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Coherence in Politics
Oct. 13th, 2022 11:54 amIn 1988, I voted for Michael Dukakis for president. In the immortal words of Humphrey Bogart, I didn't vote for him so much as I voted against George H. W. Bush. Often when I say this, I'm greeted with sheer disbelief because Dukakis "looked" so ineffectual or sounded too calm or wore a helmet in a tank -- per military policy -- and it looked silly.
This was one of my first indicators that visual media, especially television, conveyed something well outside reality. I didn't own a television. I was living in Belgium and didn't want the extra bill for cable television. What was available via rabbit ears wasn't in my primary language, so I chose not to own one. I preferred listening to records to radio, so, again, no bombardment of news and sound bites. Frankly, in 1988, the worst of that bombardment was yet to be.
Instead, I read the debates in full in the International Herald Tribune. These days, it's virtually impossible to find a transcript of the debates that isn't behind a pay wall, but the Trib had my back. What I discovered was that Vice President Bush, as he then was, didn't think in complete sentences. I searched in vain for a full sentence in the debates. If he couldn't speak a full sentence, I doubted he could think one. In other words, I'm a snob of the first water who thinks coherence is a hallmark of straightforward thinking and who tends to prefer her political representatives think clearly.
I have moved from the District which means my vote in this midterm has much greater national impact. Worse, I live in a jurisdiction, the State of Georgia, where two of my votes are being tightly scrutinized.
There is a good chance that I will still be governed by Brian Kemp come January. More frighteningly, there is a reasonable chance that Herschel Walker will have a say in U.S. foreign policy and the confirmation of federal judges come January. I don't understand it.
Walker has been a no go for me from the beginning. Even if I ignored the endorsement by the former president, the fact is the man has a hard time forming clear sentences. If this is a relic of his football days, I understand. In the five years since I was concussed, I have found that there has been a lasting impact on my ability to end every sentence I start. It's gotten better -- and the experience is qualitatively different from the odd moments of forgetfulness we all have occasionally -- but I will never be free from the impact of that impact to my head.
Understanding the potential cause doesn't mean I want him in the Senate.
I find Raphael Warnock, his opponent and my current senator, to be thoughtful. He comes across as kind and he's actually been successful in working with Republicans for specific policies to help farmers and make train crossings safer. I wish he weren't an ordained minister. [Speaking of the 1988 election, there were a few minutes between January and March of 1988 when the primaries and caucuses looked like they might kick out a Reverend [Jesse Jackson] versus Reverend [Pat Robertson] election. I still have nightmares about it.] I prefer to keep religion and politics separate as far as possible.
Walker has repeatedly talked about shooting people and other violent acts. He is especially vocal about violent acts against ex-wives and girlfriends. His only policy statements have been either anti-abortion or about cutting taxes. He also creates fantasies out of whole cloth about having been an FBI agent or worked with law enforcement in specific areas of Georgia. Were they self-insert fanfiction, I probably wouldn't read them, but I wouldn't mind their existence. Sadly, he's claiming them as actual experiences.
I don't understand why the majority of the state looks set to vote for him. Yesterday was the first time that Warnock has taken the lead in polling and it's only a 2% lead, within the margin of error.
If you have the bandwidth and money to support a campaign outside your own state, please do everything you can to help Warnock keep his senate seat.
If you feel like getting involved in a race for House of Representatives, look at Annie Andrews in South Carolina who is running against incumbent Nancy Mace.
If my existential dread hasn't worn me out, I'll talk about the Kemp versus Abrams race for governor tomorrow.
This was one of my first indicators that visual media, especially television, conveyed something well outside reality. I didn't own a television. I was living in Belgium and didn't want the extra bill for cable television. What was available via rabbit ears wasn't in my primary language, so I chose not to own one. I preferred listening to records to radio, so, again, no bombardment of news and sound bites. Frankly, in 1988, the worst of that bombardment was yet to be.
Instead, I read the debates in full in the International Herald Tribune. These days, it's virtually impossible to find a transcript of the debates that isn't behind a pay wall, but the Trib had my back. What I discovered was that Vice President Bush, as he then was, didn't think in complete sentences. I searched in vain for a full sentence in the debates. If he couldn't speak a full sentence, I doubted he could think one. In other words, I'm a snob of the first water who thinks coherence is a hallmark of straightforward thinking and who tends to prefer her political representatives think clearly.
I have moved from the District which means my vote in this midterm has much greater national impact. Worse, I live in a jurisdiction, the State of Georgia, where two of my votes are being tightly scrutinized.
There is a good chance that I will still be governed by Brian Kemp come January. More frighteningly, there is a reasonable chance that Herschel Walker will have a say in U.S. foreign policy and the confirmation of federal judges come January. I don't understand it.
Walker has been a no go for me from the beginning. Even if I ignored the endorsement by the former president, the fact is the man has a hard time forming clear sentences. If this is a relic of his football days, I understand. In the five years since I was concussed, I have found that there has been a lasting impact on my ability to end every sentence I start. It's gotten better -- and the experience is qualitatively different from the odd moments of forgetfulness we all have occasionally -- but I will never be free from the impact of that impact to my head.
Understanding the potential cause doesn't mean I want him in the Senate.
I find Raphael Warnock, his opponent and my current senator, to be thoughtful. He comes across as kind and he's actually been successful in working with Republicans for specific policies to help farmers and make train crossings safer. I wish he weren't an ordained minister. [Speaking of the 1988 election, there were a few minutes between January and March of 1988 when the primaries and caucuses looked like they might kick out a Reverend [Jesse Jackson] versus Reverend [Pat Robertson] election. I still have nightmares about it.] I prefer to keep religion and politics separate as far as possible.
Walker has repeatedly talked about shooting people and other violent acts. He is especially vocal about violent acts against ex-wives and girlfriends. His only policy statements have been either anti-abortion or about cutting taxes. He also creates fantasies out of whole cloth about having been an FBI agent or worked with law enforcement in specific areas of Georgia. Were they self-insert fanfiction, I probably wouldn't read them, but I wouldn't mind their existence. Sadly, he's claiming them as actual experiences.
I don't understand why the majority of the state looks set to vote for him. Yesterday was the first time that Warnock has taken the lead in polling and it's only a 2% lead, within the margin of error.
If you have the bandwidth and money to support a campaign outside your own state, please do everything you can to help Warnock keep his senate seat.
If you feel like getting involved in a race for House of Representatives, look at Annie Andrews in South Carolina who is running against incumbent Nancy Mace.
If my existential dread hasn't worn me out, I'll talk about the Kemp versus Abrams race for governor tomorrow.
