Posted on 04/22/2016 5:08:51 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
When I was a lad, I very much enjoyed the comedy of Cheech & Chong. Tonight, at the Novo by Microsoft theatre in downtown Los Angeles, I got to see them live. Their humor comes from a gentler, and now rather distant, time in our nation’s history, but only one of the many bits actually felt dated.
Amid the drug-related and social-observation material came a genuine political surprise. An anti-Trump joke in the opening act fell a little flat, and a few minutes later, when the main act got under way, Cheech asked the audience, “Are there any Donald Trump supporters here tonight?” The response was a remarkable amount of applause – maybe 15 percent of the audience — plus a couple of isolated boos. (I would have predicted at least the exact opposite, or, more likely, massive booing.) I was reminded immediately of a tweet from novelist Bret Easton Ellis a couple of months ago: “Just back from a dinner in West Hollywood: shocked the majority of the table was voting for Trump but they would never admit it publicly.” I guess that, in the safe anonymity of a dark theater, it’s OK to admit you’re for Trump.
Will a “stoner vote” for Trump materialize on primary day? It depends on how many members of this demographic group realize they have to register in the Republican party by 15 days before primary day. (The primary is on June 7, which means the deadline is May 23.) Even without that limitation, this is a constituency that can be notoriously hard to turn out.
Before the concert, I had dinner at the Chick-fil-A in Hollywood. (Another thing I love about L.A.: It’s a pretty liberal town but “Chick-fil-A” is not a swear word here. It’s part of the overall laid-back non-judgmentalism; “Who cares if you’re against gay marriage, you make great chicken sandwiches, man!” You can tell people you’re anything from a polyamorous bisexual to a five-point Calvinist and they’ll react the same way: “Wow, that sounds really interesting!”)
Which brings me to the day’s other political encounter. At Chick-fil-A, I met a pretty and personable lady from Houston, Texas, in her late 50s and robust. I was glad to meet a constituent of Ted Cruz, who is currently running second in the California-primary polls, and I asked her what she thought of him. She grimaced and sighed. “Well, he’s better than Hillary, at least,” she said. “I really don’t like Hillary.” She went on to say that, unfortunately, the powers that be have already decided who is going to win.
If Ted Cruz wins the general election, this woman and millions of Americans like her will be the reason why. Consider what she was saying: 1) I don’t like Ted Cruz. 2) My vote doesn’t matter anyway, because the election’s rigged. But – the all-important but – 3) despite all that, I will vote for Cruz.
People have been telling me how unlikeable Ted Cruz is – the Republicans with anxiety, sometimes bordering on panic; the Democrats with satisfaction, sometimes bordering on glee. But: People have also been telling me, more of them and for a much longer time, how unlikeable Hillary is. (Just last month I was in a downtown used bookstore with an ex-girlfriend. We overheard a couple of young hipsters, one of whom said, “Yeah, even the Democrats don’t like her.” There was no need to ask who was being referred to.) Ted Cruz is like the first guy in the ancient joke about the two hikers confronted by a bear. The first guy sits down and starts putting on running shoes. The second guy says, “Are you crazy? We can’t outrun him.” The second guy says, “I don’t need to outrun him. I just need to outrun you.”
I don’t want to overstate the case, because I recognize that the same phenomenon exists in reverse. I remember an investment banker back in NYC who told me he was supporting Hillary. I asked him, “Aren’t you worried about the –” He put up his hands and interrupted me. “I know she’s crooked,” he said. “I knew she was crooked as far back as the cattle futures. There’s no way that was legit. . . . But the Republicans are f***in’ crazy so I have to vote for her.”
In a way, this sort of thing is quite healthy: Put not thy trust in princes. When you are skeptical even of your own candidates, you’re less likely to think that government – and the election of the right politicians – is the answer to all problems. And remember, if somebody dismisses your candidate as unlikeable — this year, more than ever, you are entitled to say, Ahhhh, so’s yer old man.
Cruz will take anybody’s money, so I can live with anybody voting fro Trump.
;)
I read it all.
Not sure what his point was.
Cruz is unlikeable, but Hillary is more unlikeable?
“Before the concert, I had dinner at the Chick-fil-A in Hollywood. (Another thing I love about L.A.: It’s a pretty liberal town but “Chick-fil-A” is not a swear word here”
****
our production company is 5 minutes away. Yes, he’s correct. It’s ALWAYS packed and 2 blocks away is In N out. One of the very few things I like about my area, I have 2 of the best burger joints in the west coast all within 2 blocks.
One may not like the process but the adult player plays by the rules as they are , not the rules as they wish they were.
“I happen to like Ted Cruz.”
Why? He lies, he’s is unattractive (looks like his head belongs on the top of an Aztec totem pole, and has a voice like Mickey Mouse) and he’s a loser. What’s to like?
The Yellow Kid points the way to yellow journalism...
We were told that Cruz is the Face of God
Cruz, he’s less creepy than Hillary!
Great campaign slogan.
“She grimaced and sighed. ‘Well, he’s better than Hillary, at least,’ she said. ‘I really don’t like Hillary.’”
THAT’S evidence of Cruzmentum?! Once of Cruz’s constituents from Texas says she will only vote for him to stop Hillary. That’s hardly an endorsement, and if the writer bothered to take off his Cruz-colored glasses he would realize that that lack of enthusiasm is pretty much on the “please clap” level and could indicate that Cruz will have trouble keeping his seat in TX.
One may not like the process but the adult player plays by the rules as they are , not the rules as they wish they were.
The actual voters might have something to say about it in the fall.
Cruz is the brainy weasel kid who knew ALL the rules to Monopoly, and only shared the ones that were to HIS advantage.
The other kids never liked the brainy weasel, so good luck to Ted with that particular strategy. :)
“The Art of the Cruz Deal”. :)
aka “The Art of the Schlemiel”...
There is no end to the con this guy is. I bet that is his PAC money.
Illegal
“Not sure what his point was.”
A different and longer way of saying “hold your nose and vote for the lesser evil........again?”
2ndDivisionVet is a solicitor of money for Cruz.
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