Where Are They Now? Immigration Reform.

illegal shmillegal

Conveniently put aside most probably by a pact between Obama and McCain, the I-word was not uttered once during the election campaign. I mean pigs wearing lipstick got about ten thousand times the airtime. John McCain walked away from the sensible immigration reform he championed for fear of losing the base that he’d been so studiously courting. And Obama, as a Democrat saw it as a net vote loser, especially in states like New Mexico and Colorado which were a firewall for his electoral strategy.

And yet it was only a few months ago, that the news was full of stories about marches in Los Angeles, and border fences being built, and extremely irate sheriffs in Mariposa County, Arizona. There was talk of vigilantes and ‘minutemen’, posses to round up the illegals, and nightmarish tales of containers turned coffins. The news cycle is a funny thing. Immigration was just dropped like a hot tamale.

The True Power Of Charm – Obama’s Killer Smile

Barack Goes Nuclear

Obama’s got it. McCain don’t got it. Bill Clinton had it. Sarah Palin can’t spell it.

It’s 2008’s special sauce.

Charm.

If there’s one phrase that can truly chart Obama’s rise to glory it’s charm offensive. He never gets angry, he never gets mad, he always forgives, he’s always polite. In about three years time Obama’s charm is going to drive us all nuts, but right now, it’s the best way as “That One” would describe it, to get things done.

Perhaps it’s wishful thinking, but I don’t for one minute think that Obama really believes all that bipartisanship BS he keeps spouting. It’s great to get you elected, but it’s a terrible way to run a country.

Montecito as Metaphor

bye, bye free market ideology

Perhaps there is a God. Maybe he’s angry with the rich people.

I used to be a screenwriter, so the nightmarish fires overnight in Montecito, CA seem heavy with metaphor. Montecito is one of the richest neighborhoods in America, but the fact that it’s gone up in flames is not going to be too upsetting to the poverty-stricken masses further down the 101 in South Los Angeles. No wildfire risk down there. Probably the one advantage they have in life.

One shot of a burned out Range Rover seems particularly apt. We’ve all been so obsessed by wealth, its acquisition and display, that we’ve forgotten that there are far more important things in life, like children, health, community, friendship, family, good conversation, and a good cheap bottle of wine over dinner. Life goes on, but the Range Rover is a steaming, sodden heap of burned up junk, just like the tattered remains of free market ideology.

And good riddance to it too.

Transformative. This Week’s Word Du Jour.

Every week we’re presented with a new word du jour. This week it’s “Transformative”, as in, “wow, that election was way transformative.” The herd of sheep that used to be the Press have made it their own and now it’s everywhere, replacing such gems as “game-changer”, “meltdown”, and “bailout”.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m as happy as anyone that the GOP brats can no longer continue trying to drown the puppy that is the United States. But let’s not be too hasty about how “transformative” this election was. Perhaps a little trip down memory lane might help.