Sunday, September 14, 2008

Mad About Paul

Paul Reiser, yeah the sitcom actor Reiser, writes a wonderful piece on The Huffington Post:

We're in the 3rd grade again. The skinny, smart kid who just moved in to the neighborhood is getting roughed-up by the asshole bully. The kid who hits you in the head with your hand and says, "Why're you hitting yourself? Why're you hitting yourself?"

"Um, actually I'm not. You're hitting me."

"You calling me a liar?"

"No, I'm just pointing out that..." SMACK!

"Why're you hitting yourself?"

And there seems to be no one to appeal to. There're no grown-ups around when you need 'em. No one to step in and say, "Alright, that's enough now. We don't do that here, fella." And in the absence of any authority, the asshole gets to keep doing it.

"Why're you hitting yourself? SMACK! Why're you hitting yourself?"...

...Maybe that's the problem. Obama treats us like adults, and McCain's team treats us like children.

Obama seeks to inspire and raise us as a nation. McCain's people want to reduce us to infants.

Obama asks us to be deep. And courageous.

McCain prays that we're simple. And cowardly.

Now everyone is calling for Obama to "get angry." "Get out there and frown this way, curl your lip that way, and clench your fist like so." And, I don't know..... That'd be cool. Sure. But I don't think the fix can come just from him. There's only so much the guy can do. It's going to have to be us. I don't know what exactly we need to do, but I know we'll do it. I have to believe -- I mean I really have to believe we're big enough, strong enough and smart enough to reclaim what's ours. I love my children too much to let the assholes take over the school yard.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

yes..now this guy is speaking to me..that's exactly how I feel..I can't belive what a bunch of self-flagellating scaredy cats we are..of course we're going to win..for fuck's sake!!

Anonymous said...

then again..I LOVE A GOOD FIGHT!! and prefer to rise to a challenge when the all the odds are against me! :)

Lauren said...

I feel the same way about a fight - that is why it would be better in a way to live in a swing state where I feel we could really be doing something. (yes I know we can call, give money etc, but it is not the same}

However I guess I should just be glad that Obama is guaranteed all of California's electoral votes.

I think we are scaredy cats because we all have post-traumatic stress syndrome after living through the elections of 2000 and 2004. The fact is that McCain's numbers got considerably better after Palin. After Palin! It is crazy. I have overestimated the American voter before. Now I know better.

Caroline, I sure hope that on the morning of November 5th you will be able to be smug. I can't wait to tell you how right you were!

ma otter said...

very well said
love that guy.
annie

ps hmmm wonder what the republicans are gonna say about our financial situation now...will they ever take responsibility for their faulty philosophy?

Anonymous said...

I hope I can be smug too..and yes...i thought about it after I left my comment too..and decided we are all suffering post traumatic stress syndrome after our defeats..but we all have different reactions to these things..I love hearing my friends talk about politics...everyone's personalities come out in different ways..even though we all completely agree with eachother.

susan m said...

Alaska is fighting back! Read this account from an Alaskan blogger:

'Alaska Women Reject Palin' Rally is Huge