There was a weird moment for me this week when I walked out onto my front driveway and noticed the block was like a scene from the 1959 movie “On the Beach”. There was absolutely no one around. No mowers, hedge trimmers or leaf blowers; the roofers had all done their jobs and the gutter hangers had also moved on. The grown ups were at work and the children were at school. A couple of dozen homes, tens of thousands of square feet of residential housing filled with flat screens and Posturpedic mattresses and there likely wasn’t more than half a dozen live souls on the block, and all of us elderly and invalid and rarely out of the house. I hate it when my sense of alienation and isolation turns out to be true and not just some bullshit I’m telling myself. I went inside, got dressed and went to Beverly’s for a bite to eat, some coffee and some light banter with not-so-good-looking waitresses, but I didn’t care because they were at least breathing. Gives me the shivers just thinking about it.
* * *
I’ve resigned myself to the notion that the GOP will register tremendous numbers of victories next week. All the pollsters who are worth the name have come to a consensus that Republicans will gain about 50-55 seats in the House of Representatives, far more than the 39 they need to get a majority. The GOP is not likely to get a majority in the Senate, but are likely to gain 6-8 new seats.
this should be good
The Republicans don’t seem to be able to do much wrong when about-to-be Speaker John Boehner feels free to campaign for the nutball who dresses in Nazi SS uniforms. My consolation is this: I look forward to watching the meltdowns. Being in Congress isn’t quite as easy as it sounds. There’s constituents who need help with the bureaucracy. You’ve got to raise about $100,000 a day in campaign money. You are expected to attend subcommittee hearings and vote based on expertise you gain in the area. As a former journalist I can tell you absolutely that there are very few things more boring than fundraising dinners and subcommittee hearings. Not just that, but also winning an argument in Congress isn’t the same as blustering and waving a copy of the Constitution and out-yelling someone at a dinner table. The congressman you’re talking to is likely to have their own copy of the Constitution and may even believe that God is on his side, just like you. Incumbents, unlike candidates, are likely to find themselves being on camera most all the time and you can’t just burst into screaming meltdown profanity without seeing yourself on the evening news. Having seen government budgets, let me assure you that there are no line items that say “waste” or “mismanagement”. Keeping that campaign promise to sweep away such things just isn’t the magic wave a wand easy thing to do one might think. You might campaign on eliminating the Department of Education, but someone in Congress is likely to remind you that you’d be voting to cut Pell Grants and Student Loans and Aid to Special Education and that such cuts just maybe won’t be quite as popular back home as they were just a few days ago. Anyway, if I can get through Tuesday without cutting someone’s wrists, it ought to be interesting to watch next year.
* * *
* * *
Congratulations to OSU, OU beat Colorado and can you believe Texas lost to BAYLOR?
* * *
Get off my lawn!