Rhymes with Orange

 Suddenly there is new life in the Presidential race. Suddenly the Republican party has the older candidate.  The youth vote has been activated and the results is new hope and new life. Perhaps it is life that comes before hope.  

How sad that the race is so close.  How sad that a large portion of the American people cannot recognize a psychopath, a narcissist, much less a huckster.  The uneducated have a chance of having the last word.  People are wearing their despair  on their sleeves.  The orange man has already given hints that if he gets in again, he is not leaving.  We know he means business, he has already shown us who he is.  It's beyond me sometimes why his supporters continue to back him.  

Oh I know all about the red meat eating base.   They are an open book.  The orange man speaks their language.  He's anti-intellectual, crass, cruel, and fearful.  His racism and lies only feed the fire.  But what of those in Congress, or those who sit in their 15,000 square foot homes and fondle their latest tax cut?  What about those who can't stand to watch the news because it's too depressing?  Those who think the government is out to get them and question why any of their tax dollars would or should pay for somebody's college loans.  All those Socialist educators who carry huge agendas and crucify common sense with their book knowledge.

Democrats win elections when they spark movements. Witness Barak Obama, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter among others.  t seems as if a minor Kamala Harris movement is starting to rumble some thunder.  Somehow the fact that we have only 100 days left before the election might work as an advantage.  People are impatient.  They are tired of drama.  They want to relax  a bit.  With a dictator looming on the horizon, they are ready to get it on.

In all the malaise of statistics, data, poll results and trends, there is one thing I'd like to see.  What percentage of people believe that a moral compass should be a vital characteristic of their President.

Inappropriate

 Journalists and pundits warned years ago that politics and entertainment were slowly merging.  That melding seems to now be complete.  Even before actor Ronald Reagan first ran for political office there were entertainers in politics.  Some ran for office, some endorsed candidates, some simply gave financial support.  But the warning was not just about those who participated it extended to how politics was conducted and conceived.  

Last night when Kid Rock performed and Hulk Hogan spoke at the Republican National Convention, the transformation was complete.  Of course the presence of Donald Trump further strengthens the notion that politics has become entertainment.  Ratings, ratings, ratings. 

Surprised? No, this seems like a natural progression in our culture.  Perception becomes reality.  Image is everything.  You get what you pay for.  

What struck me this past week, with the assassination attempt on Trump, was the image of a defiant candidate mouthing "fight, fight, fight" and brandishing a clenched fist.  The same clenched fist image first brought to the public eye by the Black Panther Party.  Ironic? Absolutely.  Cultural appropriation? Of course.  It should not be lost how the media and larger culture reacts, or does not react to this blatant theft.  I think of John Carlos and Tommie Smith who got nothing but grief for striking that pose.  Now with a Presidential candidate's unabashed use of the symbol, the hypocrisy shines anew, brighter than ever.  

Someday, somewhere, somebody will see an image of the clenched fist and realize where it first appeared.  It could be a black and white photo of a Black Panther Party rally, or the more familiar and controversial full color photo from the 1968 Olympics. They'll probably think they have discovered something worthy of attention.  Just as some youngsters think Mick Jagger created the blues, or Elvis Presley first recorded Hound Dog, they'd realize that cultural appropriation has deep roots that make some things taboo for some and patriotic for others.

Roll On

 It was the summer of 1965. Out of high school for just 6 months, with one semester of college under my belt, I went to a pool party in Southern California.  Typical fare, hot dogs, hamburgers, and lots of dips and chips.  About 25 of us, once so close, now found ourselves beginning down multiple paths.  Some in college, some into the work force, still others into the military or soon to be engulfed by the draft.  The party was to celebrate the union of two of our number who were hurriedly wed and soon to be parents.  She, the party thrower, he soon to be shipped off to Vietnam.  

Some swam, most others stood around talking and listening to music.  The Beatles still dominated, but there were others on the horizon.  I was 19, 3 months away from dealing with my mother's terminal illness, and about to start a summer job that would pay me minimum wage: $1.25 hour. 

