Politics

As I was driving to Trader Joe’s in search of some last minute dinner inspiration, I happened to hear the words “ Kansas” and “ politics” come from my radio. I found myself listening to the NPR reporter discuss the well- liked senator from Kansas who is…gasp…a DEMOCRAT.  Heaven forbid!  She went on to say that only 26% of registered voters in Kansas are Democrats.  My first reaction was to be surprised but then I began to drift back to my childhood in Kansas and 26% suddenly seemed like progress. After I finished my grocery shopping, made dinner and got the kids to bed, I sat down at the computer and did a little research of my own.  I thought to myself, I wonder if my favorite candidate has any connection to Kansas? 

Hearing the news this week that American Samoa was among the states and territories holding caucuses on Super Tuesday set me wondering if their delegates might end up holding the balance of power in a deadlocked Democratic Convention.  What would the Samoans demand in exchange for their votes?  What would the candidates promise them?

Such fantasies are hardly new to me.  For example, when the Democratic Party offered my friend Henry Beard and me the chance to host a delegation or two during the 1992 national convention in New York, we quickly chose American Samoa and Guam in hopes that the balloting would be stalemated and the tiny collection of delegates we were entertaining would be the key to deciding the presidential nomination.  “We’ll control access to them!” we told ourselves.  “We’ll be power brokers!”

The day after Governor Clinton announced his candidacy for President outside The Old State House in Little Rock, Arkansas, Mickey Kantor, a friend of my then-boyfriend, called and asked if I would advance the Governor at 7:00 the next morning.  The Clintons, Bruce Lindsay, and a friend of theirs from Colorado, who pretty much made up the entire campaign, were coming to Los Angeles where Governor Clinton was to be a guest on Michael Jackson’s radio show. All I knew about him was that he could not stop talking when he delivered the keynote address at the Democratic convention in 1988 and I wasn’t at all sure that he would be my candidate.  I said no.  No.  No.  No.  Absolutely not. 

Don't get Chinese food when you're in Montana. You'd think I'd be able to know this without having to go to Montana and get Chinese food but apparently I'm not that bright. My band was on tour in Montana in 2002 and for some reason, we, three native New Yorkers who all know better decided to go to the one Chinese restaurant in Missoula, MT. I've had some bad Chinese food in my life, but this one really took the cake.