"Fogarty watched a naked young stripper do the splits over a banana. She stood back up, her face smiling proudly and her round breasts glistening from a spotlight in the dim bar..."
So, what does this have to do with elections?
Let me disgress for a moment. TO ME, elections should embody the fundamentals of what America was built on: the ideals of honesty, integrity, truth, justice, liberty and all those good things. An election should be based on groups of people with beliefs on how to make life better for their fellow citizens, their country and even the world. At election time, these people should present their beliefs passionately and honestly to the people that will vote for or against them. They should be critical of their opponents and welcoming to the same. They should not insult the citizenry or the processes in place. It should come down to facts, truth, approach and integrity. That's the way I THINK it should be. Aside from the total naivety of what I just typed, I think my principle is sound.
So what do Fogarty and The Stripper have to do with elections? Well, it seems as though the Democratic candidate for Virginia's Senate, Jim Webb, seat wrote several fictional novels years ago and Fogarty and company were one of many steamy scenes from Webb novels that have been appearing lately on right-wing websites. Supporters of George Allen, the Republican candidate, he been trying to smeer Webb's name by calling him a smut-monger and degenerate. What does this have to do with REAL issues?
George Allen himself is floating in questionable moral waters after publically calling one of Webb's young staffers, "Macacca" (Ma-Ka-Kaa) and publically telling the young man of Indian decent, "Welcome to America! Welcome to the Real Virginia!" This was a debacle for Allen because Macacca means 'monkey' in the language his parents speak. Allen swore he had no idea what it meant, and claimed that it was just some 'non-sense' word he heard a member of his staff use. And for the record, the young man in question was born in VIRGINIA! George Allen was born in CALIFORNIA. Now other incidents of racial accusations against Allen are beginning to surface. While I hate racist assholes, I still haven't heard much on the issues from either candidate in the Commonwealth.
Across the Potomac in Maryland, two important races are bringing out the racists, the liars and the hardline heavyweights. For Senate we have:
Fighting out of the BLUE corner, weighing in at 189 pounds with 20 years in DC, Ben "Smoking Votes" Cardin!
and
Standing tall in the RED corner, weighing in at a ready 198 pounds, Michael "Don't make me call my ex-brother-in-law Mike Tyson on you" Steele!
For the record Democrat Cardin is white and Republican Steele is black.
This battle has brought out Cardin staffers being accused of eating OREO cookies to degrade Steele. Black folks at Morgan State University have been accused of throwing OREOs on stage while Steele was speaking. Cardin's commercials stress the fact that Steele gave the 2004 keynote speech at the GOP convention, and he is a loyal supporter of Dubba-ya. Personally, if you are a member of a party and the president is the head of your party, supporting him isn't the craziest thing in the world. Still few issues here but heavy on nastiness.
Steele's people claim that while Cardin has been in politics for 40 years he hasn't changed a thing in Washington. They play this point to insanity on TV and radio. For a minute, I was looking sideways at Cardin myself until I did my homework and found out that Cardin was a state delagate for 20 years and a member of the DC set for 20 years. While 2 decades is a long time, it is not the 40 years that Steele's camp is implying. Steele has also been trying this weird little game of sort-of-trying to act like he's not a Republican [in the evil sense of the word] - it's thin, very thin - but he's trying. Where do he and Cardin stand on stem cell research, taxes, crime, the war, my kids education, my job security, my health care rates, my elderly mom and dad? Who knows - I haven't been able to catch a debate lately, but I WILL before "E" day. (psst, just between us - there is no way in hell I'm going to help the Republicans get another seat in the Senate. I don't care what color he is, I don't care how friendly he looks and I don't care if he likes puppies! You must be crazy if you think I'd vote for Steele!)
Also in Maryland, the Governors race has come down to the Mayor of Baltimore - Democrat Martin O'Malley vs encumbant Republican Robert Ehrlich. These two are trying to present a somewhat politically motivated battle. It's thin, but they are trying. Simply put, the big issue is Baltimore. Baltimore - the former "Charm City USA" is sitting in the crapper right now. Crime is high, murders are high, Education is shameful on a NATIONAL level, herion is like water running down the streets, gangs are out of control. Basically, you are only safe in about 50% of the city. Safe being that you have a reasonable expectation of going to work and coming home in one piece. Now, O'Malley, into his 7th police chief in 7 years wants to do for Maryland what he has done for Baltimore.
