John
F. Kennedy famously described Washington, DC, as a "city of
Southern efficiency and Northern charm." That description has
been updated to read: "DC is Hollywood for ugly people,"
and it's getting uglier every day that grimaces bespeak the tensions
of the government shutdown.
The
update appears to have been lost in the proverbial murk of Foggy
Bottom. As Wonkette.com reports: "Washington?
As one comedian has put it, Washington is a Hollywood for ugly
people." That quotation they attribute to the first issue of
George Magazine, when the joke was already old, but the magazine was
co-founded by JFK's heir apparent, whose words, like his father's,
are sorely missed.
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Nevertheless,
JFK deserves kudos for recognizing where he was in the United States,
once he became ensconced in the White House. As a Yankee, he entered
foreign territory with a Texan, not a Delaware senator, at his side.
Thus, JFK's White House team embraced both sides of the Civil War.
Civil
War buffs may find it fascinating now to track the geographical
strains wrenching that "Southern city" and "Northern
charm" described by Obama's supposed model and definite
forerunner in political hula-hoop exercises, which attempt to gather
opponents in a circle pointing to the Oval Office.
Where
does Senator McCain's power originate—Chicago, Boston, NY City? No.
He hales from Arizona, the Western frontier. His chosen running mate
also haled from outside the DC corridor, so far that land lubbers
barely recognize Alaska and the United States in the same breath, as
they ridicule its proximity to Russia.
Where
does Speaker of the House John Boehner's power originate? In Ohio,
the heartland of the Midwest, but years and leagues from urban
Chicago. Note: Ohio and Iowa are NOT Chicago. MO is not Chicago,
either. Then who exactly speaks for the Heartland of America? Why are
spokesmen for this area not on the same side?
Where
does Senator Harry Reid's power originate? Nevada. How many
Northerners know beans about Nevada, except, perhaps, that Nevada
gambling has its own website at nevada.casinocity.com—and
Utah is next door, right along with Idaho, Oregon, California, and
Arizona, which brings us right back to Senator McCain?
Where
is the White House's strategy to bring these titans together? JFK's
plan was obvious, so obvious that historians still speculate on how
JFK and LBJ cooperated, if they did. The aggravating point which
requires attention is this: Why should the South cooperate with an
administration which seems not to have heard of it—except for vile
rumors?
The
causes of the American Civil War remain a contentious subject. In the
South, however, one hears references to the "War between the
States,' and one sees that "Many
Confederate monuments are listed on the National Register of Historic
Places," as
noted by Wikipedia."
To enflame conflicts among the states is the specialty of scoundels.
As Lincoln said: "A nation divided against itself cannot stand."
For
additional reading:
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