Politics

GenX President

~ MaryG ~ 18 Comments

How would you describe yourself to someone?

I walked into a newly-energized gathering of Democratic activists yesterday and a man said, “Mary, I’m so glad you’re here! I’ve been thinking about how much you look like her all week.” Then he called me over to sit near him. He was so excited I was there. It was almost like he transferred his happiness about Kamala onto me for a couple of hours. I was flattered.

The fact is, we don’t look that much alike, but she will most certainly be MY president. (Fingers and toes crossed.) We are both 59. She was born in the fall of 1964 and I was born in the spring of 1965. Like the Obamas, she’s culturally, if not technically, GenX.

I did see a bit of myself in this picture of her from the eighties. It’s not just the slight physical resemblance and the very 80s haircut. It’s the look on her face. We were young women going through the same period of history at exactly the same age. It wasn’t always easy.

Photo of Harris in the 80s (posted by Hillary Clinton last week)
Me in the eighties with my mullet hair

She says she’s 5’ 7.5” in heels. I’m 5’ 8” barefoot. So I guess I’ll wear flats (Chuck Taylors), if I dress up as her for Halloween. At least I know one person who will love my costume.

Vice President Harris in her Chucks

The King of Cruel Nicknames

~ MaryG ~ 15 Comments

What’s the story behind your nickname?

I wasn’t going to respond to this prompt, but then thoughtful posts by Singing Gecko and Books by Asher got me thinking.

Growing up in the 70s, kids (mostly boys) were constantly coming up with cruel nicknames for classmates, usually other boys. However, girls were not always spared. A couple of boys decided to call me “Popeye” in 5th or 6th grade because of my large eyes. I was so upset about it. I cried and cried. I think my mother finally intervened and spoke to a teacher (which was not her usual style), after the typical advice given to girls back then did not work: “They’re teasing you because they LIKE you” (worst advice ever!)

These memories made me think of the question Kamala Harris has been posing: What kind of a country do we want to be? It’s actually a great question.

Do we want to go back to the time when casual bullying, based on appearance/race/sexual orientation flowed like water from the tap? (If you grew up in the 70s and 80s, you know what I’m talking about.) Or do we want to live in a country where differences are celebrated and everyone feels included? DEI (short for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) should not be used as a slur. And it makes me sick that it’s being used that way against Harris.

I honestly think the cruelty is the point with Trump and his followers.

Image from Pexels

Doom scrolling

~ MaryG ~ 13 Comments

Which activities make you lose track of time?

I spend far too much time scrolling. My husband calls it “doom scrolling.”

Periodically, I delete different apps (like Facebook) from my phone or computer, so I won’t spend so much time looking at it, but I always end up reinstalling.

With Twitter, I was pissed at Elon Musk, so I deleted my whole account and can’t figure out how to get it back, so I’m logged into my husband’s account and am forbidden to like or post anything while in it.

Doom scrolling screenshot from “For You” Twitter/X feed

Why don’t they show us more cat videos? It’s the “algorithm,” right? They have us pegged as furious Democrats, I guess. Doom scrolling just makes me madder.

Reviews

~ MaryG ~ 5 Comments

I did a bunch of GenX things last weekend:

1) Went to see a cover band. The band was called Tusk and they are a Fleetwood Mac Tribute band. They were really great musicians and played all the songs really well. It was a beautiful, warm night. I danced and had fun. Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album came out in 1977 and it was my junior high jam. I loved that album so much. I did my majorettes try-out to “Second Hand News.” Hearing it all again, 47 years later, I have to admit, it’s yacht rock.

Tusk playing “Go Your Own Way” – don’t they sound just like Fleetwood Mac?

2) Went to see Fly Me To The Moon in a movie theater. All the movies out this summer seem like they’re for twenty-somethings. This one looked like it was geared for my age group and it was. If you ever drank Tang or Tab, this movie is for you. I thought it was very entertaining. ScarJo’s luminous beauty, the US space program of the 1960s, and a couple of very solid jabs at the Nixon administration were highlights for me. On the downside, the portrayal of the creative, gay movie director seemed like an over-the-top caricature, complete with ascots and limp wrists. Also, the whole plot seemed to feed into the whacko, conspiracy-theory, alt-reality culture we’re now living in.

When we came out of the movie, I had texts from both of my kids telling me Trump had almost been iced. A quick social media search revealed that Trump had stood up after the shooting and dramatically urged the crowd to “fight” and Republicans were blaming Democrats for the entire thing. Conspiracy theories were already in full bloom.

3) On Sunday night, with a growing sense of despair about the inevitability of the United States’ descent into right-wing madness, I happened to watch a Netflix comedy special and it was SO FUNNY. I laughed and laughed. Leanne Morgan was the only female comedian who appeared in the lineup of Netflix specials, so I took a chance on her and I’m so glad I did. She’s exactly my age (born in 1965) and I just loved her references to the 80s and all things wife/mother/grandmother-related. She avoids politics entirely. This bit about Dexatrim being speed had me in tears.

