The Poet's Eye
commentary
by Lightning Rod
the Poets' Eye is skeptical
without being cynical, innocent
without being naive and
critical without being
judgmental
The Lariat, Laughter
for release on 08-12-04
In the early 1930's, Will Rogers was probably the most popular man in
the country. He had come out of Oklahoma as a rope twirling joke teller
and when his charm and wit intersected with the advent of radio and talking
movies, he was arguably the most popular man in the world.
He charmed and entertained presidents and kings, millionaires, movie stars,
and just plain folks, but he never lost the common touch. Those were tough
times and we needed a little levity.
One wonders what Will would have thought about the political world in
this day and time? Would he have laughed at Whoopi Goldberg's remarks
comparing George Bush to her bush? Rogers said, "I never expected
to see the day when girls would get sunburned in the places they now do."
Yes, I'm sure that Will Rogers would be having a blast in these topsy-turvy
political times. He said, "The man with the best job in the country
is the vice-president. All he has to do is get up every morning and say,
'How is the president?'" Wouldn't he be surprised to have to turn
that joke around today to read, "This president gets up every morning
and says, 'How's the Vice-president?'"
"I am not a member of any organized political party," he said,
"I am a Democrat." I wonder what joke he would make of that
today? Perhaps something like, "It took a Republican to unify the
Democratic Party."
George Bush has certainly done that. Never in my lifetime have I seen
the Democrats so united and with such resolve, not so much to elect John
Kerry, but to defeat George Bush. Why is this? It's the 'vision thing'
that plagued his father. The American rank and file just doesn't believe
in the vision for our country that Bush and his cadre of ideologues represent.
"Liberty doesn't work as well in practice as it does in speeches."
said Will. Boy, if he could only see things today. This government has
steadily waved the flag of liberty and freedom and economic progress while
at the same time stifling liberty, restricting freedom and strangling
economic progress. They boast of lofty values while covertly appealing
to the baser instincts of fear and suspicion.
But I'm sure if Rogers were alive today he could still say, "It's
easy being a humorist when you've got the whole government working for
you." I mean, when you have joke writers like George Bush, who reel
off zingers like,
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They
never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people,
and neither do we," as he signs a bill that siphons a half-a-trillion
dollars into the pockets of his buddies in the defense industry. What
more do you need for comedy?
And when Will said, "A fool and his money are soon elected,"
He was being a profit...er, prophet. The two major candidates will spend
a half a billion dollars this year trying to get elected. Even in his
day Rogers said, "Politics has become so expensive that it takes
a lot of money even to be defeated."
The Poet's Eye looks for good humor in this election. Too bad we don't
have a solid populist like Will Rogers around to provide it.
"On
account of being a democracy and run by the people, we are the only nation
in the world that has to keep a government four years, no matter what
it does."
"The more you read and observe about this Politics thing, you got
to admit that each party is worse than the other. The one that's out always
looks the best."
--Will Rogers
Lightning
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