Day After --
Return to the Road of Perdition
Being old I remember 2000, in a long ago age. We had a Democratic President, budget surpluses were paying down the long term debt. "The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 3.9 percent in September, matching the 30-year low ..." CNN Money Jobless rate falls to 3.9% October 6, 2000: 9:13 a.m. ET ---- Seems a fairy tale today.
I had a couple of unusual conversations the Day After the 2000 Election. Sometimes a little reflection on the past is the mirror we need to see the reality of the present.
The Chicago Art Institute has this Peter Blume painting on display, click painting to get official history. If we all look at it and make our own description we take the artist's intended message and make sense of it in our own way.
There was a Presidential election with a good ole boy who acted like a Compassionate Conservative running against, a rather Wonky awkward fellow. The Wonk wanted to continue paying down the debt, talked of a social security lock box. The Compassionate Con said it was the people's money and we should give it back to them, we needed private accounts to let the market work its magic, far better than government programs and their guarantees. Compassionate Conservative didn't like those tax raising economic policies of that philandering fella in the Oval Office. He was bringing a scrub brush.
As for his Wonk opponent our Compassionate Con was good at the mocking him, like a school yard bully who had studied at the weary knee of Radio Rush. Compassionate Conservative attacked Wonk for saying he invented the Internet, whatever that is. Laughed at Wonk who was worried about melting glaciers. Claimed Wonk wanted to steal your guns, force birth control and abortion on your women. Wonk would strangle the economy with regulation. Hey, don't forget about his association with the impeached Bubba. (Smirk and Wink) So that was the campaign, it was a close thing.
Even though I was to be at a tech training event the next morning, the election was up in the air. Gore had been called a winner in FL, then taken back; Bush declared winner in FL but only by Fox, then taken back. Wow what was happening; I finally went to bed, but it wasn't settled in the morning. At break I walked to the Bennigans in the hotel, since I was by myself I sat at the bar and ordered a sandwich. A woman came sat beside me because the TV behind the bar was on cable news, not the usual ESPN. The election had become interesting.
She asked me some questions about the election. I answered with informed but neutral comments, as I do with strangers. It is easy to sound informed, I know a lot about history, current politics, and election rules. Most people seem to know little about any of these. They do have opinions, so it is best not to shake the tree. There may be no end to nuts that will drop.
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