Worst Analogy Ever

Over the long weekend, Emily and I got into a dispute about who had the most knowledge of Dune trivia, so it was like a gift from heaven when Chris Bowers plopped this terrible analogy down:

In order to win the nomination, a non-Clinton candidate needs to be something of a Democratic Kwisatz Haderach who can tap into something so deep inside the collective Democratic unconscious that he can trasmute our rank and file's version of the water of life in a way that a Bene Gesserit like Clinton simply cannot.

I seriously doubt that this will help anyone's understanding of the race. It's too bad, too, because it comes at the end of a very informative discussion of "hard" and "soft" supporters.

Comments

I fear Obama may not survive the gom jabbar.

Posted by sangfroid826 | May 29, 2007 2:44 PM

Does that make us grassroots supporters into nomadic desert dwellers who survive by drinking their own urine, or giant sand worms? It's not clear.

Posted by Pat | May 29, 2007 2:44 PM

I'd like to be the first with a Mitt Romney/Facedancer joke.

Posted by Tom | May 29, 2007 2:48 PM

I noticed that nobody really took Chris up on his challenge to outgeek him with another analogy, except for someone who used a decidedly non-geeky Muhammad Ali reference.

Posted by Clark | May 29, 2007 2:49 PM

Oy!

Classical case of Dune misreading. 1) There are no heroes, no good guys in Dune, none, zippo. The female characters have some redeeming features but that's about it. 2) Herbert's Kwisatz Haderach is a destructive monster who comes to replace statist monsters but they are all (totalitarian) monsters.

Hence, rule #1 of Dune analogies. Dune analogies are always negative. Always.

Posted by Fifi | May 29, 2007 2:52 PM

> Does that make us grassroots supporters
> into nomadic desert dwellers who survive
> by drinking their own urine,

Sorry to break the news to you, but _you_ drink your own urine[*] as well. It is just filtered through sand and granite rather than a high-tech stillsuit.

Cranky

[*] More likely the urine of the people who live upstream of you.

Posted by Cranky Observer | May 29, 2007 2:54 PM

For many, the urine of people long dead - via aquifers that take decades or centuries to recharge.

But even still, other than in a metaphorical sense, I am no nomadic desert dweller.

Posted by Pat | May 29, 2007 3:09 PM

There's one thing that redeems it from being the "the worst analogy ever--" I think Dick Cheney actually does have one of those "heart plugs" that were in the movie version.

Posted by James Gary | May 29, 2007 3:17 PM

a better analogy,
http://www.bidoun.com/issues/issue_10/03_all.html

Posted by Tones | May 29, 2007 3:18 PM

Classical case of Dune misreading. 1) There are no heroes, no good guys in Dune, none, zippo. The female characters have some redeeming features but that's about it. 2) Herbert's Kwisatz Haderach is a destructive monster who comes to replace statist monsters but they are all (totalitarian) monsters.

People who see only the movie (or read only the first novel) can't know this.

Posted by Antid Oto | May 29, 2007 3:38 PM

The best part about Dune books (and that includes all of the books -- even the prequels by the son) is that they are guarranteed to contain an operative metaphor for nearly any situation. Moreover, in addition to all of the gooey philosophical stuff that Matt probably loved, the first Dune book, contains pretty much the best description of the folly of colonial powers trying to subjugate the mideast. Oh, and it has the Gom Jabbar.

Posted by IP Guy | May 29, 2007 3:45 PM

The female characters have some redeeming features

You think? Isn't Dune: Charterhouse just four hundred pages of feuds between various factions of insanely homicidal women?

Posted by lemuel pitkin | May 29, 2007 3:53 PM

What Dems *really* need is Duke Leto Atriedes-level charisma and capacity to inspire admiration even among skeptics. Obama may provide it. But let's see whether he risks his own neck when his 'thopter comes across a spice factory threatened by a sandworm.

Posted by Ryan | May 29, 2007 4:04 PM

Oh, and to state the obvious: in the (positive) terms in which Bowers understands the Kwisatz Haderach, the only possible candidate is Al Gore.

Posted by Ryan | May 29, 2007 4:13 PM

Leto is the hero of the Dun series.

