Two Reasons Why I’m Not a Big Fan of Politics

One: It reminds me that people are cowardly jackasses

I had lunch with Bob Krumm today (among others).  I met him once before, briefly, and find him to be intelligent, funny, and earnest.  I think that’s about all you can ask for in anybody.  I don’t know what kind of politician he’ll be. 

I’m sure a lot of intelligent, funny, earnest folks go into politics thinking that they can remain above the corruption and other nonsense, but they don’t.

On the other hand, I’m sure there are people who stay intelligent, funny, and earnest, but end up exhausted and jaded as well.

But he means well and he intends to do good and, to me, that says something.

Any conservative who can sit at a table with three loud, obnoxious leftists who are going on about what’s in whose pocket (ahem, Kleinheider) and hold his own and maintain his dignity gets props from me.

So, it was with great surprise that I read this over at Kleinheider’s today:

Interesting comment on this thread from a commenter identifying himself as “Belle Meade Voter.”

Talk in the district is that Krumm is going to lose the Republican primary to Manuel Fonseca, a local firefighter. Krumm is a complete unknown. Fonseca is at least involved in our neighborhoods through his work.

Those that know Krumm think he is arrogant in that he keeps talking about what he is going to do when he is elected. To be blunt, many of the few folks that know him view him as somewhat of a carpetbagger. They think he rolled in here from some other state, started a blog, and now he thinks we should elect him as our senator.

He also does not seem to realize how it insults many in this district that he — as someone that has never really done anything in our community — is taking on Doug Henry.

Doug Henry is a public servant in every good sense of the name. He fought for us in World War II. He has spent most of his life taking care of us in the senate. He is absolutely unassailable.

Krumm had better get out of the blog world and get into the real world quickly because he is in for a rude awakening.

I, of course, have nothing against pseudonymous internet activities.  I, you may have noticed, blog pseudonymously.  Yet, if you want to find me, it’s not that hard.  A lot of folks know who I am.  I have a working email address and I am the only person at Percy Warner Park walking a big ole pit bull.

If you have a problem with me, you can find me.  If I say something you don’t like or don’t understand, you can call me to task on it.

But these anonymous drive-by comments?  I don’t know.  When it comes to everyday ordinary life, I don’t really give a shit.  If y’all suddenly started only posting anonymous comments, it’d be kind of funny, if a little annoying.

But I read this and it didn’t make me think “Oh, poor Krumm.  Those Belle Meade folks don’t like him.”  It made me think, “What cowardly jackass would not have the guts to say this to Krumm’s face, but instead has to post it at another site under a fake name?”

I think I was supposed to feel like I was getting some kind of inside scoop, like this is the water cooler gossip and now I’m in the know.  Instead, I just felt like it was cowardly and dishonorable. 

Those criticisms might be legitimate.  I don’t know Bob Krumm.  He might secretly be a big snobby carpetbagger.  But I’m not going to take the word of a coward. 

Will other people?

I’m afraid that kind of bullshit works and it makes me sad.

Two: It reminds me that the Democrats will sell me out in order to win

I am a woman.  I believe in equal rights for everyone and marriage for any two people foolish or brave enough to want it.  I believe in my bodily autonomy and while I respect your right to life once you are, you know, actually alive, while you’re a parasite in my body, you’re there at my discretion.  My body is a gift I give you, for a brief time, not something the state gets to control on your behalf while you are a fetus.  My body belongs to nobody but me.  If that works out poorly for you, I am truly sorry, but that’s just how it is.

Those things I am uncompromising about.  Full citizenship with all its benefits for the born and bodily autonomy without state interference for born women.

As you know, if you read my blog.

I don’t want to fight about that.  I just want to state it.

And then I want to say that I vote Democratic because I don’t believe the Republicans are interested in fighting for either of the things that are beyond compromise for me.

So, I want to return to Julia Corker and Mike Kopp.  Here’s Kopp, a big Democratic operative who worked for Gore and appeared on Frontline and so on.

And so, I guess, he wants Corker out of the Senate race. So, what does he do?  He sells out Corker’s daughter by insinuating that she’s a slut and that her kissing another girl is scandalous.

I don’t give a shit if every Republican in Tennessee might think that’s true; Kopp is an influential Democrat and fuck him, he’s supposed to be on my side.  And my side is not about suggesting that grown ass women are under the control of their fathers.  My side is not about slut shaming.  My side is not about implying that there’s anything even remotely gross about two women kissing.

Are the Democrats still on my side or not?

Don’t even fucking answer that.  I cannot bear to know.