Perspective
Oh God. On my lovely train ride back from Paris to Geneva, I read of the hell that broke loose over Obama’s pompous comments about rural Americans (Americans who also happen to vote in general elections, we’ve learned).
New York Times reported it this way:
David Saunders, a Democratic strategist and rural advocate, advised John Edwards’s presidential campaign but is now neutral. He said he believed that Mr. Obama’s comments would offend rural voters.
“It could mean he’s rendered himself unelectable,” Mr. Saunders said. “This is a perfect example of why Democrats lose elections.”
But, nobody can put it better than Hunter, specifically what he wrote in Hey Rube, about Gore not understanding the Republican machine, specifically in Florida:
Ho ho ho. Whre the fuck did he think he think he was – in some friendly Civics class? Hell no, he was in Florida, arguably the most vicious and corrupt state in the Union…
… The whole Presidential election, in fact, was rigged and fixed from the start. It was a gigantic Media Event, scripted & staged for TV. It happens every four years, at an every-increasing cost, & 90 percent of the money always goes for TV commercials. Of course, nobody would give a damn, except politics is beginning to smell like professional football, Dank & Nasty. And that’s a problem that could haunt America a lot longer than four years folks.
— Hunter S. Thompson, Hey Rube
You know I’ve said, ad nauseam, how nice it would be to have a democrate, Hillary, who actually has the wisdom and experience to beat the republicans at their own game. But, we shall see, right? My friend Curtis made me laugh once when he said "No, I don’t belong to any organized political party, I’m a Democrat…" yep.
A thoughtful blog reader emailed me the other day. Obama has given so many people "hope" with his gorgeous speeches, good looks, vitality and charm. He seems so great. And he is… but there is another side to Obama that is starting to show. Brian, from Pennsylvania, was saddened by Obama’s attitude:
Well, I’ve been reading the parts of your blog about your support of Hillary through an "Obama filter" up till now. I mean, Obama seemed like a pretty solid lock to me. Good ideas on his website. Maybe they are.
Barack has some great ideas, I think. And he expresses them well. For example, his recent comment touching on the flap over his former pastor’s fulminations about race cut close, in a general way, to the truth:
"If White America were music, it’d be a John Philip Sousa march. If Black America were music, it’d be a jazz orchestra, with blue notes." But, with his "bitter" comments about Pennsylvanians "clinging to God and guns," I’ve had to rethink.
My people on my father’s side are Scotch-Irish going back to Appalachia during and before the Revolutionary War. Nobody out of all that side of the family tree ever "clung" to anything. They stood up for what they believed in. For Obama to so characterize such folk nowadays seems out of touch. With what else human might he be out of touch?
Your friend, Brian
Well put, Brian. As you know, in my humble opinion, Hillary is the best candiate … Ta da… Enough for now. I’ve gotta run.
Though I MUST tell you about my last day in Paris. I skipped yoga and ditched French class early to spend a few hours in the Babylon exhibition at the Louvre. If you get the chance, I highly recommend this exhibition of aritifacts and explanations of the missing Babylon that has captured the imagination and even became one of the seven wonders of the world despite the fact that we have no actual architecture of the city to examine! It has been criticized as an evil city but also described as one of the holiest and most advanced places on earth. I could have spent the whole day, but only had an afternoon. Well worth it.
Of course, I had to say goodbye, once again, to our beloved Mona Lisa. Choosing to skip everything else in the museum that day, I did do an American-style power walk up to le deuxieme etage, 7th gallery to bid adieu to her beauty. It was a treat indeed.
Having a few hours before my evening train depature, it was necessary for me to at least walk to L’Hotel (Des Beaux Arts), Oscar Wilde’s last home. It was just going to be a place for me to have tea and say hello to Mr. Wildes’ spirit. But, the most incredible thing happened. It is as if nothing has changed since Nov 30th, 1900 (except the wallpaper is rather nice).
After my tea, two sweet hotel managers, wearing dark purple velvet blazers, green ties and bright smiles, showed me around.
But the most incredible journey was on my own… down to the wine cellar, where Wilde himself would make his selections. As I winded down stone stairwarys deep under the Paris ground, I started to sink into a serious time warp, like going down to a sunless sea. I studied the stone walls, the bottles, the ground, the musty air down there. It was, well, as if I had dropped a hit of acid… The sense of timelessness, Hunter, Wilde, Absinthe, and all of underground Paris history filled me to the brim.
I have no idea how long I was down there, but it must have been quite a while, becuase when I came back up, and out the hotel front door, the sky was still blue, as before, but during my time underground, a heavy storm had passed over and drenched the streets with rain.
Still filled with my own private thoughts, I started to feel the ever present melancholy as I walked toward the train station, head down, looking at the wet cobblestone street. What did I see when I turned the corner and looked up? A HUGE BRIGHT RAINBOW ARCHING OVER NOTRE DAME! It was like a scripted film. If only I were Oscar Wilde or Hunter, I would have the words to express to you what that moment was like.
That last day, filled with ancient Babylonian history, tea time at Des Beaux Arts, a wink to the Mona Lisa, journey under the earth to visit Mr. Wilde with Hunter in my heart, ended in Extreme Beauty. If you havn’t already, I wish the same experience, in this liftetime, to you one day! All I can say is… Wow.
So now, I’m back in Geneva, finishing my classes here, and going back home to Owl Farm in a few weeks. Elle Magazine is flying me back in 10 days for an interview re: the release of the Gonzo Way in the UK, which should be fun. But it’s time to go home. I’m ready.
Okay. Take care. Your friend on her way home,
Anita Thompson
