I'll Take "Pragmatism" For Any Price, Alex

Since it’s Friday and I’ve got a slow day at work, I thought I’d dive into some more serious fare once again. Over the past year or two I have been ratcheting up my interest in politics to a level it hasn’t been at since I was a card-carrying member of the Young Republicans back in 1997. However, over the past couple months I have been increasingly getting disillusioned and reminded of why I have felt so much apathy towards politics in the past. I am really disheartened by the total lack of pragmatism that exists on both sides of the aisle. This has really been brought into focus for me by seeing what has been going on with the debate over the new Child Health Insurance bill currently moving through Congress. Just as a quick recap, this bill is a reauthorization of a program that already exists called SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) which has the goal of ensuring that children of poor families are still able to get health care. OK, that seems like a pretty good, practical idea that should be bipartisan. Certainly doesn’t seem like something that would trigger a huge political battle. But of course it has. The bill was introduced into the House back in February where it passed overwhelmingly 360 to 45 (28 abstaining). It passed similarly in the Senate in August by a count of 68-31-1. It was then vetoed by President Bush. I think this is a good point to also interject that this veto by Bush was the first one he has wielded in his 6 and a half years in office. The fact that he chose to do it with a bill that passed with 89% of the House vote and 69% of the Senate is surprising, to say the least. But of course, all you need is 2/3 majority to override the veto so this thing will still have no problem becoming law right? Of course not. The veto override fails with a vote of 273-156-2 (63.6%).

Not surprisingly, public opinion about whether or not the veto was a good idea falls largely along party lines. People who identify with Democrats blame Bush for vetoing a bill that passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and those who identify with Republicans point out the bill’s weaknesses and blame Democrats for not coming up with a better bill. Of course, these both miss the mark on where the real blame belongs: on everybody! Now, I have no desire to start debating the pros and cons of this bill right now because it’s irrelevant to the point I’m trying to make, which is outrage at the process. When the bill was voted on in the House the first time, Republicans voted in favor of it 145-45-15. When the time came to override the veto, the Republican vote changed to 44-154-2. That is a complete 180 degree turn and it’s the same bill! Why was it a good idea in February but it’s a terrible idea now? The way I see it, there are only 3 possibilities for the Congressmen that changed their minds: 1) they didn’t read it carefully enough the first time, 2) they still believe in the bill but are being loyal to the President, or 3) they decided that by opposing this bill they could gain some political traction on the Democrats. For different reasons, all of those are unacceptable and work to the detriment of the best interests of the nation. First, if they didn’t read the bill closely enough the first time they were casting an irresponsible vote. Second, backing the President when you disagree philosophically is a neglect of their Congressional duty to act as a check and balance of the executive branch. Lastly, changing your mind simply to fan a political flame fulfills all the worst stereotypes about politicians placing themselves and their party ahead of the country’s interests.

OK, so I’ve harped on the Republicans but how about the Democrats? Well, after the veto failed they passed a slightly revised bill by a count of 265-142 (65%). Guess what? That’s still short of the veto-proof number. The heads and whips of each party know exactly where they stand on each bill at almost every moment. Why in the world would you bring a bill to vote knowing full well it is going to get vetoed again and that you are short of the override? If you couldn’t change a Rep’s mind before the initial vote, what chance are you going to have when the it involves not only changing sides on an issue but also breaking ranks with their own party and going against the President? But they voted on it anyway, Bush has already vowed to veto it, and now we’ll get to see a 2-week long song and dance with lots of speeches and fanfare, with each side blaming the other for the problems, and absolutely nothing getting done at the end of it. Then it will get thrown back in the House for another revision. At that point, most likely what it will take to get it through is the addition of a lot “pork” to a few of the dissenting voters to fund some of their pet projects so that they can go back to their constituents and say “yeah I voted for that bill, because even though I didn’t like the health care aspect, it got us this new highway!” Either that, or the bill will get so watered down that in the process of removing the objectionable parts the beneficial parts will get taken out too and we’ll be left with yet another big expensive government program that doesn’t work.

