I've got to say that leadership is highly overrated and not what it's cracked up to be from where I stand; but then again who is going to take someone who has only voted once seriously when they focus their sights on "The Big Game" called politics? My credentials are bare to nonexistent, an aging hippie establishment questioning hermit, better suited to drawing little pictures or plucking stringed instruments than having worthwhile informed opinions on what the grownups are up too in the real world.
But Rick Perry, Rick Perry, why do you seem so familiar to me, have we met before, did you attend my Sunday School classes in Wayne Pa. or was that you in Junior High Social Studies, the guy in the front row with a dozen apples all shiny and bright and the teeth to match? I know this guy I just can't put my finger on where I ran into him, the face, the mannerisms, the style all very recognizable, even the glib, self satisfied, confident speech patterns, I know I have heard them before, I'm sure I've seen this guys act; this is a rerun right?
Then BOOM it hit me like a scrambled pretzel; Rick Perry is a product of clever cloning, someone in the recesses of a dark foreboding lab probably in Alaska has mixed the DNA of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush and produced offspring. That's it, now I know where I've seen this guy and we had better be prepared for trouble because both his parents rose to the top despite their obvious flaws, whatever it is that they've got it wins elections, beware.
Background: many years ago in a land out of sight the stars aligned, the confluence of two great rivers collided and forced me (there was screaming and kicking I'll tell you) against my will to write my second letter to an editor, the first concerned a teenager who supplied an undercover officer with information about where he could purchase pot. Back to the point, there was a moment in time before we began saying "at this point in time" you could either say point or time and one would suffice, but I lose my way, back again to the point or just pull over idiot. (make mental note)
I'm in Newport RI. when in one day I get the word that two things have happened simultaneously, we have just elected an actor to play the president of the United States and we have hung a portrait of that great American president Richard Nixon in a place of honor with the rest of our presidents. I was dumbfounded and really shocked to hear this news, what were we thinking, actors are paid to seem something they are not; they are skilled liars who earn their keep by convincing the audience that a lie is the truth and they need to do this with a straight face and a charming charismatic twist that ingratiates them to us.
Not good, not good must have been my thoughts on that fateful day; we had elected a professional salesman with real people pleasing expertise, a master spokesmodel right off the Borax mule train, George Gipp in person, Hollywood royalty well maybe not royalty but close and we were putting him in a position of power. So Reagan made a great Charlie McCarthy but it meant that somewhere behind the scenes out of sight someone was pulling the strings and writing the scripts an actor needs material after all.
And hanging that portrait of Nixon; I didn't see the point, the guy had just been caught in his own web, a victim of his own vanity, the law and order president had broken the law and been caught and now we were going to honor him for it, what the? (Now that's exceptionalism at its finest) Apparently this was too much for me and I had to go on record as saying so, I had noticed some strange events that portended a coming ill wind and it came on schedule.
Which is to say America has fallen before and just may fall again for the down home, military ready, smooth talkin Texan, with gobs of hair and a strut to his walk, this guy looks like he could play a president don't he? He might not have acted professionally but I think he is acting a part and he is good at it; so judging from our past history he just might be the next president of the United States we're just not that fussy, pretty much any conman will do and I'm afraid that I would have to put president Obama in that company.
Rich, was saying how we need to get the money out of politics and that is the problem large and simple, in fact in my mind it was the overemphasis on the value of money that has destroyed not only the political realm but all our other realms as well. I could go on nearly forever on that subject but I had something cute and provocative to say.
Ok, we need to get the reliance on money out of the equation so that we get the right person in the right job not the richest or a pawn of the richest. Here it comes: we need to get the politicians out of government, lets get both the money and the politicians out of our government, if our politicians are being bought by corporate interests they are part of the problem they are bribe takers and instigators, tainted goods.
Hiring lawyers and businessmen to be our representatives has led to where we are now right. How about hiring from a different agency; I'm thinking that hiring a seeing eye dog would give us better leadership and you know how the media loves dogs.
But really, the people with the ambition for office should be blackballed and tossed on their ears, not even considered and in their place we could find real people like kindly grandmothers and fry cooks, and painters raw and fine, poet laureates would make for thoughtful leaders I'm thinking, we've done worse.
This system that seems to give all the advantages to scoundrels and thieves needs an about face, a reawakening, a pause button hit with a heart to heart reevaluation of values and purpose, what is valuable and what is not. Keeping in mind that the values we hold at the moment are the values that have resulted in what we see before us, our values are directly responsible for our economy, our values are what sent us to war and our values are what keeps us there.
(cross posted from MLW)