New Fall Favorites

1) Rachel Maddow getting all silly about saying the "L" word. Of course, being a nerd, she means "Liberal" not, you know, Lesbian. Unfortunately, they cut it out of the online video and the transcript but she said something like, "Up next, Obama and 'the L word.' Oh wait, not the L word you're thinking of. I meant something else entirely." And then she put her head down and laughed. It was very charming. Anyway, here's what she was gushing about:

2) And speaking of liberals, my favorite t-shirt on a protestor at a right wing, anti-tax, anti-government, anti-Obama, anti-everything protest in Washington, D.C., September 12, 2009: "I'd rather be a right wing nutjob than a liberal with no nuts and no job."

Well, at least he had a sense of humor. It was fascinating, after eight years of anti-war protests in the streets, gawking at a right wing protest instead. What a strange reversal of roles. Particularly for a bunch of anarchists to suddenly be defending the government!

3) Some other highlights from the September 12, 2009, "Taxpayer March on Washington":

Male Protestor, white, male, late 40's, bellicosely: "Did you know you have $300,000 in debt because of the federal government?!"

Amanda, white, female, mid-30's, patiently: "Would you mind lowering your voice. We're standing right here."

Male Protestor: "You know what, you're right. I just get so passionate."

Amanda: "Well, a lot of people have debt."

Someone Else: "If Bush hadn't invaded Iraq, we wouldn't have so much debt."

Protestor: "No, I didn't support Bush either. (Something about the federal government needing to get out of our lives.)

Amanda: "What about public education?"

Protestor: "I'm for public education. We just need competition. Like here in DC, they blocked charter schools. My wife is a public teacher and she can't even get anything done."

Me: "What about the VA? Would you dismantle the VA? What about Medicare?"

Female Protestor: "I worked all my life and paid into Medicare. That's my money. Now you're going to have the government taking away my healthcare."

Me, to the Female Protestor: "No. If you have insurance, you'll be able to keep it."

Female Protestor: "Oh, no you won't!"

Me, to the Male Protestor: "Well, we get that you're against the public option. What are you for?"

Male Protestor: "If you wouldn't keep interrupting me, I'd tell you."

Me: "Okay, what are you for?"

Male Protestor: "Well, first of all, buying insurance across state lines. Now they're trying to block that!"

Me: "Fine. Sounds reasonable. What else?"

Male Protestor: "Well, now you've got me all flustered." Pauses at length, stuttering. Goes on to rail against Obama's government takeover.

Male Protestor, soon thereafter: "I can't talk to you guys. You're just too pig-headed." Marches away.

xxx

Later, on the plane back from DC, I sit next to a 50-something couple with antitax protest t-shirts, and decide to strike up a normal conversation. We talk about the weather in Houston, where they were from, and in San Francisco, where I'm from.

Me: "So, what do you do?"

Husband: "I sell tires at Sears."

Me: "How's business?"

Husband: "So-so. But my wife here works for ExxonMobil. There's always going to be money in the oil business."

Me: "Yeah. At least for another 25-30 years until the oil runs out. Then you'll have to be manufacturing soybeans or something like that."

Wife, sharply: "Right!"

(End of conversation. So much for across-the-aisle dialogue!)

4) The September 9-15, 2009, SF Weekly cover story, "The Wrong Stuff," where Mayor Newsom's former campaign managers and staffers describe their doubts about his skills as potential Governor. It's frightening, really, how consistently they describe him as lacking integrity. Again, his confessions of wanting to be president (and, I've long thought, fashioning himself after a Kennedy), just prove that he is a man more in love with the idea of being a leader than he is with leading.