Please forgive me for being naïve, but does it have to be this way? I mean, if a public company operated in this way they would face the ire of a mob of angry stockholders who would vote the board of directors out of their chairs in a heartbeat. And they wouldn’t stop to ask “well, who is it that is really clogging up the works here?” they’d just say “you guys can’t get the job done; you’re out”. So where’s the ire from us, the stockholders of the democracy? Of course there is none, because this isn’t seen as anything new. The headline “Congress Inefficient” on a newspaper would garner about the same level of interest to people as the headline “Oxygen Discovered to be Breathable.”

Whatever happened to the idea that when two sides couldn’t agree on something, they locked themselves in a room and didn’t come out till they could come up with a compromise? I realize that doesn’t work on everything (abortion comes to mind) but if you can’t do that with something as seemingly universal as “poor kids should have access to doctors too” how on in the world are you ever going to solve any real sophisticated problems (like, for instance, the war in Iraq)?

I mean, has it always been like this? I didn’t think so, and now I have Alan Greenspan to back me up. I am in the process of reading his book The Age of Turbulence (which is easily the best book I’ve read this year) and he has this to offer about partisan politics:

“The four congressional caucuses, two in each body, have shifted dramatically over the years. Each caucus, two Republican, two Democratic, used to comprise liberals, moderates, and conservatives. To be sure, the proportions differed by party, but there was rarely enough cohesion to produce overwhelming majorities for any piece of legislation in any of the four caucuses. Votes on legislation typically would be Democrats 60 percent for, 40 percent against, and Republicans 40 percent for, 60 percent against, or vice versa. Today’s congressional caucuses . . .have become either predominantly liberal (the Democrats) or conservative (the Republicans). Accordingly, legislation that used to split party votes 60 percent to 40 percent is now more likely to be 95 percent to 5 percent. Legislation has consequently become highly partisan.”

He goes on to say:

In 1974 “partisan fervor was largely set aside as the sun went down. The dinners I attended (a Washington political ritual) were invariably bipartisan. Senators and representatives from both parties would mix with administration stalwarts, the media, and the city’s social power brokers. During 2005, my last full year in government, the ritual dinners were still there, but they had become intensely partisan. On many occasions, I was the only Republican present. And at “Republican dinners” I attended, there were few, if any, Democrats.”

I think the crux of the second quote is intricately linked with the results of the first. As elected officials increasingly identify themselves as “Republican Congressmen” or “Democratic Congressman” rather than “US Congressman” it almost becomes a gang-type affiliation and the Capitol becomes the battleground for trench warfare rather than fertile ground for ideas and legislation to grow. And you can see it in the way issues are presented and debated. Rather than one side saying “well this is a pretty good bill, but there are some problems we need to iron out” you end up with one side saying “this is a horrible bill that will take the country in the absolute wrong direction.” And of course it’s easy to see what happens next. Have you ever been engaged in a debate where you didn’t care much one way or the other but the person you were talking to started spouting off exaggerations and half-truths in such a one-sided manner that you found yourself vehemently arguing for the other side and doing some of the same things? That’s what happens here, as the other side basically says “this is a wonderful bill that is critical to the country’s success and must be passed immediately.” So now, instead of the debate being framed around the tweaks that need to be made, we get to hear about the exaggerated benefits from one side and then get the problems catastrophised from the other. And, of course, lost in the shuffle is the middle ground, which also happens to contain the truth.

So, what exactly am I saying? I’m saying that it depresses me that the political debates are such in this country that I always feel as if I have to choose between two extremes. It is especially troubling because I, as well as most people, usually prefer the middle ground. I am hopeful that this age of uber-partisan politics is only a phase and that good sense will prevail in the end. Whether or not you agree with his views, Obama’s message of “the politics of hope” (meaning campaigning on the issues and not on opponent attacks) as well as his commitment to not accepting funds from lobbyists are a good start, but so far he stands largely alone amidst of sea of polarizing forces.

