Tag: election

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My theory on the debate

I watched the debate. While it was going on, I thought Obama did fine.

Romney suddenly changed from a right winger to a moderate — pitching to the middle. The only surprise there is that he didn’t do it sooner in the campaign.

Obama didn’t blast back. But he did point out the flip flops.

From my point of view, Romney was being Romney — a pragmatic candidate who will change his views when he needs to. A tough politician who plays to win.

Obama was being, well…Presidential. He was respectful. He explained his positions and didn’t apologize for his record.

With divided government, filibusters, no deal making, etc., critical matters (education, infrastructure, energy) aren’t getting handled anyway. So I found it all the talk a little moot — a little boring.

Then the debate is over and the analysis beings. The talking heads begin to talk. That’s when I found out Romney had kicked Obama’s ass.

Could it be that Obama is being dumb like a fox?

Perhaps he’s looked at the situation and sees that he’s going to win. Incumbent Presidents rarely lose. Romney’s got to sweep the swing states to pull it off.

Maybe Obama is thinking ahead, to the possibility of governing more effectively in the next four years. When the drama settles, history will show that he’s been extraordinarily effective so far.

But what if he gets a little Republican support going forward? What would that be like? He won’t be running again. Maybe he’ll get a year or two of bipartisan workability after this election. Anything is possible.

So maybe he wasn’t tired or sad or preoccupied with no-telling-what was going on the in world during that time. Maybe he was being a statesman who thought it might not be in the country’s best interest to crush the opposition on stage.

Just a theory…

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50 years ago today

Fifty years ago today, as the country pulled an all-nighter, waiting to see who would be the next President (Kennedy or Nixon), a young couple pulled an all nighter also, waiting to meet their new daughter (Alicia).

Alicia, my wife, was born, in California, as the votes were being counted.

It was an unbelievably close election — in the country, and in California.

Legend has it that while Cristalle labored in the delivery room, the doctor spent much of his time in the waiting room, with Richard, Alicia’s father, watching returns come in.

What a historic day.  Some of us are extremely fortunate, and grateful for it.

Happy birthday, Alicia.

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to the right wing purists who are so giddy these days…

I just had a discussion on Facebook.  All I did was post a video I thought was funny, but a couple of right wing friends got sort of emotional about it. This was one of my answers and thought I’d go ahead and make a blog of it.  (Hint to those who have friends on the right and want to remain friends:  they take Sarah Palin and Fox News seriously).

American politics is a pendulum that swings back and forth.  The Republicans had control of two branches for six years.  It was split for two years.  Democrats have two branches now.  It will probably be split again after next week.  My guess is that the Presidency will shift back and forth, as will the Congress, for many years to come.

This is the way it has been, and the way it will be.

Rather than focusing on these wonderful, pure thoughts that you believe so strongly (ie. pure capitalism is great; pure socialism is evil) — why not be realistic? It’s a pluralistic system.  Obama is not a socialist.  We have a huge country and it requires a huge federal government in order to function.  Somebody must be the CEO of this giant corporation, and some people must make spending decisions.  It doesn’t mean they’re evil.  It’s a hell of a task.

Your ideologies are wonderful for dormitory bull sessions and Fox News stockholders, but why not be real and put forth some ideas that can make this a better place to live, for us, our children, and grandchildren?

Sooner or later, your political party will prevail and have the opportunity to govern — as they did throughout the past decade.

I wish they could be a little more responsible with the budget, national security, and public discourse. The last time they had complete control — from 2000 through 2006 — they blew up the deficit, sliced and diced races and religions, neglected infrastructure, and spent our prosperity on war and extreme wealth for the very richest of the rich.

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A one-two punch for women on the City Council

Here in the Salisbury City Council election, two women led the field.

It’s not new for one woman to be on the council, or even to get the most votes.  The current mayor,  Susan Kluttz, has served as mayor for a number of years and has just gotten the most votes again.

The previous mayor, Margaret Kluttz, is also a woman.

Pam Hilton was on the City Council for several years.

I’m not positive, but I’m pretty sure this is the first time more than one woman has run for the Salisbury City Council, and I’m almost positive this will be the first time in history that there will be two women on the council — rather than that singular woman’s voice with four men.

This observation is based on zero research — so if my memory is off, so be it.

I remember my mother (many years ago, when I was a child) working quite hard for Karen Young — trying to help her get elected.  Mom was frustrated that Karen’s womanhood was such an obstacle, while her qualifications and abilities were, well, superior.  I’m pretty sure she was the first woman on City Council.

My memory may be off a bit — but I think Mrs. Young fell short a couple times, and eventually got appointed by Mayor Paul Bernhardt when a seat opened due to retirement or death.

Mrs. Young may have won a re-election campaign.  I can’t remember.

But the fact that two women, Susan Kluttz and Maggie Blackwell, beat 11 men in a field of 13 candidates — by a significant margin — seems…well…significant.

