smiling. happy

i'm digging in the archives, in hopes of starting up again with something. unfortunately -- midterm elections aside -- i could've written this yesterday.

Date: Jun 4, 2004 11:12 AM

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Last night, I was reminded why I'm so fascinated and frustrated by
politics, the media, and the way things work in this country today.

I was watching "Journeys with George", and HBO film by Alexandra
Pelosi, daugther of the house minority leader Nancy Pelosi, one-time
NBC news producer, and a woman with a freakish devotion to the color
purple, in all manner of dress, accessories, and nail polish.

[sidebar: she is not alone in this personal habit, however. next to
me lives the woman referred to by fellow neighbors as "the green
lady", who ups the ante by wearing ONLY green. everything. even her
hair.]

colors aside, pelosi is really shrewd and funny, and her strangely
wonderful documentary about the rise of our current monkey president
is well worth a screening. as a member of the press corps assigned to
the bush primary campaign, and his subsequent battle with gore leading
up to the recount, she basically captures life on the trail -- that of
the candidate, and that of those journalists obliged to follow bush
from diner to bowling alley to stump speech.

all in the film are far more candid and unguarded than you'd think
they ever be capable of [bush eating cheese doodles while talking with
his mouth open? yep. joining the press party to have a buckler's beer?
yep], perhaps because no one at the time thought her little project
would turn into much.

watching it, i was reminded of something that's often easy to forget,
that bush is far more clever and charming than most people would like
to believe. these are qualities that are alluring in the people we
often find ourselves attracted to, and it's clear that he exerts a
kind of magnetism on those around him. they're drawn to something,
even if they don't know what it is. clever, of course, is different
than thoughtful or intellectual.

and that said, he's still a fucking idiot. a dangerous, fucking idiot.

there's a scene near the end of the film, and near the end of the
campaign, where pelosi corners one of bush's advisors, who's just
beaming dury a rally of the party faithful. she asks him why he can't
stop smiling, and he replies that bush makes people happy. and he'll
make the whole country happy. and won't it be so nice to see people
smiling. just imagine people walking down the streets of new york.
smiling. happy.

and my mind fast-forwards, post-election, post-recount, post-9/11.
and i think how firmly convinced they all were then, and are now.. and
i think how nothing could be further from the truth. and i just
shudder.


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Posted by Timothy to on a trifle at 6/4/2004 12:12:46 PM