I spend at least 4-5 hours a month talking politics with my friend Joe. Sometimes we agree and sometimes we don’t, but I always have respect for him and his views and I’m always more than happy to sit down and have a beer with him before, during, and/or after. I guess I’d just like to see that same kind of civility from our government. Am I asking too much?

I'll Have Nothing (and Like It)

This weekend for the first time in what seems like forever I did pretty much nothing and I must say that it was everything I dreamed it would be and more. It was awesome to have an entire weekend where the most pressing engagements I had were 1) going to see a movie on Friday night and 2) dragging myself a mile away to watch the Illini game at The Fieldhouse Saturday night. Apart from those distractions (and a couple trips to the gym) I spent a lot of quality time on the couch watching and gambling on football. Ultimately, gambling-wise I had a pretty good weekend (+$130) but really the point for me isn't to win money it's just to avoid losing my bankroll and thus having to put more in (one of my favorite gambling quotes is "I hope to break even this week; I really need the money." That only makes sense to you if you're a gambler). As a fan, the weekend was a mixed bag. The Illini game was quite disappointing. Ultimately it was probably a meaningless loss though since they will almost certainly still be bowl-eligible. Also, they didn't really have a legit shot at the Big Ten title anyway since their chances of beating Ohio St in Columbus were pretty remote. As a side note, as it turned out The Fieldhouse was just not a good place to be Saturday night as the crowd was packed with fans of the Illini, the Indians, and the Terrapins; all of whom lost. However, the Bears game Sunday more than made up for the Saturday letdown, as Brian Griese temporarily saved the Bears season by engineering a 97-yard TD drive with just under 2 minutes to go and no timeouts. It became even more impressive when it came out later that he had lost the audio in his helmet and thus was forced to call all the plays himself. After last week's crushing last-second defeat, it was nice to get one of those back.

So while things evened out for me, I've got to say that I really feel for Indians fans. 3 chances to win one game to get to the World Series and they come up short. Since the Cubs got swept out of the playoffs 2 weeks ago I had been comtemplating whether I would rather have had them go out the way they did this year or in 2003. I thought at the time that I'd rather have this year's result and now after watching the Indians I'm sure of it. It sucks to just get swept out of the playoffs; but it's something entirely different and far more cruel to get "this close" and then have your heart torn out. And by the way, why do I get this feeling that the Red Sox are going to win like 4 more World Series titles in the next 10 years and become the new Yankees? All that good will of being the team that always comes oh-so-close but never wins it is going to evaporate in a hurry, let me tell you. Actually, between the Series-bound Red Sox, the undefeated Patriots, and #2 Boston College most of the Boston goodwill is probably already gone.

Speaking of gone, the movie I mentioned that we saw on Friday night was Gone Baby Gone, which is the directorial debut of Ben Affleck and is based on the novel by Dennis Lehane (who also wrote Mystic River). Christy and I both agree that it's the best movie we've each seen this year. Since it's a thriller, I can't really talk about it without giving away too much, but what makes it so good is that when the inevitable twists come they actually make a lot of sense within the context of the story and are consistent with the characters and don't simply happen because the writer decided there needed to be a twist here. Casey Affleck also does a much better job than I thought he would. It's not an Oscar-worthy performance, but anytime you can share the screen with Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman and hold your own, you've done an admirable job.

