Election Reaction

I hesitate to make another political entry because I don’t want this to be a political blog. But, it is still the news and I heard and saw two pieces that I have to comment on.

First, there was an item on WGN radio news. A woman went to the Tribune Tower to pick up a special publication/edition of the paper chronicling the Barack Obama story. The story said she had never read the paper before. So, on what basis did she vote for him? If she didn’t read the paper, I doubt she regularly reads books. That’s not to say a vote for Mr. McCain was an educated vote. He certainly didn’t do what he could to educate possible supporters. All he had to do was tell us what the country would be like and eventually become with the kind of policies Democrats normally support. As John Kass put it, the U.S. will become an overfed “federal leviathan” that “will shrink our scope of individual liberties…” But Mr. McCain didn’t do that. Only in the last couple of weeks did he start telling the people that Mr. Obama was a socialist. Even if that were an extreme view, it would have put Mr. Obama on the defensive. He would have had to explain how his proposals wouldn’t lead the country in a European socialistic direction.

The second item I saw was on Roger Ebert’s website. He tells us there “our long national nightmare is over.” It’s good to see an accomplished writer make use of a cliché and that without crediting the Republican he took it from. I have a couple of questions and an observation for him: Where did you get your medical treatment over the last couple of years? Was it in the U. S.? Do you really think it will stay at that quality when the President-elect institutes his universal health care? And besides your personal health, how has your life been a nightmare in the last 8 years?

Then the observation: Eight years ago in the intervening time between election day and the time when the decision was made final in Florida, he went on a rant that said if George Bush was elected, it would be a sign that the American intellect was headed down. My first response was that I figured the sign of the declining American intellect was that we were listening to movie critics give political opinion (sorry, Michael Medved). Now, looking at last Tuesday’s results, I guess Mr. Ebert was right.

President atrocious

For my next trick, I've decided to get this one over with now.   In 2 weeks it will be irrelevant, or more so than it already is.  I admit I'm proud of it, but it will make some people upset.  To you I say, get over it.  You're gonna win.  (Oh, please. I was saying that all summer and look what happened to the Cubs.  Please, have the same result.)  You can still laugh.  To those of you who appreciate its bias, I hope you laugh loud enough to make up for those who don't.

So, here is my first blog political parody song.  (To the tune of "Supercalifragilistic...")

When trying to express himself

His theories are absurd.

He gives us lots of rhetoric

But never says that word.

He says that paying taxes gives a patriotic sheen

But in the end it’s very clear exactly what he means. 

BarackObamaSocialisticPresidentatrocious.

Taking all that you are earning is the program he proposes

No matter that it sounds good-hearted,

It’s the middle class he hoses.

BarackObamaSocialisticPresidentatrocious.

When he was a younger lad

He started on this path.

His associates had already cut a terroristic swath.

His success came partly from the Republican’s ex’s snubs.

But Mr. Ryan did insist his wife go to sex clubs.

When he went to church 

It was amazing what he heard

Scholars search far and wide 

To find it in God’s Word.

He heard “God damn America”

Those were the words of Rev. Wright.

I’m sure he meant not everything

Just the things that come in white.

BarackObamaSocialisticPresidentatrocious

For twenty years he heard preaching that could be ferocious.

Now his Peter-like denial

Is giving me neuroses

BarackObamaSocialisticPresidentatrocious.

© Matthew Anthony

Me, too

For some time now, I've been toying with the idea of entering the blog world.  A combination of time commitment, fear, and just plain laziness has kept me from doing so.  

I wondered about the time commitment, because I didn't know if it would be worth it.  From reading blogs, it's apparent that they have not let the world in on some otherwise undiscovered writing talent.  Blogs are not unlike American Idol.  Has that show really introduced the world to the next Barbra Streisand or Frank Sinatra? Far from it.  Most of those participants are what they always were: great in their high school play and community theater.  If they've gone beyond that, they were just lucky.  Same for blogs.  If the writer is any good, he or she works for a magazine or newspaper, or writes books.  If they do a blog, it's to direct readers to their other professional outlets.  Blogs, on the other hand, including this one I'm sure, are just outlets for mediocre writers to ramble about their pet peeves and other provincial concerns.  While reading other  blogs, I also asked myself "Is reading this really worth  the time?"  Most of the time, I had to admit, no.  Sorry to those on whose websites I've commented.  I figured other people would say the same about anything I wrote.

That's where fear came in.  Who wants to write something and then discover that nobody read it?  Or they read it and laughed when they weren't supposed to?  I guess that's why I'm still single.

And of course, I am lazy.  I have had great opportunity this year to practice being lazy.  I have become quite good at it.  I guess I should spin it by calling it "indolence."  Like Bern Williams said, "Indolence is just a classy  way of saying 'laziness'."  Did I search libraries to come up with that quote.  Heck no.  I just Googled for a quotation website and plugged in the word.  Don't ask.  I have no idea who Bern Williams is.  And I'm too lazy to find out.

But I decided to go for it anyway.  I'm taking a writing course through my school district.  (I'm a second grade teacher.)  This will help me teach the next Rick Bragg, not be the next Rick Bragg.  Remember that other quote?  Those who can't, teach.  This gives me a reason to spend time on it.  So, for the next few months, I will prove my first three points.  You can expect this to have regular updates as I try  to impress the teachers of the course.  Then, once the course is over, probably the postings will become less frequent. Eventually, like Keyser Soze, poof, they'll be gone.