Politics D17

Page D17

Politics The Town Voice Balanced

It Worked for Comedy

By Arlon Staywell RICHMOND — One of the more successful and lasting comedy programs on television was "Seinfeld," with a character very similar to real life stand up comedian and star of the show, Jerry Seinfeld. It is often described, even by a character in it, as being about "nothing." After searching for a theme for the show, character George Costanza, friend of "character" Jerry Seinfeld, suggests it be about nothing, have no theme at all. And so the "fun" begins.
What about politics?
Could that work in politics? Could the Republican party for example be as successful being the political party of nothing? After searching for a theme; gay marriage, abortion, intelligent design, and so on, and so on, why not no theme at all? Consider the success of Seinfeld. Just make the Republican Party the party of nothing.
They might borrow a catch phrse from Seinfeld as a party slogan and give speeches to seas of people holding signs that say, "Who are these people?"
Vote for our candidate because he spends most of his time whittlin'.
It would not be the first time politicians borrowed from Seinfeld. One of his funnier jokes was about laundry detergent. Seinfeld noted that the instructions on the box often include advice about removing blood stains from laundry. He asks if you have blood stains on your clothes whether laundry is your most serious problem. I have used that, my favorite joke of his, in debates about abortion for years. It’s better than anything Buckley wrote.
The Republican Party, as the party about nothing, might get choice spots on Conan. Consider that boost to campaigns.
They certainly aren't the party of the rich anymore. If you want the higher wages you have to accept a "science" that rejects God and pushes for government support of that science. So quite many Republicans have quite less money than the average Democrat, and are often considered less qualified.
If every journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step, why not celebrate where you already are? At the beginning. You can take more steps later. If the fiscal conservatives and the social conservatives and the national security conservates can stop being their own worst enemies and go to the top of the page to begin to write together a more detailed program later then that would be a big tent indeed. Who could say, "No"?
A time to rend, a time to sew?
It’s what I’d call reaching across the aisle.

The Town Voice Home | Index of Politics D1 | D16 | D17 | D18