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Think Tank (a ten minute play about right wing ideas)

Think Tank. Copyright 2009. Samuel M. Post

This is different.  I’ve never written a play and posted it on the blog first, before it at least had some kind of reading (and preferably a performance).  Feedback welcome.

An office. Could have a small sign denoting the name of the organization: “Institute for American Study”

SMITH WONNER, a gentleman — distinguished, gray hair, flawless conservative suit and tie — sits at his desk reading.

He picks up the phone and dials.

He has a heavy, but refined, southern accent.

SMITH: Mrs. Ghondlesonni, may I see you in here for a minute.

He continues reading.

Enter JANE GHONDLESONNI. She’s young, bright, preferably blond, pretty, and sharp. She has a huge smile with great teeth. Her business suit is conservative in color and style — but with a short hemline that’s deliberately sexy.

JANE: Good morning, Sir.

SMITH: Mrs. Ghondlesonni, I’m thinking of making a few modifications.

JANE: Modifications?

SMITH: A shift.

JANE: A shift, sir?

SMITH: Modifications, really.

JANE: We’ve been doing fairly well sir. The radio heads have been loving our–

SMITH: Oh oh oh oh oh — don’t think I’m not pleased with your work, Mrs. Ghondlesonni. It’s been superb. Just superb. You did get the bonus check last month?

JANE: Oh, yes sir.

SMITH: Well, good.

JANE: That “African Muslim” campaign has worked out well, don’t you think?

SMITH: My God, Girl! That was brilliant. Couldn’t hope for any better!

JANE: Sometimes the ideas just…

SMITH: Genius! Pure creative genius!

JANE: Yet, you’re thinking of making a change?

SMITH: Not a change. A modification. A additional line of attack, if you will.

JANE: Do you think the public can handle more? We know that too much noise can confuse the audience. We’re still using the “racist” label and getting good traction out of “Nazi” and “Socialist,” don’t you think?

SMITH: Traction? My girl, our polls tell us they’ve taken root! And I’ve got to hand it to you, I never thought we could pull that one off. “Nazi” and “Socialist” at the same time! I thought that was a leap but damn if you didn’t fuse those two into one powerful label — like a marriage, in which the whole is stronger than the sum of two halves. Exquisite work, Mrs. Ghondlesonni. Exquisite!

JANE: Couldn’t have done it without Hitler.

SMITH: I agree. That was the glue that made the whole thing stick.

They laugh, enjoying the moment of victory.

JANE: Then, since it’s working so well, are you sure you want to change, sir?

SMITH: looking at his papers Been reading a proposal here given to me by Stanley Bead.

JANE: Stanley Bead the third.

SMITH: Yes, so he is. Mr. Stanley Bead III.

JANE: What’s he proposing?

SMITH: It’s bold. Quite bold.

JANE: Like what?

SMITH: For one thing…well…why don’t we invite Mr. Bead in here and we’ll just knock these ideas around for a minute?

JANE: It’s not “flip flopper” again, is it?

SMITH: Of course not. It’s much too soon to recycle that one.

JANE: I agree, sir.

He picks up the phone and dials.

SMITH: Mr. Bead, how soon can you be in my office?

He listens.

SMITH: Excellent.

Enter STANLEY BEAD III. Sharp. Conservative. Young. Handsome.

STANLEY: Yes sir.

They shake hands and sit.

SMITH: Good to see you, Stanley.

STANLEY: And you, Sir.

SMITH: Been reading over this, and I’m intrigued.

STANLEY: Thank you, sir.

SMITH: Looking ahead. Forward thinking. I like that.

JANE: So do I.

SMITH: Of course you do. We need to always be looking around the next corner.

STANLEY: Yes sir. Glad you agree, sir.

SMITH: What Stanley’s proposing here, Mrs. Ghondlesonni, is fairly far reaching. I see a three year plan here, putting us into the heart of 2012.

JANE: Really.

STANLEY: Presidential elections are my specialty, sir. Get’s my adrenalin flowing. Helps me rise to the challenge.

He smiles — almost as if he’s taking a bow.

STANLEY: Flip flopper.

SMITH: We’ll always be indebted you for flip flopper, Stanley. The whole country owes you a debt of gratitude for that.

JANE: Too bad “paling around with terrorist” didn’t gain credibility. Do you remember how I reacted the first time I heard it?

SMITH: Yes — you had your doubts. I remember.

JANE: I thought it was weak then, and I still think it’s weak now.

SMITH: And you were right.

STANLEY: Hey, nobody hits a home run every time at the plate!

JANE: It was a very costly mistake!

STANLEY: Obama still would have won.

JANE: I’m not so sure.

STANLEY: You still think calling him a Momma killer would have worked?

JANE: I damn well know it would have!

STANLEY: You had no narrative to go with it! None! Zip!

JANE: No narrative necessary!

STANLEY: If you’re a thinairist!

JANE: I am a thinnairist — and proud of it!

STANLEY: Well I’m not! I need a hook!

JANE: Why! That’s old school! For slow media! Things are too fast now!

STANLEY: Fundamentals are fundamentals!

