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[theinevitable]

It is super-weird that the people at my internship don't know anything about local politics, and the people I am friends with who are desperately trying to find jobs in this field know all about it. Like, really, Antonio French is not some random alderman. He is in the local news probably every other day, and he is running a ton of big community development programs about half a mile from your office. Where you work on community development programs. You should know who he is.

[littlefallsmets]

The problem with local politics is that... you can actually DO something about them so a lot of people stay willfully ignorant of them.

National politics, we can get all angry and clever about without ever having to feel like we have the ability to have personal skin in the game, you know?

If we let ourselves get passionate about local politics, we hafta like... you know... DO something about it.

And then we have to MEET the people we have all our vitriol about and see that they're a REAL PERSON and they're probably not the two-dimensional monster we want them to be and... then we get all bummed out and have to critically think about our positions and...

Man, that's a whole lot more of a hassle than calling a guy who lives two thousand miles away a commie.

[Choop]

oh man you guys

i just realized

asherdan is diablo cody

ohhh shiiiiiiit

[pmcd9]

Did LFM and Ash just agree?

[jay-ell]

My dad was a city councilman in my small town when I was a kiddo. I used to canvass with/for him when I was 6 or 7. Got a lot fewer doors slammed in my face than he did. What can I say, I was cute back then.

I really want to get involved in some of the crazy shit that is going on with our school board lately, but I can't because I am too busy with the kids. But as soon as Chaos Girl heads off the kindergarten, I am all over that shit. I would even consider running for local office when they get older, if it doesn't interfere with my duties as a parent. I grew up as a local-politics orphan, I'm proud of what my dad did for the town but I won't do it to my kids. Their needs are different and they come first.

[Choop]

didn't i point out that it was two grand owed in back cans buckaroo hey diddly

shit, i just cannot turn a phrase like you ._.

[AugustWest]

One of the things about growing up in a state capital, especially a small one like Frankfort, is that you get a lot of exposure to state government and politics.  Both frontmen and behind the scenes people -- it's the local industry.  I'm pretty sure I've met every Governor since I was born.  Hundreds of state senators and representatives.  Supreme Court Justices, lower court Judges -- some of that is just part of being a lawyer.  Lobbyists.  Political consultants and fixers.  Policy wonks and party hacks.

It's tended to make me pretty fuck*ng cynical about politics.

[littlefallsmets]

There's actually a strong family tradition on my father's side in taking positions in local government...

My grandfather was a city alderman and a delegate for New York state at four or five Democratic National Conventions, my uncle was head of the Democratic party in one of those counties in the Adirondacks, my dad was a city alderman for a time.

But the local cops framed my dad for a crime he didn't commit to get him to leave the town council because they didn't like what he was doing and... like... around these parts, I don't trust these assholes a lick farther than they throw them.

When my life brings me back down toward New York City again in a coupla years, I want to get involved in things on a grassroots level but while I'm up here, I am gunshy.

I have been Intimidated.

[smick]

Going to Helium again tonight to see if I can get shut out for the 4th week in a row.

I have this worry that the last time I went up there, I said something and got myself blacklisted from the room.

(I need to not hang my hat on Helium as the only room in town.  There are open mics every night of the week here.  Just...that one is the nicest.)

Also:
<---- My post count is an anagram ... numanagram ... garynumanagram of my can count.

Are 'cans' electric?

[jaydub]

Maybe that's the trick to getting MrQ to post more than once a year.  We set his can count to the current year and see if he comes back.

[theinevitable]

I have mentioned that I have become a massive clothes hoss, right? Getting nice clothes on major sale feels oh so good.

[jay-ell]

Opened my Target bag to try on/put away aforementioned bras. Found the candy bar I'd bought and then forgotten. Exclaimed, in front of a witness, while opening a bag of undergarments, "Oh! I forgot about my Mounds!"

[littlefallsmets]

Hooray for candy bras!

[Nabubrush]

I think I mentioned that my family was tremendously involved in State politics (for the dark side) when I was a teenager. If they had done anything that I considered good, I probably wouldn't be so much of a lefty. It did, however, give me a pretty solid understanding of what is reasonable to expect in terms of results. All these idiots who wander in for their first term and say "no special interest $" etc are full of shit.

That said, I have the ear of my elected officials and I bend the fuck out of it on the regular. I love that shit. I also really love having some people representing me who I don't consider reprehensible.

[AugustWest]

dialing or having a convo while voiding yourself in public is just a crass thing to me, and it irks.

Yeah, that's pretty much the definition of crass.