Saturday, October 27, 2012

My Tongue-in-Cheek Choice for Congress (Or Am I Serious)?

Did you read Joel Stein's column in the November 5, 2012 Time?  His work, which he calls "The Awesome Column", is now the first thing I read.  If it doesn't make me laugh, his supposed intention, it 's sure to tick me off .  For example, the time he told us all he was smarter than us because he went to a better college.

This issue he was making a proposal that nobody should be allowed to vote unless they were at least as smart as he.  In laying his groundwork, he mentioned low-information voters, a term coined by an author, Samuel Popkin.  Stein consulted Popkin and some other impressive sounding people who eventually convinced him he was not a low-information voter.  By the end of the column, I decided I had laughed more than I had been rankled.  I also was evaluating whether I was a low-information voter concerning my most difficult choice this year.

What were the bits of information I had about the people running for Congress from our district in the state of Kansas? 

___________, Libertarian

Kevin Yoder, Republican

About the Libertarian whose name I don't remember, I know not a word.  There were no ads.  There were no handshakes.  There were no pictures on fliers.  There weren't even any phone calls.  But, I may have finally figured out a way not to receive any of the latter.

About Kevin Yoder, I have this sketchy information. 

.  He's a rather handsome man who wears expensive looking clothing which fits him beautifully.  Oh, yeah, that's probably not a good reason for choosing a public leader.

.  He's not Dennis Moore.  Now, Dennis Moore, by the end of one term in Congress, had sent out a number of newsletters and invitations to talk sessions.  He even got out of Johnson County for some of them.  He spoke of ideas that agreed with some of mine and seemed a good, intelligent man.

.  He's not even Dennis Moore's wife who ran for the seat after Dennis resigned, but sadly lost the election.

.  Yoder did send me one communication.  There was a multi-paged questionnaire asking my opinion about the issues he wanted to accomplish in his next term.  It was accompanied by a b. s. letter telling me that because of my standing in the community he needed to know my wishes. 

Let's examine my standing for truth.

1.  Retired
2.  Poor
3.  Female
4.  Democrat
5.  Single -- no spouse to influence
6.  Smart aleck
7.  Opinionated
8.  Or is that opinionated smart aleck?

The letter informed me if I would include my e-mail address he would send me results of the survey in about a month.  I did, he didn't.  (And to think I gave him my blog address as well.)

I did hear about him one more time in the interim. He got his sorry behind in the news - almost literally -- for going skinny dipping in the Sea of Galilee. 

1.  In coed company
2.  There were other members of Congress there
3.  Some, including Yoder, had their spouses with them
4. The others wore their clothes

Now, for the above story I want to thank him for the laugh it gives me every time I think of it.  But I guess it does show poor judgment for a Congressman who wants to be reelected to behave in such a way.  Even though I'm sure Jesus, himself, may have skinny-dipped there a time or two, it wasn't considered a sacred body of water at the time. But, then Yoder may have been trying to save the crease in those lovely clothes.

Not to worry, Mr. Yoder.  I'm sure you'll win the election.  There were no Democrats running against you.  Your party didn't think they needed to run any ads against your opponent.  And the national politicians consider this state a lock-in for the Republican Party.

I was just h e double hocky sticks (remember me now?) bent on showing my ire with Republican dirty political tactics this year by voting for anyone else, especially Democrats.

Don't let my blog worry you either.  I can't get most of my friends and family to read it and none of them live in Kansas.  I'm sure you rushed to read the blog as soon as you received knowledge of it.  If you did, you'll note it says I have two followers, but that can't be right, can it?  It increased from one follower to two one time when I signed in to do an edit.  My granddaughter swears she read it at least once.  So did my brother, the Republican . . . and my nephew by marriage told me I was some kind of writer.  I'm sure he doesn't know I realize that may not be a compliment.  My friend from high school, who lives in California, said she would read one and I remember her as a person of her word.  My other brother, the Democrat, after many excuses why he hadn't, reluctantly said he would, and he's a minister.  They always tell the truth, don't they?  I know my best friend's sister read it at least once, because her nephew filed a comment and said she had recommended he read it.  And then there is my niece whom I fired up so badly she wrote two rebuttal comments. 

But, I'll leave it to you all my non-reading followers.  Was I a low-information voter or not?

There was one thing of note.  Mr. Yoder said on the survey form that he was working to get term limits for Congress.  Fat chance his colleagues will go for that, but it is an idea I can get into myself.

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