JANE: And the fundamentals have changed!

STANLEY: They most certainly have not! That’s why we call them fundamentals!

SMITH: Okay, okay!

He chuckles.

SMITH: That’s what I love about this institute. Vigorous debate. Wouldn’t trade it for the world. But I would like to take a look at Stanley’s proposal here. Stanley thinks this health care bill will eventually pass and we need to be ready for the aftermath — and he’s got an interesting theory. Stanley, you tell her.

STANLEY: Well, in a year or two, we’ll have some health care reform, and guess what? A lot of people will still be sick. And a lot of people will still be dying.

JANE: That’s obvious.

STANLEY: We’ve gotta be ready to take advantage of that. We won’t want to repeal it, even though we’ll talk about doing just that. But primarily we need to be prepared to use it.

getting more excited

STANLEY: We need to pounce — pound home the idea that it’s a failure. That it doesn’t work.

JANE: Hit me.

STANLEY: Doctor Death..

JANE: We tried that.

STANLEY: No — we tried Death Panel.

JANE: Seems a little recycled.

STANLEY: Dr. Death is fresh. It’s alive. And it’s not thinnairist. It’s actually true.

JANE: True?

STANLEY: Every President is a Dr. Death. It’s part of the job.

SMITH: Could it be cliche?

STANLEY: Not if it’s presented right, by the right people.

They all ponder this.

SMITH: Mrs. Ghondlesonni?

JANE: I suppose it could work.

STANLEY: My wife loves it, and she’s my harshest critic. Dr. Death.

SMITH: When do you propose we launch this?

JANE: The longer you wait, the better it will work.

STANLEY: I go along with that.

SMITH: Excellent. Let’s look at this energy label.

JANE: Excuse me sir, but haven’t we already discussed publishing a book called “Hitchhiker Nation,” describing a world where only government employees are allowed to travel — the world Obama wants us all to live in.

SMITH: Stanley’s got another idea and I just want you to hear it.

STANLEY: “Comobile,” designed to evoke an image of prolonged suffering. The small cars Obama wants people driving will cause more fatalities and more people living in comas. Variation on “death trap,” but repackaged as Comobile!

JANE: Sir, don’t you think that sucks?

SMITH: That occurred to me, but I wanted some input.

STANLEY: It at least deserves an experiment.

JANE: It’s not worth spending on the focus group. That’s terrible.

SMITH: Let’s move on to taxes. When they want to raise taxes two percent on the upper one percent, we need to be ready. They’ll be talking about our own people then, you know. They’ll be talking about us.

JANE: Now I say we stick with fundamentals. un-American. Socialist. Nazi. Marxist.

SMITH: Stanley thinks we might need something new.

STANLEY: Beggar.

JANE: Weak.

STANLEY: Robber.

JANE: Weak.

STANLEY: Thief.

JANE: Weaker.

STANLEY: Commander in Thief.

They ponder this.

JANE: It’s clumsy.

SMITH: A little.

JANE: But…I’ve got to admit. Commander in Thief. It’s not bad.

SMITH: Let’s try that one out, Stanley.

STANLEY: Will do, sir.

SMITH: Now we get to the re-election, where Stanley has a pretty bold suggestion.

STANLEY: It’s not a thinnairst idea.

JANE: Just say it.

STANLEY: You weren’t a big fan of flip flopper at first.

JANE: Just say it.

STANLEY: I say we go for the heart of the matter and let the chips fall where they may.

JANE: What!

SMITH stands up at his desk.

SMITH: Maybe I should leave the room for a minute. Would that be useful?

STANLEY: Might not be a bad idea, sir.

SMITH exits.

STANLEY: Nigger.

JANE: Say what?

STANLEY: We just call him a nigger. I mean, keep in mind, the country will be experiencing a tremendous amount of African-American fatigue by then. It could backfire. But the odds are against us anyway unless we cause a fundamental shift in this country’s thinking about race and ethnicity. It could get us back Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia. Ohio. Florida!

JANE: (wistful)  Florida.

STANLEY: (filled with emotion)  Florida, Jane.

He stands up and paces.

STANLEY: Blanket all media with vigorous denials by the campaign. Start early and let it build.

JANE: It will build.

She’s mesmerized. He takes her hand. She stands up and they gaze into each other’s eyes.

JANE: The White House is forced to respond. We know race is our only issue. I say we stop playing in the sandbox with it. I mean, we hit the N word so long, so loud, and so hard that it becomes the only subject. The American people become totally desensitized. Make nigger a household word.

JANE: Like Nazi.

STANLEY: Exactly.

JANE: Hitler.

STANLEY: (tender) I did tell you how brilliant I thought that was?

JANE: No, I don’t think you did.

STANLEY: It was.

Mutual attraction getting stronger. Magnetized and moving closer.

STANLEY: You’re a genius, Jane.

JANE: (seductive) Socialist.

STANLEY: My favorite of them all.

They touch.

JANE: I’m married.

STANLEY: So am I.

Overcome with passion, they embrace and kiss.

Curtain