Letter to my Obama Mama — Part II

Hi Mom,

I just got that second copy of the New Yorker [she sent the wrong one the first time]. I was actually wondering where all the political stuff was you referred to in the first one. Ironic that the one “political” article I found happened to echo my own thoughts from the primary about UHC.

I thought the Woody Allen piece was hilarious. He takes some health food store “memory pills” because he can’t find his car keys, and then remembers a whole stream of consciousness chain of details all the way back to what was playing on the car radio when he was born in the back seat — or something like that. (I need memory pills, too)

I’ll check out this new issue and will likely let you know what I think. (why must you provoke me?) I notice there’s an article by Ryan Lizza who (ironically, again) wrote the piece inside that infamous “Barack and Michelle cover” issue that was completely overshadowed and ignored because of it. An excerpt from it:

“[P]erhaps the greatest misconception about Barack Obama is that he is some sort of anti-establishment revolutionary. Rather, every stage of his political career has been marked by an eagerness to accommodate himself to existing institutions rather than tear them down or replace them….he has always played politics by the rules as they exist, not as he would like them to exist. He runs as an outsider, but he has succeeded by mastering the inside game.”

I remember thinking at the time that the cover might have been an editorial choice on someone’s part to sabotage the prominence of their own story. (I know, sounds far fetched. It’s more likely they are just blissfully unaware of how many irony challenged people there are out there) That article was one of the only attempts (as far as it went) I recall in a main stream publication to objectively analyze Obama’s early political career, and probably would have been controversial (as far as it went) if not for the cover being more so.

Courage, T

Donald Sutherland is a Stupid Jackass

I only single out this particular jackass as one example of why I’d prefer actors, musicians and other assorted “personalities” stayed the fuck out of politics. I probably wouldn’t have gotten into “Dirty Sexy Money” anyway, but just seeing the ads is one more reminder of the way so many of our celebrity class felt compelled to influence our vote this election, and of the veritable minefield of such jackasses I must negotiate every time I turn on the Teebee. Sure, he has a right to his opinion, but I also have a right to never watch another movie or TV show that he is in.

I won’t jeopardize my sanity by attempting to analyze the addle-brained logic of this idiot’s inane ramblings in Huff n Puff Post back in May. His lamentations of Clinton bias in the “punditocracy” were a unique perspective to say the least:

“It is incomprehensible to me that Mrs. Clinton can seriously be touting the notion, with the support of the punditocracy of CNN and Fox, that she is leading in the popular vote and should therefore be seriously considered as the most electable candidate in the November election…”

Sounds like Brazile, Martin, Cafferty, et al better cool it with all that blatant Clinton bias – we’re on to you!

No doubt he can picture himself receiving the academy award for “best Olbermannesque performance” as he brings this extra special comment to its melodramatic climax:

“And what about us? What about the American people? Haven’t we had enough of Mrs. Clinton’s mad antics in her pursuit of the realization of venal personal ambition; her ’say anything, do anything, no matter what’ effort to manipulate our all too willing media to gull this country’s populace into believing that her wretched illegitimacy is indeed legitimate. How much mendacity do we have to suffer, how much brazenness do we have to swallow before someone, anyone, has the decency, the common sense, to relieve us of this terrible trifle, this pathetic madness?”

I implore you, Madame! Where is your decency?

But the reason I truly despise Donald so is that he and his ilk have made me see just what the right wing kooks are talking about when they complain about all those damn Hollywood liberals. I almost feel sorry for anyone who’s never been able to fully appreciate Barbarella because they can’t get past that whole Hanoi Jane photo thing.