Nearly Was...And Also-Rans

Hi there.
Do you write blogs. Do you read blogs? I see.
Ever notice how some people write in a cringed posture, hoping against hope that they're being entertaining or informative?
But then SOME people dash it off like there's no tomorrow, like they don't give the proverbial two shakes what anybody thinks.
And then you have the folks who fall in the middle between these two extremes.
Remember how Michael Stipe rattled on and on about "nearly was" and "also rans" in R.E.M.'s "I Remember California," from the "Green" album?
Yeah, he just went on and on until you couldn't much tell the difference between "Oddfellows Local 151" from "Document" and "I Remember California."
So anyway, is America a nation of also-rans and nearly was?
Let me know.