jungle (speaking of which, when
is another Predator cast member turned pollie ' Jesse
Ventura ' going to have a tilt at higher office?).
Perhaps
we will have our own rumble in the jungle, if as many
expect, Labor burn the ...Midnight Oil... over the next
few years and thrust Peter Garrett to prominence, and
similarly if, despite the best efforts of the Liberals,
Malcolm Turnbull obtains similar prominence.
Keating
would call it "the campaign we had to have." There would
be music and celebrity status involved though we would
have "Diesel and Dust" rather than brass bands playing
Dixie. The troops may have pulled out of Iraq and been
re'deployed in Iran, with this millennium's Crusaders
hailing from Ohio. I'll bring the confetti.
Just
hope that the trains aren't running on time, or we'll
miss the speeches...
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