October 13, 2010--Ladies of Forest Trace: Midterms
“I only have a minute and this time I mean it.”
It was my 102 year-old mother calling from Florida.
“If it’s about your appointment tomorrow with your internist I don’t want you rushing off the phone. I want to hear what’s troubling you.”
“Nothing is troubling me. I’m Dr. M’s favorite patient. When I’m there he calls in all his nurses and shows them my numbers. He says it makes them feel better because their other patients are worse than me. They’re all alta cockers. It makes them feel optimistic, he says, when the see my blood pressure and listen to my heart.”
“I’m glad to hear that. You are indeed amazing.”
“This you can hold for the next time when I don’t have to rush to a meeting. You can tell me then how amazing I am and then I’ll tell you all the things wrong with me.”
“It’s a deal. So what’s going on? Why did you call when you’re in such a rush?”
“I was about to get to that when you distracted me with all the medical conversation.”
“OK. And so?”
“You’re the one who’s troubled. Not me.”
“Go on.”
“I will if you stop interrupting me.” I didn’t say anything. This was a familiar routine. Her getting on me for interrupting when in truth she’s the one, I contend, who keeps changing the subject.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“What’s that?”
“How I keep changing the subject and then blame it on you.” How does she know these things I wondered. “I know these things because as I told you many times I’m a witch. Not like that girl in Delaware who’s running for the Senate.”
“She’s not a ‘girl,’ mom.”
“To me she is. Or pretending to be. She’s the one, isn’t she, who said she dabbled in being a witch?”
“Yes, she’s the one. Those kinds of comments are hurting her. I don’t think she’ll be elected because of things like this. She’s too much for even most Republicans. On the other hand, . . .”
“That’s my point. This ‘on the other hand’ business.”
“Go on.”
“I’m trying to.” I could hear her sighing out of exasperation with me. “I am saying you’re the one who is troubled because you are worried about what is going to happen in November, on Election Day.”
“Indeed I am. I’m troubled that not only will the Democrats maybe lose their majorities in both houses but also because people like Sharron Angle in Nevada will get elected. Can you imagine what things will be like if this happens?”
“In fact, I can.”
“And?”
“And, it will not be the disaster you are imagining.”
“This I need to hear.”
“You remember how we talked during the last election, the one in which Obama was elected?”
“Of course. We were very excited and optimistic that he would bring about real change. We believed his campaign slogans and what he promised in his speeches.”
“And what happened?”
“We’ve both been disappointed,” I said. “We know he has accomplished some significant things—among other things health care reform, though far from perfect, is at least a start.”
“But even at that weren’t you the one who said that doing something bold and effective about education was even more important than health dare and that there was the possibility of doing it in a bipartisan way? That by working on it that way Obama would have been able to show that things can be done differently. And didn’t you say that he should not have caved in to the generals and some in his administration and instead gotten us out of Afghanistan?”
“Yes, I did say all of those things and more. But then we realized by Obama supporters being so critical of him, expecting so much, that we were helping those trying to bring him down and retake Congress and in two years the White House. The prospect of that convinced us to tone down our criticism and do what we could to support him and Democrats running in November.”
“And?”
“And things do not look good for the Democrats. I think they will even be lucky to keep the Senate. The House, I am feeling more and more certain, will go for the Republicans.”
“And,” my mother said, “We will have a lot of new people elected who are ignorant about our history and in some cases, how else can I put it, a little meshuga. Crazy. And mind you I am not saying this because I disagree with them about the issues, but because many of them, though they are entertaining on the TV talk shows—I enjoy them when I see them on Fox (which you know I watch sometimes to see what they are up to), though they are good for laughs, through this notoriety they have become well known and electable.”
“So far we’re in agreement. And from this you can see why I’m so troubled.”
“I'm running so let me make my final point.”
“Sure.”
“These people who will elect the Angles and the Rubios here in Florida are the ones this time around who are activated. Democrats who thought that all they had to do was turn things over to Obama and everything would be wonderful have been sitting on the sidelines watching all of this energy develop, and if they did anything they joined in taking pot shots at the president they elected and in whom they had so much hope.”
“People like us are the ones you’re talking about.”
“Exactly. So it will serve all of us right to have to deal with the mess we participated in making. And maybe it will force the Democrats to realize that the rules of the game have changed and for them to make a comeback they need to do some things differently.”
“In what ways? Become conservatives? Pander to Fox News?”
“None of that. They, we, need to get back in better touch with what people are experiencing in their lives. We approach things as if they are assignments in school. Like problems to be solved. We’ve lost much of our passion. And what they used to call ‘the common touch.’ The ability to understand everyday things. The things people are struggling with. We say, ‘Trust us. We know what you need and what’s good for you.’ This is an unacceptable way to behave and a political disaster, as I suspect we are about to see.”
“So, you are saying, people supporting the Tea Party and the kinds of candidates they either are supporting are right to be angry and in wanting to turn everything upside down?”
“I am. Maybe they are doing it in a way that we reject and believe in things we disagree with, but don’t we also feel that things need to be turned upside down? Aren’t we also feeling angry? I am. The girls here are.”
“I suppose so,” I said.
“What we have to do—and I’m running out the door, or should I say holding myself up with my walker as I drag myself to the elevator—is rediscover ways in which liberals, Democrats, can again as we did in the past connect with working and struggling people, listen to them, and come up with an agenda and candidates who will get to work delivering the things that people really need. With all due respects, who really needs this new health care program which really is a gift to the insurance companies? Do you even understand it? Does it make sense to you?”
“I’m not sure it does,” I said softly.
“I can’t hear you with my new hearing aids, but without hearing I know what you said. Because remember, as I said, I’m a witch.”
