THE AMERICAN CAMPAIGN TRADITION

          We recently sponsored a gathering of neighbors, friends and family to meet our State Senate and House Representatives who are running for reelection in November.  Attendance was spare.  Not even the incentive of my Wife’s deep dish apple pie and other treats could induce prospective voters to break away from their regular routine, including the new prime time shows, the Pirates and Thursday Night football.  This was a shame, because by the end of the two hour session, those in attendance learned a great deal about the campaign, the issues facing Pennsylvania and what our representatives plan to accomplish if reelected.

          There was a time in America when state and local political campaigns were a major event and a welcome form of socialization.  After all, the only competition was the local houses of worship, the local taverns and the occasional town hall meeting.  In those days, political pamphlets, local speeches, rallies and small gatherings insured that voters got entertained, were heard by the candidates and were well informed before Election Day.  Compare this with today’s world, where we find it easier to complain about lack of results or the wrong result, rather than to become vested in the election process before the votes are tallied.

           I discovered several points from our experiment in sponsoring the candidates for reelection.  First, a newspaper account, sanitized stump speech, or political commercial will not reveal as much about a candidate as a one on one exchange on the issues.  Second, a discussion with a candidate makes it easier to separate the problem solvers from the pretenders.  Third, local candidates for State office want to meet with individual voters, listen to their issues and to have the opportunity to explain how they will govern. 

          Lastly, the candidates emphasize one point over all others: the importance of voting on November 4^th. Voter turn outs are ridiculously low in off year elections and the margin of victory often dangerously slim.  The cliché “every vote counts” could not be truer.

           Showing up at a campaign event to meet the candidates should be on your “to do” list. You will be participating in a grand American tradition and be well rewarded for making the effort.  Moreover, if your candidate does not win, or fails to follow his pronouncements, you will have earned the right to complain.

MY DISENCHANTMENT WITH FOOTBALL

I am losing interest in football.  This is more difficult for an aging boomer to admit than losing interest in sex.  After all, there are pharmaceuticals like Viagra or low T products available to address the latter problem and nothing for the former.  Maybe if I come out of the closet, other men will admit they prefer a good book to Sunday, Monday or Thursday night football.  Or that a walk in the park on a Saturday afternoon beats 12 hours of college games.  Or even that a concert at Heinz Hall on a Sunday afternoon is preferable to attending the Steeler game.

          I think my growing disenchantment with the game has many sources other than my age.  The recent firestorms over domestic violence, concussions and treating college players as chattel are a part of it.  On a more basic level, football has become more predictable if not outright boring to watch.  Teams use the same schemes, in the same situations, achieving the same results, with great regularity.  I could get my fill of the NFL for the week, watching the final quarter of scoring plays from all the 1 PM games on NFL Red Zone, from 3:30 to 4:15 PM each Sunday.  During this brief window, the action is fast, more unorthodox and actually exciting, as all the games come to a close.

          With the exception of the diehard football addict who will watch analysis of the sport all year round, I believe there are four factors that the football gods have encouraged to maintain interest in the game.  First, are the emotional rewards of supporting the home team.  Alcohol, social gatherings at home and at the stadium and hometown pride help drive this phenomenon.  Why else would communities spend billions of dollars to build football palaces that are used 10-12 times a year?  Why else would emotions run so high that the number of domestic violence cases in Allegheny County sky rocket after a Steeler loss?

          Second, for the millennial fans, who love games with their games, the fantasy football craze has added a new dimension much more intriguing than the office football pool.  Third, is the business of sports betting.  With the possible exception of bingo, no endeavor has ever been more embraced by the gambling crowd than football.

           Lastly, both college and professional football are able to display their product over ever increasing swaths of prime time commercial television.  Advertisers will pay top dollar for live football where consumers will actually watch the commercials rather than tape the game for viewing the next day.

          If it is not bad enough that football today is built on fan emotion, fantasy games, gambling and commercial television, there is still the dark under belly of the game that is difficult for me to ignore. Modern, big time football is dangerous to one’s health. It is not a career I would favor for my own child, or grandchildren.  It has become the province of the underprivileged athlete, seeking to claw his way out of poverty as a new age warrior, no matter what the cost.

