Blackbird See, Blackbird Do

St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things.  Obviously this lesson has been lost on politicians.

Or is it that politicians merely reflect the devolution of society in general back into childishness and immaturity?

Or do blackbirds really control our society.

Take, for example, the senate campaign of Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Lazio – please, as Henny Youngman might say. These worthies have recently been discussing nothing other than “soft money”, that is, funds expended indirectly on behalf of a candidate by individuals or organizations that ostensibly favor a theme or subject that the candidate espouses. Indeed, were  we not all thrilled when the highlight of their debate on the issues centered around Mr. Lazio, a veritable master of the dramatic, approaching Mrs. Clinton ominously with the bush league tactic of proffering a document for her to sign off on soft money.

Then they decide that they they’ll mount major discussions, not about campaign issues, but on how to restrict the expenditure of soft money. Sure, the candidates can stop a controlled (or phony) group from spending indirectly on behalf of the candidate. But how do ‘The Dears’ – as opposed to Our Heroes – expect to eliminate a truly independent group from espousing a cause, say Teachers from putting forth a campaign for more pay, better facilities for education, or women vis a vis abortion rights, propositions with which one or the other of the candidates may incidentally agree?

In all this time, as The Dears dance around the soft money maypole, has anyone heard a word about an issue of significance? They have spent so much time and money talking about not spending indirect money on the campaign, there is no more to their campaigns.

And, since Our Hero II has reared his head (I didn’t say ugly) once again, we have heard from former Police Commissioner Bratton who allegedly wants to run for Mayor of New York City saying that Our Hero II is and was not sensitive to race issues, and Our Hero II denying racial insensitivity, declaiming that Bratton will never be Mayor. Ho, hum. Is there nothing else for the media to report except the yowling of cats.

Or do blackbirds really control the media?

Recently, the new Police Commissioner must have made remarks about Our Hero II’s police security squad, their too casual dress code, their wearing of sun glasses like red neck highway patrol officers. Our Hero II instantly defendrf casual clothes, and whips out his own sun glasses, saying his doctor says that the sun can hurt your eyes. Ho, ho, hum. More blackbird philosophy.

What’s with the blackbirds? Blackbirds fly, as birds have a tendency to do, with other blackbirds, until one alights on a telephone wire. All the others, alight on the same wire. There, they remain for a while – doing nothing – until one of them flies off. All the other blackbirds follow – to nowhere in particular, each joining in what the others do, without much purpose or reason why, until they land on the next telephone wire.

What’s that you say, that sounds like the activities of our politicians, who rather than carving  paths to societal goals, bettering our existence, flit from one dull idea to the next, copying each other’s copied idea, chattering idly about nothing.What’s that over there? I don’t know. Let’s fly over and squat on it a while.  Ho, ho, ho hum.

If that doesn’t describe the essence of Mr. Bush’s ideology, what does?  Remember, a while back, I wrote that the combined forces of Bush and Gore resulted in Bore? Well, nothing has changed. Except that Gore is apparently boring people less. I recently spoke to a staunch Republican official, who said, he was going to vote for Gore. When loyal party persons are jumping off the ship, can you imagine where the crews of undecided ships are swimming?

Just another aside, trying to figure where we’re headed . There is much written that Gore and the Democratic Party favor the working stiff, Black people, the disenfranchised, while Republicana favor business, the rich, the status quo of established white society.

How did the Republicans get to such a state of lily white conservative mien, considering, as Theodore Roosevelt said, in supporting the election of Thomas R. Lynch, a “negro” from Mississippi, to be Chairman of the 1884 Republican National Convention, “It is only fitting that we choose to preside one of that race whose right to sit within these walls is due to the blood and treasure so lavishly spent by the founders of the Republican Party.” Considering that Lincoln and the Republicans freed the black slaves, that Teddy Roosevelt was Republican, you wonder how the Republicans flew over to sit on the conservative side of the aisle today. Or is it just more blackbirds wondering where to light next.