Sunday, October 28, 2012

American Canvass



Here is one truth that I hold to be unalienable: there are a lot of nuts in this world and a significant number of them live in my neighborhood.  I kind of already knew this, but the last few weeks of election season have made this truth frighteningly undeniable.

I’ve spent many a Sunday afternoon this past September and October canvassing for the Obama campaign in Winter Park.  In fact, I did the same during the 2008 campaign along with my canvassing partner Ashley and our team of dedicated students.

Actually, the first time I canvassed for the Good Guys was in 1972 when I trekked through some of the poorer neighborhoods of Riverside, California, knocking on doors.  The most memorable encounter I had then was with a young African-American woman who responded to my knock by pulling the door halfway open and brandishing a knife in my face.  This wasn’t as scary as it sounds, because she was obviously zonked on something and appeared barely able to hold the knife in her hand.  In my mind’s eye, I see her with her eyes closed, though at this point, I can’t say for certain I’m remembering that detail correctly.  She was, for sure, so bleary and weak that she might as well have had her eyes closed.  At any rate, she wasn’t very interested in my spiel about her need to get out and vote for George McGovern.  Given the way that election turned out (Nixon 520: McGovern 17 in the electoral college), my failure to convince this citizen to vote was probably not the cause of the Democrats’ downfall that year.

George McGovern, who died just a week ago, was one of the most decent, intelligent and worthy men ever to run for president.  I actually became a Democrat largely because of him.  It doesn’t speak well for the sanity or the judgment of the American voter to note that he was soundly trounced by the most nefarious and underhanded man ever to slither his way into the White House. 

What were my fellow citizens thinking in 1972?


George McGovern - Honest, Intelligent, Decorated World War II  Veteran Bomber Pilot, Dedicated to Promoting Peace
 Trounced




Richard Nixon - Devious, Paranoid War Monger and Bigot
 Re-elected in a Landslide



Well, in 2008 Ashley and I discovered what some of our fellow Americans were thinking when we canvassed right around the block from my house.  One gentleman, who came to the door with shaving cream on half of his face, but who nevertheless genially engaged us in conversation for several minutes, will serve as an example.  Mr. Shaveface (as we came to call him) was apparently a lifelong Democrat, but one of those who remember the good old days when Strom Thurmond and George Wallace were the face of the Southern Democrats.  He kept insisting that he had no prejudices, but would follow these claims up with statements about how he wouldn’t want to live in Atlanta these days, given who lives there now, and the Boy Scouts shouldn’t be mixing up black and white scouts together since the black scouts are so sloppy, etc.

You get the idea.  This man lives about two blocks from my house, a fact that Darla found deeply upsetting when we (perhaps foolishly) described him to her.

Living less than one block from our house was a lady who, upon responding to our knock, insisted that she would NEVER vote for Obama.  She was going to vote for “the other guy.”  She couldn’t remember his name.

Since this Anti-Obama voter was somewhat plastered when we spoke to her that Sunday afternoon, we toyed with the idea of leaving a pint of bourbon on her doorstep on Election Day, which I was sure would keep her from making it to the polls. 

This year, the most interesting prospect I encountered was a young man I ran into in a working class apartment complex where I was canvassing alone.  He was wearing a tank top and appeared to be solidly covered with tattoos from the neck down.  I saw him approach as I was coming down the stairs and I asked him if he was registered to vote.

“Do I look like I vote, man?” he asked in an incredulous and distinctly snarky tone.

“Well,” I said, “at least you don’t look like a Romney supporter.”

“That’s true,” he replied.  “Romney is worse than Obama.  But really, I don’t give a fuck.”

OK, so I just continued on my way.  My motto, you could say, was to leave no stoner unturned.



This is not the Tattooed Dude that I saw, but he kind of reminds me of him.


Let me conclude by showing some of the nutty signs that the anti-Obama types in Winter Park have on display in their front yards.  I feel sure that if George McGovern were running against Nixon today, these households would still vote for Nixon, even knowing what they now know about him.

Why do I call these signs nutty?  Well, my criteria for nuttiness include:

a.       Claiming “Obama failed,” even though he stopped the hemorrhaging of the economy in 2009, saved the auto industry, killed bin Laden, made it possible for millions of poor people to afford health insurance, and so on.



Winter Park Yard Sign 1


b.      Claiming that an Obama victory would be the end of America, or democracy, or all things that God loves.  Come on, people, America does not have to be “saved” from Obama.  Let’s face it, if Romney wins (Inshallah, he will not), it wouldn’t be the end of America.  It would mean that unscrupulous rich people would gain more leverage through which they could continue to screw the middle class and the poor, it would almost certainly mean more economic troubles of the type the Republicans gave us under Bush, and it would mean more questionable types a la Scalia would take their place on the Supreme Court – all bad things to be sure, but not the end of America.




Winter Park Yard Sign II


c.       Claiming that Obama is a Communist or a Socialist or a Muslim or a Kenyan or even an Extreme Liberal. 



        Down the Street from Our House - A Romney Household



                  Same House, from Earlier this Year


Welcome to America, everyone, the land that somehow manages to prevail despite the nut cases that flourish within its borders, and the losers and scoundrels that it sometimes sends to the White House.


                   Would you open your door to this canvasser?