           No one disputes that the nation’s top athletes are recruited by our largest institutions of higher learning to participate in a de facto NFL minor league.  Within this system players are exploited by their host university for financial gain under draconian NCAA rules for players.  The football coaches receive higher salaries than the university presidents. The players receive a de minimis education and are turned into gladiators for the NFL. 

          At the professional level, football demands that each player be physically and mentally stronger than his opponent, play through pain and injury and win at any cost, all within an ever changing set of rules the NFL happens to favor at the moment.  On the field, the mindset is violent and aggressive.  Off the field, young men with little social preparedness are expected to act with the decorum of English gentlemen at the nonstop public relations events sponsored by the league and in their private lives.  Talk about not bringing your work home with you.

           With advanced training techniques the players keep getting bigger, stronger and faster. As a result, career ending injuries are more common.  Some would argue that the players forced out of the game at an early age are the lucky ones.  Those who survive over the long run are crippled for life in their 40s and 50s.  Others lose mental capacity soon after retirement because of repeated concussions. 

          Unlike the Roman coliseum bosses, NFL owners pay the gladiators a portion of the gate and do not encourage their immediate demise.  In other respects, our need for controlled violence does not seem to have abated or changed all that much.  Our country will no doubt be more successful exporting professional football to the world than we were at exporting democratic values.

          I am not sure whether Cicero favored the spectacle of the Roman games to writing a good oratory or reading Plato and Aristotle.  I do know that the names of those gladiators have not survived the ages while the philosophy and writings of the ancients are as strong as ever.  There is so much to learn, so much to do and so little time.  In my life, football will occupy less of my schedule.

           Unless, that is, the Steelers make the playoffs, emotion overcomes reason, and all the negatives are forgotten.  Perhaps a winning team is the most potent medicine for reverse a waning interest in football.

ENTERTAINMENT TRUMPS GIVING

          Now that the calendar turns to September and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge winds down, is it ok to ask, what was that all about?  Melting ice became more popular in old mop buckets than its usual function of chilling down a six pack.  Looking like a drowned rat on social media was a summer fashion statement.  The somewhat obscure disease, ALS, became as well known as Kate Perry’s newest song. Most unbelievably, a charity that took in 2.5 million in all of 2013, hit the jackpot with over a 100 million in August donations. 

          Some commentators believe the success of the challenge was due to the simplicity in the dunking and the empathy for the afflicted.  I believe it was due to fear and greed.  Like a good old fashion chain letter or Ponzi scheme, no politician, public figure or manager at the local Wal-Mart wanted to be caught saying no to a little ice water. Taking a dunk after being challenged might not help the cause but not taking one had nothing but downside written all over it. As an added bonus you got to challenge your impeccably dressed brother in law and watch him get wet.

          Better to make a contribution along with the dunking to show what a good sport you were.  Wet and generous. The risk analysis was always in favor of getting a little free publicity, even if it meant tracking down an old school chum or long lost cousin who actually had the disease.  This transformed the dunking event into a sort of reality show, with the one under the bucket as the star.

          What will be next for charitable organizations?  The public relations wheels must be churning to build on the ALS experience.  After all, the cancer, heart and diabetes fund raisers could hold some must see events that would make the ALS campaign appear minor league.  Can you imagine retired navy seals walking across Iraq to plant a U.S. flag, on a 24 hour news feed. That would get the dollars flowing in, like Jerry Lewis never could.  A final Led Zeppelin concert or Beatles reunion, with Lennon and Harrison’s sons playing with the old guys would open some wallets.

          Sometimes withholding entertainment is also a good bet.  For example, interrupting The Good Wife or Big Bang Theory with end stage lung cancer patients should meet pledge goals in minutes flat. The sure fire winner would be to buy up the rights to the Super Bowl half time show, which is now for sale, and make it into the largest pledge event in history.  What could be better than an audience of billions of intoxicated sports fans, watching a parade of wheel chairs and dying declarations, pledging the mortgage before the second half could start,.  Public Television, watch how the big boys do it.

          If charitable giving must be driven by entertainment, let’s do it right.  It cannot possibly be any worse than the endless stream of reality shows and we would not feel as guilty watching them and throwing in a buck or two.  Like it or not, giving for the sake of giving and even for the tax deduction are not enough.