Posted by Korha | May 29, 2007 4:20 PM

Some Kennedy or Roosevelt kid should lead Al Qaeda to military victory over George Bush? Heh, great idea.

Posted by Gary Sugar | May 29, 2007 4:27 PM

Leto is the hero of the Dune series.

Posted by Korha | May 29, 2007 4:20 PM

But can he act?

Posted by Clark | May 29, 2007 4:34 PM

As it happens I just the other night finished a marathon re-reading of the entire series. Even read three of the lesser books put out by the son.

When I'd read it before I loved the story but now as a more mature reader I'm just stunned by the level of insight Frank Herbert possessed into politics, psychology, and the human condition. The Dune series is not over-billed as one of the greatest works of fiction of all time.

Frank Herbert (ghola version) for President!

Posted by Curt M | May 29, 2007 4:50 PM

You think? Isn't Dune: Charterhouse just four hundred pages of feuds between various factions of insanely homicidal women?

Ok, ok, ok. I should have said some female characters, namely Jessica Harkonnen and Irulan Corrino. Other than those two, everybody's just hopeless.

Posted by Fifi | May 29, 2007 4:57 PM

I'm just stunned by the level of insight Frank Herbert possessed into politics, psychology, and the human condition.

Agreed. The first hundred pages or so of Dune are a brilliant novel of political intrigue. The boldness and skill of Leto's efforts to secure support for his government on Arrakis -- just breathtaking.

Posted by Ryan | May 29, 2007 5:07 PM

Done and done:
http://www.believermag.com/issues/200306/?read=article_giuffo

Anyway, Gore is more of a mentat.

Posted by ecv | May 29, 2007 5:16 PM

Cheney's a dead-ringer for Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.

Posted by Reverend Mother | May 29, 2007 5:18 PM

So Paul Muadib uses his totalitarian statist powers (as God Emperor) and his ability to see the multiple branchings of future time to head off a genocidal jihad that very likely would destroy galactic civilization (and might wipe out humanity), but he isn't good in some capacity? Remember: the jihad is going to happen anyway-- all he can do is temper it a bit.

So no good guys? C'mon. To get all geeky and go Spiderman on you all, but with great power comes great responsibility. I wouldn't want to have a beer with the adult Paul, and he's certainly no saint, but given the absolutenss of his powers (and their limitations) he's an admirable dictator (I can't believe I just wrote that! Dangit).

And yes, Herbert had a great sense of psychology, politics, and human condition-- but clearly his great insight into these things was the relation they all shared to environment (whether natural or artificial). While present in most of his books*, this environmentalism is most finely crafted in Dune.

*that I can think of/ have read

Posted by Everyman | May 29, 2007 5:57 PM

Really, I con't believe that no one has yet pointed out the resemblance between Hillary Clinton, and the Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam.

Posted by Scott | May 30, 2007 12:26 AM

"Oh, and to state the obvious: in the (positive) terms in which Bowers understands the Kwisatz Haderach, the only possible candidate is Al Gore."-Posted by Ryan

While I'd love to hear Gore, in his measured tone and cadence say, "Try looking into that place where you dare not look. You'll find me there, staring back at you!", to Hillary, I find he's a better fit to Liet Kynes.

Posted by Njorl | May 30, 2007 8:50 AM

@Fifi:

Why are you assuming Bowers is using it in a positive context? It seems more Machiavellian to me. Besides the analogy is to the power structure change which applies outside of a good/bad context.

If it turns out that Joe Lieberman is the guy "who can tap into something so deep inside the collective Democratic unconscious that he can trasmute [sic] our rank and file's version of the water of life" I doubt Bowers would consider it a good thing.

Posted by crack | May 30, 2007 9:15 AM

bill frist is the gom jabbar ("this one kills only animals ...")

Posted by groobles | May 31, 2007 2:09 AM

"So Paul Muadib uses his totalitarian statist powers (as God Emperor)"

Actually, Leto II is the God Emperor, as he accepts the fate that Paul-Muad'Dib could not. But who's quibbling?

Curt M, are YOU the person who had that last book (Chapterhouse: Dune) checked out of the library, thus preventing my planned weekend of reading recently!? Hmm, I should check to see if it's back in...

Posted by ajw_93 | June 6, 2007 11:43 AM