At a Ted Cruz rally surrounded by humanity

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Thanks to all the choreographed commercials and canned 30-second speeches, American politics often appears like pure theater. My first day of election coverage confirmed this interpretation. The campaign trail is rife with bizarre scenarios fueled by over-caffeinated supporters and a mass moving press corps. At the end of the day, it is a Vaudeville-esque mimicry of the nation at large.

I find the scene captured in the image above to be particularly indicative of this reality. The atmosphere ahead of Tea Party favorite Ted Cruz’s rally at an American Legion outpost is all over the place. Protesters are juxtaposed with Secret Service members. Veterans, retirees and reporters pause before the next of many rallies. A Cowboy hat is even donned in the midst of a blizzard. Life goes on.