These two are pushing hard at each other. Not heavy on the issues, but moreso on calling the other a pitiful joke and the other one declaring, "No, no - YOU'RE a bigger joke than me!" Sorry "O" but I've seen my hometown up close. It's fucked up and you have no clue as to how to un-fuck it. I can't put you in the Statehouse this time. Lock some of those B-More thugs, drug dealers and hoodlums up, come up with an education plan that can REALLY work, pay your teachers, cops and fire fighters better, and get a serious re-hab program in place and next time, my vote is yours. This time, I think its going to Ehrlich.
So, there we have it. Local politics is just like national politics. Nasty, dirty business where skeletons [no matter how big or small] will get dragged out of your closet. Nobody seems willing to say "These are my plans for taxes. This is what I'll do about crime. I feel this way about stem cells. I'll vote this way on abortion. The environment is important to me because of this..." Naw - folks just want to play the race card; folks just care about who you had sex with back when; folks just want to twist the truth about this or that. Somehow - that just seems Un-American to me.
TTBM
4 comments:
TTBM is back, ladies and gentlemen!
I, too, have been watching these races with interest, as I live in Virginia, and our radio/television market is shared with Washington, DC and Baltimore (and suburban Maryland counties).
I agree with you about the way the races have been conducted. It is shameful.
All I can tell you about the Virginia Senate race is this: Given the choices and the issues at stake, and where Senator Allen and his opponent, Mr Webb stand, the votes in our home will be going to Jim Webb.
Senator Allen, like his Republican friends ahs been nothing but a lick-spittle, rubber-stamping, lapdog for Geroge Bush. He has been a do-nothing Senator, hoping to ride his wave of seeming popularity into the White House in 2008.
He was a poor performer, when he was Governor of the great Commonwealth of Virginia, and he does even less as a Senator... except to vote FOR sending our soldiers to war on dubious grounds; against sending troops the body armor needed in order to lessen loss of life, and FOR the reduction of benefits for those poor kids that are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan all fucked up.
Jim Webb is an accomplished man, and he isn't a professional politician. He is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, which means something to me as a fellow USMC veteran. Mr Webb's novels have had a profound effect on me since I was first introduced to them as a teenager in the early 1980's.
Mr Webb is a combat veteran, who has been grievously wounded in the service of his country, and vocally opposed our invasion of Iraq.
Mr Webb wants to bring federal dollars to my region of the state to alleviate the insane traffic problems that are coused by the large numbers of federal employees that live in the area because of our proximity to Washington, DC (I live 25 miles south of DC).
Mr Webb is a plain speaker, whereas we hear nothing but rhetoric from Senator Allen.
The choice in this election, for me is a simple one.
If I lived in MAryland, black or not, I wouldn't vote for Michael Steele on a bet.
He spends his time talking about why blacks should vote Republican, all the while attempoting to distance himself from Republican poilices and core beliefs.
You can't have it both ways, Mr Steele.
I'm with Gunfighter. I wouldn't vote for Michael Steele if my life were threatened. Yessir...I'd choose death over Steele ANYDAY.
He lost us when he said he'd set up adoption programs for unused embryos. Dude...we can't get actual live CHILDREN adopted here and you wanna set up adoption programs for EMBRYOS? come on. now that's just too stoopit for words even. He and others 'like' him think we're all dumb. Nuh uhn...not me.
TTBM - Great post! I've been reading more and more about the elections in VA & MD. They are getting more wild than here in Mass. I hope to God that Steele does not win.
I find it really insulting that a politician would think that I would vote for her or him just because he or she is black. I hope folks don't fall for it. As you know, I'm voting for Deval Patrick and think he is great, but it is based on the issues. It's just a bonus that he is black too!
We have a black Supreme Court Justice and I know that his being there isn't helping me one bit.
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