|
10/28/2004 |
|
Running to win on principle While John Hammer was pretending I absolutely do not exist in today's endorements issue of the Rhino, devoted fans of Orson Scott Card who read all the way to the end of his articles can find this in the current issue: (I added the bold face type.) "I attended a political evening at Irving Park Elementary where county commission and school board candidates had a chance to answer questions. It was the first time my wife and I had a chance to form opinions of some of these people firsthand.
In the county commissioner race, we were extremely depressed. First we had Mike Barber, sitting slumped at the table and repeating empty platitudes without enthusiasm....then we had Mike Winstead. He kept reminding me of those Jeopardy contestants who can't figure out how to work the button so they can ring in. The most embarassing thing was that he couldn't keep track or what it's supposed to mean to be a Republican. Over and over again he promised to throw money at the school board...
Of the three candidates, the only one who was articulate and thoughtful was Jim Capo. The touble is, Capo has already proven that he is committed to being completely ineffective and never getting elected because not only is he running as a Libertarian, but he is also an officer in the John Birch Society. If you're serious about getting enough votes to win public office, you don't do either of those things.
Since he's obviously a smart guy, the only conclusion I can reach is that he doesn't actually want to win. He just wants to come to the debates and make other candidates look stupid. I'm just sad that he found this so easy to accomplish."
Who am I voting for? Probably Winstead, trusting that he will be inept and ineffective...."
Now, as Mr. Card only said "probably" and I do have a message asking to talk to him after he gets back into town Friday night, I will suspend flamming out here for the moment. Right now, I will tax my willpower to contain myself to just one observation:
"The touble is, Capo has already proven that he is committed to being completely ineffective...Who am I voting for? Probably Winstead, trusting that he will be inept and ineffective...."
So there you have it. Had I only shown myself to be inept as well as ineffective I could have won Card's vote outright that evening.
11:59:46 PM
comment [] |
|
Money Walks in District 7 Again I must don my Captain Louie Renault uniform here and proclaim, "I'm shocked --- shocked! to find I have been ignored by John Hammer in today's Rhino." I am however encouraged by the great lengths gone to to promote the name of my GOP rival, while at the same time avoiding even the mere breath of my name as a third candidate in the District 7 Board of Commissioners race. An unforeseen strong third candidate in the race put a little fear in the ranks perhaps? I do think though that the local Republican politicos are way overestimating the the differential in votes I am going to be winning from traditional Democratic and Republican voters. More and more voters are not thinking in party terms these days. People just want someone they can rely on not to take them to the cleaners and dump them for some special interest group. And, they don't like being lied to or having to imagine some bozo really believes what is coming out of his mouth. Nonetheless, as the State Coordinator for the John Birch Society I am sure I would be letting some of my fans down if I didn't fantasize at least a little bit on the behind the scenes hard ball politics that might be in play here. John's reference to being "impressed" that his banker is going door-to-door campaigning for the Sheriff's choice in this race caught my eye. Here's how I imagine a conversation might have gone if the friendly neighborhood banker stopped by John's own house: John (opens door and takes a step back) "Bob! Well hey, wow what are you doing here?" Bob the Banker (in full suit and tie) "Hello John. Yes. I was just here in the neighborhood campaigning for my friend whose running for the board of commissioners and I thought heck, I'm not far from John Hammer's house. I should stop in and say hello." John (scratches head near a spot of hair) "Well come on in, come on in, have a seat." Bob the Banker, "Thanks. Yes. Nice place. I never did get around to stopping in like I promised after we did that mortgage refinancing for you. How things going for you lately?" John, "Great great. Busy you know with the election and all. Pretty hectic." Bob the Banker, "Good, good. Getting a little boost these days from those campaign ads I bet." John (a little nervously), "Oh yeah, yeah. We're looking to have a great October..." Bob the Banker (cutting in), "Probably be happy to see that credit line come down a bit, eh?" John (with some feigned assuredness), "Oh yes yes. Never like to see it up there too high. I think we're really starting to turn the corner." Bob the Banker (perhaps a bit coldly), "Terrible about all those cutbacks at the High Point Enterprise. Tough market out there. Newspaper biz is tough. Really tough. John (growing more concerned), "Well the industry is in flux. (thinking to himself "emphasize the positive...") Our collection agency is doing a good job though catching up with our aged receivables on our ad contracts. Got that internet competition but I think we've got a good product there. Bloggers are getting a little pesky. We'll probably have to something there..." Bob the Banker (detached), "Oh! By the way, forgot to get back to you on it yesterday. The board is looking at the restructuring of the long term debt loan and line of credit next week. They should have it all wrapped up soon. They received the revised personal guarantees you and Willy signed last week. Thanks for getting on that. I hope to give you an answer on the whole package by the end of next week. It's looking real good." John (pretending not to be worried), "Great. Great. Thanks for getting on that Bob. Willy and I really appreciate your willingness to work with us on this one." Bob the Banker (pauses to press his lips together and nod his head), "No problem John. You've been a great customer all these years. We've been through a lot and we always work things out. We love doing business with you guys. I admire you working all these years to make a go of it. Lotta hard work. Like a part of you I bet. Got a great product. Lotta people really look forward to their Rhino. You've become a tradition now. Most people would hate to go without...(pauses in silence and looks at his watch) Well, hey I really should be going. Gotta make sure our guy gets a seat on the board of commissioners. Do all you can eh to help us out will ya." John (manges a stilted chuckle) "Sure, Sure. He's a great guy. Already planned to help. Love doing all I can to help the local Republican party." Bob the Banker (getting up for the door and talking with John following behind him as he walks out.) "Thanks John. I knew we could count on you. A victory in this race is so important for us. So important for the future of the county. Glad I had a chance to stop by. Really nice house you have here John. Talk to you right after the election....Take care." John (closing the door slowly behind his guest) "Thanks. Sure thing Bob. You too." 11:38:09 PM
comment [] |