Highly recommend

Chicken salad #4

~ MaryG ~ 5 Comments

As previously mentioned, I have been trying to distract myself from America’s fraught political situation by trying cold chicken salad recipes and moving stuff around in my house.

This salad recipe is a winner. And it’s not even from my usual source (NYT Cooking). I randomly found it on the internet. The dressing/marinade is excellent and the combo of vegetables and bacon/blue cheese/chicken is just right.

Six thumbs up from the current residents of my house 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Grilled Chicken Salad – Dinner at the ZooDownload

The Daily Prompt and Joe Biden

~ MaryG ~ 7 Comments

According to WordPress, I’ve already answered today’s daily prompt, so I guess I’ve lapped myself. I’ve been posting regularly for about a year now. Here was my answer from last time this prompt came up:

Yeah, no, I don’t think so

Regarding Joe Biden, I’m getting more and more fearful that he’s just totally going to F*** us all by not dropping out. This article by Mark Leibovich is pretty harsh, but I tend to agree.

“It is now obvious that Biden has in no way internalized the disaster toward which he is defiantly ambling—or, more to the point, toward which he is leading his party and his country (and, for that matter, NATO, Ukraine, thousands of as-yet-not-deported immigrants, and unprosecuted Trump “enemies”). He seems fully indifferent to any consideration beyond his own withered pride and raging ego.”

I’m trying not to care about politics as much, because it’s just so damn depressing right now. I’m spending a lot of time trying chicken salad recipes and rearranging furniture. I’m trying to take heart in the fact that I (and most everyone I love) live in Massachusetts and perhaps we will be relatively insulated from Trump 2.0, but I know in my heart that nobody will escape it.

Complicated recipe, but very good in the end, especially on Day 2. The flavors really seemed to ripen.

Cold Rice Noodles with Grilled Chicken and Peanut Sauce

Cold Rice Noodles With Grilled Chicken and Peanut Sauce RecipeDownload

Back from the Brink

~ MaryG ~ 4 Comments

OK, I just watched Biden’s interview with George Stephanopoulos and I’m of two minds.

On the one hand, I’m worried that Biden thinks this whole thing is about him. If we lose to Trump, Joe will be just fine because ‘he tried his best.’ Yeah well, what about US?

On the other hand, he did remind me about his stature on the international stage. He held NATO together and even expanded it in defense of Ukraine. He’s accomplished many things — most importantly, he defeated Donald Trump.

So, here’s where I’m landing. If he doesn’t drop out and hand the Presidency and the nomination over to Harris soon, I want to see him involve her in everything. I want her prominently featured in the campaign. I want her leading the charge for women, and prosecuting the case against Trump (Kavanaugh hearings style) at every turn! I want to know that he’s truly mentoring her to takeover for him.

And yeah, he’s still old and mixes up shit, but it seemed more like normal old guy stuff, not like at the debate — where he seemed dementia-level confused.

My two cents.

Ready for President Harris

~ MaryG ~ 5 Comments

On what subject(s) are you an authority?

I’m not an authority on anything, but I have plenty of opinions.

In my opinion, President Biden should resign now and let VP Harris take over. His condition is not going to get better. It is old age and it never reverses. He should not have run for a second term, but he did, so now our only viable option is VP Harris. I’m optimistic that she will rise to the occasion and beat Trump, as she has shown tremendous leadership on the abortion issue of late.

Adam Sewer of The Atlantic said what I am thinking: Biden Must Resign.

I wish someone would play Biden the Hamilton soundtrack this weekend. The song “One Last Time” is so poignant. President Washington stepped down (at age 64) for the good of the country. I think President Biden (age 81!) should do the same, but what do I know?

President George Washington depicted at 64 years old at the end of his second term in office. (www.MountVernon.org)

The Future

~ MaryG ~ 18 Comments

What are you most worried about for the future?

I’m most worried about a second Trump term, which seems quite likely following last week’s debate in which Joe Biden’s advanced age and cognitive decline were on full display.

It is my hope that Biden comes to accept this and allows the Democratic Party to nominate someone younger—who can more vigorously rebut all of the convicted felon’s lies—in the coming weeks.

I believe that a second Trump term would mean the end of the United States as we’ve known it. Women’s rights, the Supreme Court, democracy, and the climate are my main concerns. I think I’ve actually given up on the United States ever controlling its gun violence problem.

On a much lighter note, I wore the pink side of my reversible skirt on Saturday. We had a joyous family celebration of my son’s college graduation and my granddaughter on the way. I cannot wait to meet her! 💗