Most of the couples that were hanging on from high school would not last the next year.  The newly married couple would last slightly longer. A few of my male friends would drop out of college and the nationwide campus reaction to the war in Vietnam would heat up. But this early summer day was for hanging out, listening to music and trying on the trappings of adulthood. 

Not surprising was a subtle battle for what we would listen to. The radio was playing Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter, by Herman's Hermits and Mr. Tambourine Man, by the Byrds.  Occasionally, a soul singer like Otis Redding would grab our attention with hits like I've Been Loving You Too Long.  The folk music revival was just hitting stride and a new young British singer named Donovan was attracting attention.  But nothing that hit the airwaves that summer could compare to the excitement and innovation that was coming from one performer who was beginning to get some air play after having the number one song in England for many weeks.  If I tuned my transistor radio to KFWB about 10 minutes to 7 pm I could catch the top 10 in England that week.  The countdown would end at 7pm sharp so by 6:50 I could hear #2 followed by the #1 song for that week.  It was my only chance to hear Bob Dylan sing The Times Are Changin'.

The week of the pool party, another Dylan song was beginning to capture the imagination of a generation.  We'd heard it a few times and it traced its attraction to the incident at the Newport Folk Festival where Dylan was booed for going electric.  Suddenly that didn't matter.  It was about the lyrics.  With Dylan, it was always about the words.  

When the party conversation turned to politics and popular music, the tempo heated up.  Not everybody in attendance was eager to invade a country and fight a war for questionable objectives.  Not everybody was enamored of cutesy British groups with novelty songs.  The pulse quickened and my friend Kenny and I found ourselves being dragged up notch by notch defending who and what we called, "the greatest poet of the 20th century." Yeah, we said it. So what. We meant it.

We couldn't have dreamed that he would one day win a Nobel Prize, but we were ready to suggest it. Then, a copy of his latest record appeared, and we played it, repeatedly, defending our stance. 

Take this:

Qualifications

 I'd like to see some changes made. Especially in electoral politics.  Not in the counting or the campaigning.  How about the qualifying?  We are all too willing to pass tests in the classroom, for the DMV, evener skill levels like Karate or advanced degrees.  Those tests can be written or oral.  But not for political office.  Not even the highest office in the land, the Presidency.  Given the power of the Presidency, I'd like to see some proficiency standards set.  

A Presidential candidate should be able to qualify for the ballot in a few key areas. Most notable a President should be a reader.  I'd go so far as a reading list for the office.  What 10 books would you put on that list, and why? 

Given the composition of the current Congress as well as some of those who would be President, I'd like prospective office holders to pass a psychological screening test. That way we could eliminate the plethora of sociopathic contenders who seem to be attracted to politics.  Determining the mental stability of future candidates would prove both useful and crucial given the current trends.

It seems to me that when all the drama of the current political situation settles, we would do well to take stock of what we have or should have learned.  Foremost on my list will be my disappointment at how so many of the American people can be fooled by a malignant narcissist, who happens to check all the boxes of psychopathy.  It should be a national goal to teach folks how to spot one and how to dismiss one before it's too late.

Years ago, when the political situation called for it, we used to have "Teach-Ins."  An offshoot of the strategy of a sit-in, this activity would invite experts on all aspects of a topic to present vetted factual material.  Not a debate, a teach-in would attempt to educate the masses about topics of interest and concern. They were often held in great halls of education or even large theaters or concert venues. Today, they could be either virtual, or even TV specials. All are invited.  Imagine how different it would feel if we were all working with the same established set of facts that could be verified.

The more I write about this, the more I think it is needed.  The difficulty, of course, is that it will take political will to bring it about.  That's the contradiction we face.   For now, think about what we want our future leaders to be, to read and think about.  Think about what we want their disposition to be.  A national conversation would work wonders.  Not a Fireside chat.  Not a lecture.  A two-way conversation where all are seen and most importantly heard.

Let's make some changes.