We Be Cultured

Starting with a poor decision to see a truly awful musical called Bark! (which is in the spirit of cats where all the actors are dogs at a local pound) right after we moved into the city Christy and I have struck out more times than not whenever we have attempted to delve into the realm of Chicago Theatre. All you really need to know about the play Bark! is that it ends with the line (shouted by all the characters) "Come on you pussies, bark!" On the heels of that debachle, we saw Wicked a month later and despised that as well. All you really need to know about that play is that it says "how about we take the Wicked Witch and model her after the ugly duckling, take the Good Witch and model her after Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde, and take the Professor and model him after Hitler." We did finally break the trend when we saw "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?" this past summer, but even that wasn't without incident since Kathleen Turner was sick and missed the performance. On Friday, Christy and I once again decided to try our luck with Chicago Theatre by going to see a play called Passion (no relation to the Mel Gibson movie) at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre at Navy Pier. The result was, well, better than Bark! and Wicked but not much else. To summarize, it's a musical drama set in the early 1900s about a love triangle between a married woman, a young soldier, and the sickly cousin of his commanding officer. It was pretty well written and all the performances were solid, but the music just really detracted from the whole thing. I have no bias against musicals, but in this case there were absolutely no memorable songs or even clear melodies most of the time. Basically most scenes boil down to some good dramatic dialog that builds to a crescendo and then the singing begins and rather than elevate the level of emotion and drama it ends up completely deflating it. Had they just spoken the exact same lines instead of singing them, the result would have been a far superior product. It's a shame, too, because every other piece of this play works (acting, writing, direction, pacing) but ultimately it's a case of trying to fit a round peg into a square hole that derails it. So far, the common thread that has run through two of our poor selections is Ana Gastemeyer (the SNL alum who starred in both Wicked and Passion). Sorry Ana, but I think we're done with you for a while.

We did fare better last night when we went to see the premier of Slipstream, a new film starring Anthony Hopkins that was playing as part of the Chicago Film Festival at the Music Box Theatre. In addition to starring in it, he also wrote, directed, and scored it. He was also present to introduce the film as well. About all I can say about him is that he seemed like a nice guy, since he didn't say much other than thank a bunch of people and hoped that we enjoyed it. There's really no good way that I can describe the film to you, since it's one of those "warped reality" type of films. The closest I can come is to say that it's about a writer who is losing his mind and the characters he is writing about start appearing in his life and vice versa. In general, though, I'd say that if you are a fan of David Lynch then you will like this movie (which I am and did). However, Christy is not a fan of Lynch but she still liked it. It's one of those films where although it is weird and certainly not everything ties together, you still do have the notion that it is playing by a real set of rules (rather than just randomness) and that there is some sense amidst the disorder. With movies like this, since you don't have a linear, cohesive storyline it becomes essential that each individual scene is able to work and entertain on its own, and that's something that I think this film does exceptionally well (something I think can also be said for Lynch's Mulholland Drive, which is one of my favorite movies of all time). The movie aside, I'd just like to say that everyone who hasn't yet needs to experience a film at the Music Box Theatre. It really is like going back in time to see a movie. The main theatre is a huge 400-500 person auditorium with extremely intricate designs and gold trim on the walls. A large red velvet curtain hangs over the screen before the show and music from an antique gold organ located just to the left of the screen provides the pre-show entertainment (even if you don't like organ music, you can't deny that it is light years better than the 15 minutes of advertising you're forced to sit through at AMCs now). Sure, there are drawbacks. There's no stadium seating and of course the old style seats lack modern amenities like cup holders and frankly aren't the most comfortable things in the world. But when you see a film there, you feel like you're connecting back with a time when it really was an event to go and see a movie, rather than just a way to kill 2 hours on a Saturday night when nothing else is going on.

I finally finished Fiasco and am still dilligently working on my Iraq War post. I hope to have something suitable for blogging by the end of the week. In the meantime, I am starting on Alan Greenspan's book this week and also am going to begin studying for the first part of the CPA exam. Lucky, lucky me. Finally, I got out and ran for the first time since the marathon yesterday. Only 3 miles, but it felt good to run and my knee held up pretty well.

26.2: The Play by Play (or Step by Step)

Yes, I am the exceptionally goofy-looking guy in all white wearing the headband. And just to my right and slightly ahead of me is my friend Phil who was both stupid enough to allow me to con him into running this one drunken night and also gracious enough to run it step for step with me the whole way yesterday. Just over Phil's right shoulder you can see my dad, who met us at the 25 mile marker and went most of the rest of the way in with us. The person taking the picture is my brother Joe, who met us at just past the mile 21 marker and walked with us the rest of the way (which was more work than it sounds considering he'd made the poor decision to wear a black t-shirt).

