IN THE 1977 DOCUMENTARY “WILD Man Blues,” Woody Allen’s Dixieland band tours Europe. Near the end, Woody’s wife, Soon-Yi, asks him if he’s excited about returning to New York. He sheepishly responds, “When I’m in Europe, I miss New York, but when I’m in New York, I miss Europe.” Last week I said I was glad the Olympics were over. Now, I miss them.
Lately, I’ve been watching U.S. Open tennis, and the Democratic National Convention (avoiding the Dodgers who, like a sunset, are sinking in the west). I love the Open, especially at night with boisterous crowds and dramatic matches. Sure enough, on Monday night James Blake barely outlasted 19-year-old Donald Young in five sets. Blake, a Harvard graduate, is incredibly handsome and a multi-millionaire (apparently, has nothing to live for).
The DNC in Denver had its own drama, albeit still unresolved. Will the Hillary supporters rally behind Obama? Or will the Dems shoot themselves in the foot? Will Rogers stated it best, “I’m not a member of an organized political party, I’m a Democrat.”
After eight years of Bush, during which almost everyone suffered except for millionaires and oil companies, you’d think the Democrats would be a shoe-in. Think again. If mud slinging were an Olympic sport, Republicans would win the gold every time. George Harrison said, “Here comes the sun.” Well, right after Labor Day, here comes the sleaze.
This Republican tradition goes back to McCarthy, then Nixon and, for the past eight years, Karl Rove. Rove choreographed the outing of Valerie Plame, a covert CIA agent, and the front company Brewster-Jennings, all in a time of war. The question is, how is he not in jail?
The epitome of sleaze came during Max Cleland’s bid for re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2002. On billboards and in TV ads, Republicans took a photo of this Vietnam vet triple amputee and put it next to Osama Bin Laden’s. Whenever anyone tells me the ethics of both parties are the same, I ask them, “When did a Democrat ever question the patriotism of a triple amputee?” By the way, surprise, surprise, Cleland’s opponent, Saxby Chambliss, didn’t go to Vietnam. He failed his physical.
Poll after poll reveals that on the issues, Democrats win every time. But people don’t vote on issues. If they vote at all. The elections should really be on the weekends so that working people can vote more easily, but they don’t want that. It’s way too democratic. (Check out: www.whytuesday.org.) By rights Democrats should also win because they represent labor and there are far more workers than employers. But, with out-sourcing and NAFTA, labor has been trashed for the past 30 years. The first thing Reagan did as president, after removing solar panels from the White House, (what a visionary) was to break up the air traffic controllers union. And now the average CEO makes more money in one day than the average worker does in an entire year. Instead of Labor Day, maybe we should call the holiday CEO Day? After all, they’re the one’s celebrating.
Labor was the backbone of the middle class. Labor lost its backbone and the middle class is disappearing. The American dream was based on good wages so families could own their own homes and send their kids to college. Today the divide between rich and poor is greater that at any time since the Depression. Other than that, and Iraq, the deficit, Katrina, “Mission Accomplished,” global warming, 47 million uninsured, everything’s hunky-dory.
Woody Allen made a funny but true comment about labor in his 1975 comedy “Love and Death” which was set in czarist Russia. Woody’s character said to Diane Keaton’s, “The serfs should rule the country.”
“The serfs?” she asked incredulously, “Why them?”
“Because they do all the work,” he replied. This November’s election will be working class against ruling class. Obama was raised by a single mom while McCain came from military aristocracy as both his father and grandfather were admirals. McCain is so rich he doesn’t even know how many houses he owns. People who live in glass houses should at least know how many they own Of course McCain also doesn’t know the difference between Shia and Sunni and that Iraq and Pakistan don’t share a border. It’s dicey unless Joe Liberman’s there to whisper in his ear. Frighteningly, McCain showed a lust for war saying,“I’m sorry, my friends but there’s going to be lots more wars.” He didn’t seem sorry. He seemed eager.
A McCain victory will essentially be a third term for Bush, who has proved he did-n’t deserve the first one. Today McCain’s going to announce his vice-presidential nominee. My guess is it’ll be somebody with lots of houses.
When JACK isn’t busy watching “Real Time with Bill Maher” on HBO, he
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 29, 2008. Read the original PDF.