The Definition of Asynchrony

As the Iowa primary looms near, and as the country recovers from another remarkable season of cheer and good will toward all, the asynchrony of it all causes one to pause and reflect on what is real and on what should be real. First, as the Iowa deadline approaches, the pack of Republican candidates are gorging themselves on the weaknesses of fellow candidates in a manner remarkably reminiscent of the gang of kids in Lord of the Flies which has as its main theme the distinctions between civilization and savagery. Who and what to attack next appears to be the strategy of each candidate in constant no-holds barred deviations from Reagan’s 11th commandment; Thou shall not speak badly of other Republicans. I must admit that after 70+Christmas seasons I have become a little jaded about our society’s gifting thing which tends to obliterate the “real” meaning of the pulse within all of us to reach out to others, but what is going on in Iowa is repugnant in all respects. For example, who could possibly be impressed by this gang lining up to try to impress Iowans with their Christian values and principles? Wait, did I say that wrong? The chief idea floating around Iowa at the moment is that the most important consideration a voter should consider is how conservative and Christian a candidate is. In America? The country which has as its most basic founding principle this matter of separation of church and state? As Dick Vitale, the sports announcer would say, “You’ve got it baby.”

But there is more, while proclaiming the authenticity of their respective Christian merits, each of the candidates is outdoing others by suggesting that the other mortal candidates running against them are somehow unworthy because they are not Christian enough (i.e. Gingrich with his multiple infidelities and marriages or Romney because he is not a Christian at all). Earlier in this diatribe I have used the word “asynchrony.” I like the word. I don’t think I have ever used the word before, but it just popped into my mind while I was trying to mesh the incongruity of what we are witnessing in Iowa during this Christmas season. But there is a definite asynchrony is what is going on out there when a candidate says his position is completely different now than it was two, three, five, or ten years ago while at the same time attacking a fellow candidate for positions held twenty years ago. Christine O’Donnell, the love of the Tea Party, gave us the best example of asynchrony in action when she endorsed Romney and dealt with his flip-flopping saying that “That’s one of the things that I like about him — because he’s been consistent since he changed his mind.”

Now I understand what I don’t understand