So, the end result was 5:53:34 but the bottom line was that I finished, got my medal, and am still alive to tell the tale. I would have considered that an accomplishment under any setting, but coming during the hottest Chicago Marathon on record and on a knee that I was positive was going to give out on me I couldn't be happier with the result. I also can't believe that a day after I had to witness in-person the demise of the Cubs season I am still considering this a really good weekend (the Bears come from behind victory helped too).

I'd just like to take a quick moment to thank everybody who sent me words of encouragement and congratulations leading up to and after the marathon. It was nice to feel the love and also just to know that people cared about something I was doing. I'd also like to thank Christy, Liz, Megan, my dad, my brothers Joe and Zack, and Phil and Christy's parents for coming out yesterday and supporting Phil and I. It's one thing to get random encouragment from spectators, but it means so much more when it comes directly at you from people you know. Of course I have to save a special thank you to Christy, who dealt with our lives revolving around my training schedule for the last 4 months and encouraged me at every step even though as a wife she was more worried about my health and safety than she was excited about me doing this. Thanks dear, you are the best!

Now I'd just like to share some thoughts, sights, and quotes from the day to give you a feel for what the experience was like.

5:30 A.M. - The alarm goes off. Way too early, considering that I just got to sleep a little before 1. I get up, shower and dress and greet Phil (who stayed over Saturday night) with "I don't know about you, but I'm ready to do something incredibly stupid!"

6:40 A.M. - We get on the el which, predictably, is a madhouse. At the next stop, a group of four French people get on. One of them is wearing an all red-white-and-blue spandex suit and has a giant French flag strapped to his back. He is also wearing a beret. All he needs is to be holding wine and cheese in his hand and he would be the perfect French stereotype.

7:35 A.M. - Phil and I reach the starting gate and get ourselves in with the 9:00 min/mile pace people so that we can get across the starting line earlier. We're not trying to be jackasses, but the course closes 6 and a half hours after the gun and thus the faster you get across the start line the more time you have. If you haven't seen the marathon before, just imagine they took Wrigley Field during a sold out Cubs game and emptied them all out into a 4 block area and held them there. Now also imagine that there are people from about 50 different countries present, all speaking different languages and holding or wearing flags you've never seen before. We sit down and stretch for a while and try not to think about the fact that we'll be running for the next 6 hours.

8:10 A.M. - We get across the starting line quicker than I thought, leaving us a whole 6:20 to finish in. We can do over 14-minute miles now and still finish in time. Woo-hoo!

~9:00 A.M. - We stop at the Port-O-Potties at the 5 mile marker. This is only significant because, despite the fact that at just about every water station the rest of the way we drink at least 2 cups of gatorade and one cup of water we will never even feel the slightest need to use the facilities again.

~9:35 A.M. - We are near the 8-mile marker and my knee starts to whine. Uh oh.

~9:50 A.M - My knee goes numb. Score! We are in upper Lakeview/Boys Town and there are massive crowds on both sides. I want to skip our walk break because it's very easy to run when you've got shade and a big audience.

~10:00 A.M. - Just before the 10-mile marker we see Christy, Liz, and Megan and about a minute later see my dad and brothers. Then we turn onto North Ave. There's a good amount of shade and a huge crowd on both sides of the street cheering us on. Just before the turn at Wells, there is an Elvis imitator performing. I don't feel the least bit tired. I say to myself "This is actually a lot more fun than I thought it would be. You know what? I might actually end up running another one of these."

~10:20 A.M. - After running down Wells for a mile and a half, during which time there is virtually no shade, no breeze, and the temperature has risen to approximately the temperature of the surface of the sun I think to myself "This is quite possibly the worst idea I've ever had. You know what? I'm glad that the first guy that ever ran a marathon dropped dead afterwards. Served him right."