TWO DEATHS IN AUGUST

          The untimely death of a young black man, Michael Brown, in Rockford Illinois and of Robin Williams in Los Angeles will no doubt be the domestic stories of the summer.  The former was unknown beyond his neighborhood.  The latter was an international superstar.  Nonetheless, each death has major implications beyond the deceased and beyond the time and place in which each death occurred.  Moreover, each event has struck a nerve in the American psyche and started an important dialogue.

          The incident in Rockford could not have been a more perfect storm to highlight all that is wrong with race relations in America.  Another white policeman guns down an unarmed black male.  A week goes by with little information released on the killing from the white police force.  Looting and violence occur during evening protests.  Modern assault weaponry, most often utilized in third world battle zones, is employed for crowd control.  Midnight curfews are put in place. There is minimal African American representation in the political and justice systems of a town that is predominately black.  Mayors, governors, police chiefs and presidential candidates stake out positions that will either further or curtail their careers.

          In the midst of this cauldron of anger, calls for change and calls for restraint, I would like to share one thought.  Communities are able to avoid the racial tensions that lurk in the background, just below the surface, by embracing racial diversity.  When citizens demand diversity in their court systems, police departments, legal and physician networks and schools, the downhill spiraling of events, unfolding in Rockford Illinois, is unlikely to occur.  Diversity strengthens the fabric of a community in good times and in bad.

          The suicide of Robin Williams has grabbed our attention for very different reasons.  Everyone has either suffered from or knows someone with a mental illness.  The fact that Robin Williams, so loved by the public and his own family, with wealth and exciting projects, could take his own life, is disconcerting.  Just like the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman put an exclamation point behind heroin addiction, the death of Robin Williams puts new focus on mental illness. To the extent that others come forward for treatment, that mental illness is discussed more openly and that additional funding is made available for research and treatment, there is a silver lining in Williams’ death.

          We can only hope that both these issues continue to resonate with the media, the public and our political leaders until actual change is accomplished.  Unfortunately, given our collective track record on stepping up and following through on gun violence, drug and prison reform, global warming, immigration reform and many other social ills, this may be asking for too much.

SECOND POT OF COFFEE THOUGHTS

It is interesting how each morning the life cycle plays out on the NBC network affiliates.   The NBC Today Show for the beautiful people to snare in the twenty somethings; the political show, Morning Joe, on MSNBC for the middle age crowd; and the hard core financial news show, Squawk Box, on CNBC, featuring guests with one foot in the grave.

The increasing age of the guests and audience for these three NBC morning shows is directly responsible for the decreased ratings for each program and for the increased complexity of the topics discussed.

If I were to make one prediction, on which I would wager all the marbles, it would be that gas/oil fracking, no matter what regulations, taxes or other barriers are put in place, will continue to accelerate and transform South Western Pennsylvania.  It is unfortunate that the economic potential is simply too great to have environmental concerns slow this juggernaut down.

Our Marcellus Shale is the fracking sweet spot of the world because of prior geological mapping, road and bridge infrastructure that simplifies setting up and moving rigs, landowners who have a financial interest in cooperating with the drillers and workers from the western oil belt who know the business.  No other country has this combination of factors to grow the fracking industry.

The most gratifying news story of the summer has been the large anonymous gifts and hundreds of small donations to save our local libraries.  What other institution gives so much pleasure, to so many, across all age groups and income boundaries.

While I continue to read Rolling Stone magazine and to sample new indie groups on Spotify, I sometimes get the impression from the comments and lyrics that these millennial kids see my generation as a large part of the problem.  I always feel better when one of the young band members is photographed hugging Mick Jagger or Willie Nelson. 

If these young musicians want to show some rage by singing about a failing democracy, unaffordable higher education, lack of empathy for the poor or drones killing civilians in other countries, why not crank up Teenage Wasteland, For What It’s Worth, or, Smells like Teen Spirit.  Oh, I forgot, those old guys are either dead or millionaires.

Have you noticed how quickly certain words and phrases make their way into common usage with journalism operating at the speed of the internet?  “Seachange”, “over the moon” and “it is not my circus and those are not my monkeys” come to mind, among many others.