____

5 comments:

  1. Well, as always, I find much to comment about in your column. The first thing that struck me as I was reading was the realization that although everyone casts SoCal as the land of the kooks, there are very few signs like those you showed out in peoples' yards. But that, I think, is because Californians have learned not to publicly be racist assholes.....
    The other night when Lawrence O'Donnell did a tribute to George McGovern and played quite a long bit of Joe Biden's eulogy, I sat here on the couch weeping for what has been lost over the years and for the end of that part of our country that would nominate a man for President with McGovern's views. As you said, Obama is no socialist! He is considered right of center in Europe and yet, as progressives and yes, dare I say it, socialists, we are bound to support him because at least he has done somethings we can agree with. On the other hand, we still have the Patriot Act and Obama's education agenda is just as dreadful as GW Bush's was....
    And lastly, I was visiting my good Republican friends in Colorado last week and we more or less agreed to keep political arguments to a minimum. We aren't going to change each other's minds and we actually believe a lot of the same things-like hard work is the path to a good life, and that honesty usually pays off. We just vehemently disagree about who is honest and who works hard.... But while I was there a young man from the Black HIlls Energy Company came to check their furnace before they start it up for the winter. He was finishing up his inspections and my friend mentioned the cost of natural gas. The young man (having seen my friends' Romney yard sign) made the comment that it was high, but would be even worse "if Obama gets elected". Well, I had agreed to not argue politics with Bill Pine, but no one said anything about the 30 year old from the gas company! I noted that it was too bad that such a young person had been persuaded to vote against his own self interests and economic security...after going back and forth for a bit, the young man stated, "I believe Obama is a Muslim." At that, I just smiled and didn't offer any further comment because anyone living in the U. S. today who still believes Obama is a Muslim is not only a racist idiot, but too stupid to have any conversation with. These folks embrace their unwillingness to look at facts and wear their stupidity like a proud banner. And they are by and large so hateful and so angry that it is like a sickness. They feel empowered to express these views and I think they are clearly egged on by Fox and its minions.
    So, no, electing Obama or Romney won't be the end of America, but the growing number of people who have no interest in thinking clearly and making rational decisions might be...

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  2. Gosh, there are ignorant, hatefilled folks in the world; what a surprise! Well written

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  3. Excellent post...and Yes! I would open my door to that canvasser!

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  4. I went door to door in Northern Virginia, a toss up state. I only had two rude doors. One was a man who refused to shake my outstretched hand as I delivered my opening line: "Hello I'm a US veteran canvassing for our President's.." at which point he cut me off, "I see your button." I was wearing an Obama/Biden 2012 button. Alas, it was a lovely day and quite frankly only had two of those nasty folks and one Hispanic (this also makes one wonder about self-hating types who want to belong so desperately to the good 'ol folksy boys club that they qould betray their own best interests and race) who said, "It's none of your business who I vote for. But it was obvious.

    The brighter note were the two young people, one name Osama, a true true Muslim-AMerican who was not voting and said his father found it to be, "a bunch of garbage. Both of them play for the same team"

    Well, I managed to sit him down and we had a conversation and I explained the salient differences between the party philosophies and this candidate and his running mate in specific. He registered with me and I can onlyt hope he votes.

    A few blocks later a sleepy eyed 18 year old opened the door. And I was able to register him to for an Obama vote.

    Nastiness and hate. Anger. Rage. I think members in both parties have felt these. Still awash in the afterglow of Obama's election I could easily divine this 2012 election to be the nastiest, meanest, lowest nadir of our national conscious ever. The seething teeth gnashing that would surely ensure, especially from the sheer envy and loathing the vanquished party felt upon seeing the throngs, the multitude of humanity at the Obama inaugural, very different from the egg tossing, war protestors commingled in sheer disgust at Bush's inaugural day of "celebration"

    I live in DC. I march for human rights, gay rights, women's rights. I lobbied my senators and others for the repeal of DADT. Politics creeped into my blood from the day I arrived here and has never moved out. I consider myself proudly a Democratic Activist and I feel certain ours is the path toward a legitimate government, an evening of the playing field for all Americans and a protection of our civil rights moving into a progressively fascistic totalitarian government Of the Corporation, By the Corporation and Of the Corporation. A Coporatocracy which is what our nation in the hands of businessmen like Romney will continue to degenerate our governmental system into dismantling the greatest and noblest tenets of our Constitution, one greedy brick at a time.

    So I fashioned a virulent retort film as a rebuke to these "demonic" forces afoot in America today. I must confess, I did not take the high road, but purposefully dug deep into the trough of dirty waste and crass filth they market in to illustrate their purpose and unmask their hypocritical faces unwaveringly. Here is that product. An unapologetic illustration of their wanton greed and hate for the country they thump their chests and lapel flag pins with while eviscerating its best, its brightest, its kindest and its most human: its middle class....through the auspices of parody and social satire:

    PART ONE: MALARKEY VS RYAN :

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5b7OjXrYhc&feature=relmfu

    and PART TWO: ROMENY-RYAN 2012: THE EXORCISM

    It is GRAPHIC and VIOLENT beyond what the real EXORCIST was, so no kid gloves and DO NOT SCREEN with YOUNG PEOPLE in the room. My film is rated NC-17.

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  5. "McGovern . . . was soundly trounced by the most nefarious and underhanded man ever to slither his way into the White House."

    I refuse to believe one of the most dishonest and underhanded man to ever run a presidential campaign will win this time. Thanks for the thoughtful post, and to the commenters as well. Now I'm off to watch Malarkey and The Exorcism. It's been a rough election cycle and I can use some cheering up. Cheers for the win on Tuesday.

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