Is The Pope Catholic?

So this is how the worm turns. A Jewish Socialist goes to Rome to visit a Catholic Pope. Just the sentence sets off days of late night jokes. And that is nothing to what is happening in politics.

“What the hell is he doing? No Jewish politician will ever meet a pope!” Overheard outside someone’s office whose initials might be HRC. “He might as well be selling wiernerschnitzel in Bethlehem.”

And so another episode of the “Bernie Loves Hilly” program begins. It seems they might be nearing a divorce or at least a separation. The last show sounded like the Trump warming up in the shower radio hour. Not that he would yell at himself in the shower, maybe just in the car and only at the hired help.

Although my time has been spent on things not politic, I have tried to find a daily diary from which to catch up on the various raging super egos. The best I have come across is a brief read of the TrailMix.CC. The rest of the world is filled with too much . . . let’s just say wiernerschnitzel.

Of more interest to me is my found family member. My third cousin once removed. Please do not ask what that means. I have no clue. We do know our great-great-great grandmothers were sisters. That makes us cousins. We found each other in the Great Salt Lake City DNA match, or one of the Great Salt Lake City ancestry companies. That’s okay. They will save what’s left of my sole.

It is so exciting. We most likely met in the 1950’s or early 60’s, but did not know the significance of those meetings other than meeting another kid my age. Iowa farm life, lots of cousins roaming around.

I wonder what the Pope got out of meeting the Bern? A “feel the burn” T-shirt? An offer of free college if he moves to Vermont? Maybe a Senate gallery pass.

All I know is that whatever he did it was nothing compared to the high school debate teams refusing to go to Liberty “University”. Those kids did something incredible and brave. My hat is off to them and if I was ever in a position to hire one of them it would on the spot.

Are governed by those who are dumber. Plato

What a feeling I awaken with this morn. Friday evening was the Anne Arundel County Central Committee annual dinner. A meeting of the most political of political people in politics. People who are the unseen forces behind the every Democratic Party Member running for any office. The people who watch CSPAN and listen to NPR, or are on NPR or CSPAN. The people who watch Prime Minister’s Questions.

Oh, and there were the elected too. Anne Arundel County provides the high power to the Maryland Assembly. The fight to keep Governor Hogan from going all Republican on Maryland rests with the Speaker of House, Rep. Busch. A few miles away is the now blinding white dome over the Congress. Several Maryland members of the Congress came to the dinner too. Rep. Steny Hoyer was great as usual. Our candidates to replace retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski spoke well and gave good reasons to vote for either of them. Sen. Mikulski was not at the dinner to my disappointment.

The night was even more exciting because of the key note speaker, Rep. Elija Cummings. Oh the deep feelings he brought out. His speech was full and heartfelt, from his poor childhood and that of his parents, to today. He is the one man who destroyed Republican attempts to blame Ms. Clinton for Benghazi and pretty much everything else that has happened since the Romans left England.

He reminded us of what we are – Democrats. We can see what Mr. Weird Hair is doing, and why those voting for him do so. We are Democrats and we must never forget why so many are falling for the bluster and wild talk. It is up to us to make life better for all Americans.

For all the political power in the room, and there was a lot, we enjoyed a nice night together. In politics one often gives everything to achieve the win, or preventing someone else from winning. Long hard hours, constantly promoting your candidates, often calling people asking for money. You make the relaxation time your fun time.

Okay, politics is still in the air. Rather, politics is the air.

You have slogged through so far and want the candy. Today, there is no candy. Today is the “ask”. The point of all this is to lure you into getting involved in politics. Politics is the putting a stamp on an envelope. It is getting a nice walk on a weekend to meet fifty or one hundred people at their homes to hand them literature about a candidate. It is driving a candidate from one house party to another house party (you get to eat campaign food doing this). It is doing whatever you feel comfortable doing to help elect a woman or man you want to represent you.

A dinner, you pay a lot for, is a reward. No awards are given out. Maybe a shout out, but most likely not. The dinner is how political people take a break from politics. More politics.

A side effect is you might want to run for office too. That is a blast, at least for some of us. For others, not so much a blast as a drudge through the mud.

Month: April 2016

Those Who Are Too Smart To Engage In Politics