There has been a seachange in the manner in which we receive our news over the past ten years.  Some of the new media websites are over the moon in their complexity and format.  Thank goodness that the Observer Reporter is not my circus and its staff not my monkeys in this cutthroat and challenging environment.

TOLERANCE

          We learned in our social studies classes that America’s Constitutional Republic is based on democratic pluralism not direct democracy.  In other words, given the size and complexity of the Country, a multitude of interest groups determine national policy, not the decisions of individual citizens. These groups are made up of differing nationalities, political parties, religions, unions, volunteer organizations and many others.  Pluralism works because each group places pressure on its elected representatives, to work out compromises with opposing groups, so that the country can be governed effectively.

          Being tolerant of diversity is a necessary ingredient for pluralism to work.  Without tolerance, the coming together of so many diverse immigrants with different backgrounds and goals, to form our union, would never have been possible.  When one considers the number of competing interests that have been forced to find common ground in order for our political system to not only survive, but flourish, it is not a surprise that our form of government is unique in the world.

          Unfortunately pluralism and tolerance have come under attack since 2008. In many conservative districts of the House of Representatives and in some state houses and local governments, moral outrage and self interest have replaced the capacity to accept competing claims as legitimate. There is no room for compromise.  There is no tolerance or acknowledgement of the right of opposing interests to exist and pursue their goals.

          Pluralistic democracy comes to a standstill when these conservative groups view opponents, even members of their own political party, as morally wrong and not worthy of consideration. Worse, unjust claims are demanded by these groups out of unwarranted self interest.

          The transformational election of Barrack Obama saw the rise of the tea party and the decline of tolerance. The President is a lightning rod for certain groups of conservatives and libertarians for all that is wrong with the world.  It has become more important for tea party representatives and their supporters to defeat whatever policy is offered by democrats and the White House rather than to compromise for the common good or even for the individual good of the tea party member and his family.

          This lack of tolerance and inability to compromise is the norm among political cultures around the world.  Among many examples, Sunni and Shia citizens in Iraq; warring tribal societies in Africa and leftist and right wing elements in Latin America, all of whom view politics as a zero sum game.  Even in western countries non tolerance can be prevalent, as between Great Britain and Northern Ireland; between Muslim Bosniaks, Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats following the breakup of Yugoslavia; and between the Basques and the rest of Spain.  From these examples it is obvious that intolerance breeds violence and then greater intolerance.

          Until recently, refusal to compromise among competing groups was not the American experience.  Things have changed now that we have activist groups of citizens waiving the Constitution or the Bible or immigration laws, with a subjective non tolerant interpretation of what each means.  This is no different than waiving the Koran or a separatist flag.  It is the same “all or nothing” mindset.

          While much of this nation has given President Obama a strong mandate to implement his agenda of immigration reform, more health care, more equality and less foreign involvement, many of those who do not supported him are unwilling to make any concessions under any circumstances, to move the country forward.  After all, the worse things get, the more blame for the President.   

          In the next presidential cycle, one can only hope that tolerance and compromise will return to the political process.  That is unless the left reinvents its own tea party, as it did in the 60s.  In those years many new left advocates adopted intolerance and despised compromise.  This was to counter the perceived injustices of big government and the “moral” and “law and order” majorities of the time. If the radical left continues to keep intolerance on the political table, as the tea party has done for the last eight years, the American political system will become more like the rest of the world, where being right is more important than political compromise and governing.

          It is interesting to note that in recent weeks even the East Washington Council has shown its support for intolerance over compromise and pluralism, albeit for different reasons.  When disagreements broke out, several council members found it more prudent to stay on the moral high ground and quit their positions rather than to remain on council and find common ground in the trenches of local government.  This was so even though East Washington citizens had voted for them to represent their interests and to provide balance in addressing the issues at hand. That is exactly the position the Muslim Brotherhood took in Egypt for many years, favoring honor over the interests of the Egyptian voters who agreed with their policies. In both cases “I will take my ball and go home” won out over pluralistic democracy. 

          The politics of tolerance and pluralism for the Nation or for a small political unit like East Washington is the competition of half truths.  It is messy but it works.