~10:45 A.M. - We reach the halfway point, and the comfortable numbness of my knee is gone. I have the distinct feeling (correct, as it turns out) that this time it will not be going numb again.

~11:15 A.M. - We are past the west loop, over by the United Center. This area is markedly more suburban-looking which means both smaller buildings (and thus less shade) and not nearly as many people cheering us on. Fatigue starts to become a real issue, and I make the executive decision to modify our ratio of 4 mintes of running and 1 minute of walking to 3/2. Phil concurs with this decision.

~11:45 A.M. - We are entering Little Italy and coming to the 18-mile marker. There's a lot more people here and we are getting a 2nd (or third, or maybe fourth) wind. Christy, Liz, and Megan have come down from the north side to cheer us on here and Christy's parents are here as well. We get a nice boost.

~12:00 P.M. - We get to the water station past the mile 19 marker and hear that "the marathon has been cancelled." We have pretty much no other information other than that, but everyone seems to still be doing the course so we just keep going.

~12:15 P.M. - Just past the 20 mile marker, police officers are coming into the street and forcibly stopping people from running. We still have no idea what exactly is going on, and the announcement over the bullhorn that "the marathon has been cancelled due to a heat emergency" is decidedly unhelpful. All I can think of is "after all this, are you seriously going to tell me that I'm not going to be able to finish this and I'll have to run another one?"

~ 12: 35 P.M. - Walking now, we pass the 21 mile marker in Chinatown and see my dad and brother Joe. Joe decides to walk along with us and we see if he has any additional information. All he knows is that out of the 45,000 registered entrants, 10,000 didn't even show up due to the heat. My knee informs me that it will be doing no more bending the rest of the way.

~12:55 P.M. - Around the 22 mile marker we finally get the real story from a police officer. Yes, we are still allowed to complete the course but we are supposed to walk due to the heat and the fact that some water stations are out of water and the paramedics have been overwhelmed. We are still being timed and will still get our medals. This information improves the mood significantly.

2:03 P.M. - After walking the last 5 miles, we run through the giant mister (the photo at the top), walk the giant hill on Roosevelt, and then run down Columbus through the finish. We get our medals and then a free beer. What more could you ask for?

So all in all, had we not been forced to walk I think our time would have been right around 5:30. However, the difference between a time of 5:53 and 5:30 doesn't really mean anything. Anyone who's run a marathon before knows that both times are slow, and anyone who hasn't has absolutely no frame of reference and is just impressed that you finished.

Alright, not to make this post any more long-winded, I'll just leave you with some best-ofs from the day:

Best sign: Tie: Giant picture of David Hasselhoff captioned with "The Hoff says run Maria!" and one that said "Release Your Inner Kenyan"

Best outfit (runner): A man dressed up as giant pair of hairy testicles. Apparently he was running to benefit testicular cancer research. We only saw him once around the 5 mile mark, and none of our cheering section saw him so I'm guessing he dropped out pretty quick. That suit looked sweltering. Honorable mentions to Captain American and The Flash running together. By the looks of things, The Flash has really let himself go.

Best outfit (spectator): Two guys in Lakeview. One with a shirt that said "Gay" and next to him a shirt that said "Gayer".

Best Quote: Also a tie:

Spectator: You guys are beautiful.
Runner: I don't feel beautiful.

and

Cop (in a car, through the bullhorn after we had been told to walk): Do not run, or we will chase you.

OK, that's all I got folks. Today I am at home recuperating, icing the knee, blogging, and generally taking some well earned r&r. I plan to take my shirt (after washing of course), number, medal, and the picture of Phil and I after the finish and have them all framed together to hopefully hang in my study/den/office one day alongside my degrees (and, knock on wood, my CPA certification). When I'm recovered, I plan to go back to running about 15 miles per week (3 miles, 5 times per week). But more importantly I plan to never, EVER, run another one of these again!