My suitemate during senior year of college once told me a concise yet insightful piece of political wisdom from his experience of volunteering on the John Kerry presidential campaign. He said political know-nothings often think political campaigns are based on principles, ideology, and clear-cut policies. In reality, political campaigns are run like military engagements.
My friend’s a smart guy so I took his word for it. But I didn’t know how right he was until I finished watching seasons 3-5 of The Wire
One particularly memorable scene from season 4 episode 7 involves newly elected Baltimore mayor Tommy Carcetti having lunch with an older mentor who was a former Baltimore mayor. Carcetti’s mentor Tony warns him:
Tony: All you have to do now is run the city.
Tommy: Tony, I gotta ask you something. Why didn’t you run again after the first term? Nobody had the name you had, the organization…
Tony: Let me tell you a story, Tommy. The first day I became mayor, they sit me down at the desk. Beech chair, dark wood, lots of beautiful things. I’m thinking, “How much better can it get?” There’s a knock at the door in the corner of the room, and Pete comes walking in carrying this gorgeous sieve silver bowl, hand-chased to this big [motions with hands]. “It’s from the unions,” he says. So I think it’s a present – something to commemorate my first day as mayor.
He walks over, puts it on the desk. I look down at it. It’s disgusting! I say, “What the hell is this?” He says, “What the hell’s it look like?” I said, “It looks like shit. Well, what do you want me to do with it?” He says, “Eat it.” “Eat it?” He says, “Yeah. You’re the mayor. You gotta eat it.”
So, okay, it was my first day. Pete knows more than I do. So I go at it. And just when I finish, there’s a knock on the door. And in walks Pete carrying another silver bowl. And this one’s from the blacks.
“This too?” And he nods. I start eating, and when I finish, there’s another knock and another bowl. This one’s from the Polacks. And after that, one from the ministers. And you know what, Tommy, that’s what it is. You’re sitting, eating shit all day long, day after day, year after year. When I realized that, I decided being a downtown lawyer and seeing my family every night made for a fine life. Just a fine life.
I’m not surprised President Obama said The Wire was his favorite television show. We all know he’s had his share of shit bowls to eat from. Mmm, tastes like crude oil.
4 Comments
David, Thank you for loving my sophistication; but we both realize that I am “in your face”; not at all sophisticated. My wife is Chinese and says Xia is a Chinese name. Her maiden name was Wong- the yellow kind; not the King kind.
[hah - i'll try to undo that first post, though one must wonder that if some people are so easily swayed by grumpy email messages that shoot around and are believed simply because they are in print, one would think that people would be broke because they sent all their money to some nigerian.]
that was one of my favorite lines, and poor carcetti getting stymied once in office has totally changed my view of the political world. i would love to have an off-the-record conversation with the most recent presidents to find out what was really going on, and what influence they really had, vs. needing a bigger spoon for their bowls. a friend was just asking me about how little has been done about gitmo, and it made me think of the bowls. sure, on the outside, it makes a great campaign promise, but once in office, how much did he not know about what is going on and now gets another bowl…
Not a word of truth to it. Obama does eat shit, not because he is forced to do so, but because he likes it. He wasn’t born, he was farted- thats why he has no longform birth certificate. His mother was a commie bitch and his father a moslem dingbat.
That makes him a commie-moslem, dingbat-bitch, and accounts for his wrong stance on every possible issue. He is shit, through and through. And so are the babykilling, queerloving assholes who voted him into office; ie, the majority of American voters. Their heads are up their asses, and that makes it convenient for them to eat shit, just like their Fecesfacemessiah.
I love my sophisticated readership.