And with that she was gone.
It was my 102 year-old mother calling from Florida.
“If it’s about your appointment tomorrow with your internist I don’t want you rushing off the phone. I want to hear what’s troubling you.”
“Nothing is troubling me. I’m Dr. M’s favorite patient. When I’m there he calls in all his nurses and shows them my numbers. He says it makes them feel better because their other patients are worse than me. They’re all alta cockers. It makes them feel optimistic, he says, when the see my blood pressure and listen to my heart.”
“I’m glad to hear that. You are indeed amazing.”
“This you can hold for the next time when I don’t have to rush to a meeting. You can tell me then how amazing I am and then I’ll tell you all the things wrong with me.”
“It’s a deal. So what’s going on? Why did you call when you’re in such a rush?”
“I was about to get to that when you distracted me with all the medical conversation.”
“OK. And so?”
“You’re the one who’s troubled. Not me.”
“Go on.”
“I will if you stop interrupting me.” I didn’t say anything. This was a familiar routine. Her getting on me for interrupting when in truth she’s the one, I contend, who keeps changing the subject.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“What’s that?”
“How I keep changing the subject and then blame it on you.” How does she know these things I wondered. “I know these things because as I told you many times I’m a witch. Not like that girl in Delaware who’s running for the Senate.”
“She’s not a ‘girl,’ mom.”
“To me she is. Or pretending to be. She’s the one, isn’t she, who said she dabbled in being a witch?”
“Yes, she’s the one. Those kinds of comments are hurting her. I don’t think she’ll be elected because of things like this. She’s too much for even most Republicans. On the other hand, . . .”
“That’s my point. This ‘on the other hand’ business.”
“Go on.”
“I’m trying to.” I could hear her sighing out of exasperation with me. “I am saying you’re the one who is troubled because you are worried about what is going to happen in November, on Election Day.”
“Indeed I am. I’m troubled that not only will the Democrats maybe lose their majorities in both houses but also because people like Sharron Angle in Nevada will get elected. Can you imagine what things will be like if this happens?”
“In fact, I can.”
“And?”
“And, it will not be the disaster you are imagining.”
“This I need to hear.”
“You remember how we talked during the last election, the one in which Obama was elected?”
“Of course. We were very excited and optimistic that he would bring about real change. We believed his campaign slogans and what he promised in his speeches.”
“And what happened?”
“We’ve both been disappointed,” I said. “We know he has accomplished some significant things—among other things health care reform, though far from perfect, is at least a start.”
“But even at that weren’t you the one who said that doing something bold and effective about education was even more important than health dare and that there was the possibility of doing it in a bipartisan way? That by working on it that way Obama would have been able to show that things can be done differently. And didn’t you say that he should not have caved in to the generals and some in his administration and instead gotten us out of Afghanistan?”
“Yes, I did say all of those things and more. But then we realized by Obama supporters being so critical of him, expecting so much, that we were helping those trying to bring him down and retake Congress and in two years the White House. The prospect of that convinced us to tone down our criticism and do what we could to support him and Democrats running in November.”
“And?”
“And things do not look good for the Democrats. I think they will even be lucky to keep the Senate. The House, I am feeling more and more certain, will go for the Republicans.”
“And,” my mother said, “We will have a lot of new people elected who are ignorant about our history and in some cases, how else can I put it, a little meshuga. Crazy. And mind you I am not saying this because I disagree with them about the issues, but because many of them, though they are entertaining on the TV talk shows—I enjoy them when I see them on Fox (which you know I watch sometimes to see what they are up to), though they are good for laughs, through this notoriety they have become well known and electable.”
“So far we’re in agreement. And from this you can see why I’m so troubled.”
“I'm running so let me make my final point.”
“Sure.”
“These people who will elect the Angles and the Rubios here in Florida are the ones this time around who are activated. Democrats who thought that all they had to do was turn things over to Obama and everything would be wonderful have been sitting on the sidelines watching all of this energy develop, and if they did anything they joined in taking pot shots at the president they elected and in whom they had so much hope.”
“People like us are the ones you’re talking about.”
“Exactly. So it will serve all of us right to have to deal with the mess we participated in making. And maybe it will force the Democrats to realize that the rules of the game have changed and for them to make a comeback they need to do some things differently.”
“In what ways? Become conservatives? Pander to Fox News?”
“None of that. They, we, need to get back in better touch with what people are experiencing in their lives. We approach things as if they are assignments in school. Like problems to be solved. We’ve lost much of our passion. And what they used to call ‘the common touch.’ The ability to understand everyday things. The things people are struggling with. We say, ‘Trust us. We know what you need and what’s good for you.’ This is an unacceptable way to behave and a political disaster, as I suspect we are about to see.”
“So, you are saying, people supporting the Tea Party and the kinds of candidates they either are supporting are right to be angry and in wanting to turn everything upside down?”
“I am. Maybe they are doing it in a way that we reject and believe in things we disagree with, but don’t we also feel that things need to be turned upside down? Aren’t we also feeling angry? I am. The girls here are.”
“I suppose so,” I said.
“What we have to do—and I’m running out the door, or should I say holding myself up with my walker as I drag myself to the elevator—is rediscover ways in which liberals, Democrats, can again as we did in the past connect with working and struggling people, listen to them, and come up with an agenda and candidates who will get to work delivering the things that people really need. With all due respects, who really needs this new health care program which really is a gift to the insurance companies? Do you even understand it? Does it make sense to you?”
“I’m not sure it does,” I said softly.
“I can’t hear you with my new hearing aids, but without hearing I know what you said. Because remember, as I said, I’m a witch.”
And with that she was gone.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
5:20 AM
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