Politics? We better find Smeagol/Gollum! Or just wait for Godot!

I had thought that since the election of 1800
more respectful politics had become
But now it seems like the electoral system
is unraveling bit by bit
No matter where you sit
the smell of manure hits

Washington had warned of foreign "entanglements"
Adams and Jefferson didn't not heed the call
Alien and Sedition Act a threat to individual rights
a young nation that didn't want to fall

And yes 1860 turned bloody very quick
but not because of venom between the two party picks
Though both Douglas and Lincoln were orators
they pointed their passion to issues
and not verbally cutting off each other's heads

More recently the spite is placed in commercials
or ranted by surrogates in tactful campaigns
There was the daisy bomb ad put forth by JBJ's crew
at that time such an image was new
World not safe with Goldwater that was the intent
for sure a nuclear bomb wouldn't be heaven sent
The sad part is that it shouldn't have gone that way
for Goldwater was suppose to battle JFK
They had plans to recreate Lincoln-Douglas style

The Reagan Revolution had high spirited conservatives in charge
but the questionable behavior was not on the screen
The debates were civil, neither man seemed to be mean
sure some questions about southern strategies
Perhaps a deal for hostages in Iran
the ads by the GOP didn't attack Carter as a man

Then came Lee Atwater who brought Willie Horton to mind
and even went after Kitty Dukakis not a bit was very kind
Guilt hit his conscience before he passed away
proclaimed he was sorry for things he did for Bush in the day

Well Rove was his disciple but now we do find
first Clinton and now Obama have some aids of the same kind
Now the key is plausible deniability
may have been staff but not the candidate himself

And now you have super pacs that can spend all they please
so much that a big campaign is like a social disease
The left wing hits the right, the right fires back
wish we could dump them both in a sack

For now we parcel words about legitimate rape
are we de-evolving worse then the apes
Well a representative democracy doesn't work this way
one state's ads alone cost more then our yearly pay

Isn't really a democracy when the money controls
a tight lipped oligarchy but for whom does the bell toll?
For when more and more have to struggle to survive
society as a unit may not have much more life


Author's note- I took "artistic liberties" by not mentioning that the Lincoln-Douglas debates were for the US Senate contest and not for president. (they did however involve the same men)