Transmetropolitan #4: The New Scum

So here we are, it would seem that this series is now on a pretty on-going story line.  This volume saw the race between two evil men vying for the presidency and Spider being able to do pretty much nothing about it but sick back and watch.
I can see the extreme nihilism sneaking in and it's starting to bug me just a little bit.  I might get into spoiler territory a bit here, so if you don't want to know what happens, stop reading....
So Spider's old assistant is back, now as his personal body guard, he lives in this heavily secured apartment, and yet he walks around by himself wherever he goes... what the hell is the point of the security?  Am I missing something?!  Over-all I'm just not quite sure what Ellis is trying to say here - that politics are useless because all you're really doing is voting in the lesser of two evils?  I think the next book is going to dictate whether or  not I'm excited about reading the rest of the series...  I'm still liking it, but I'm getting a tad wary...
Transmetropolitan Vol. 4: The New Scum (Transmetropolitan - Revised)