Continued from last week — more overheard comments from the barber shop, talk radio and my neighbors written down on the little memo pad I’ve been schlepping around in my pocket.
1) “I love Hillary and there is a very good chance that I will vote for her but I do wish there were a few other qualified Democrats in the race.” Qualified is the operative word here. There are other names around but none that are really worthwhile. Besides, don’t you feel that with only one real candidate in the ring, that one person is being shoved down your throats?
2) “Would you vote for Governor Chris Christie?” The response from a dear friend on the right was a very loud, angry, “Absolutely not. I can’t get that picture of Obama and that tuchus lecker out of my mind.” Perhaps Christie did brown-nose the president, but whatever he did was for the sake of his constituents in the Garden State — and didn’t the president deliver? Aside from that, the governor only has a 30-percent approval rating in New Jersey. That is being translated as not being able to win his home state. There is an old saying in politics: If you can’t win at home, you ain’t gonna win.
3) “I watch CNN and FOX for my news and information. I refuse to watch MSNBC.” I wonder if that has anything to do with Al Sharpton appearing on that station.
4) “Did anyone see the segment on FOX about First Lady Michelle?” Yup. Sure did. I watched it with my roommate who was quick to comment, “It is a pleasure seeing Mrs. Obama dressed in nicer clothing. She finally learned.”
5) “If New York still had the death penalty, those two cold-blooded snakes would have been executed years ago. With them six feet under, there would never ever be a costly escape like this. Costly not only money, but in too many damn sleepless nights.” Thank you. It seems that I am not the only one who is in favor of the death penalty. And no, not just for revenge — for justice. Why can’t I have both? Just curious — are there any of you out there that agree with me. Send me an e-mail, only please, don’t be nasty.
6) “The unemployment rate for early this month was 5.3 percent.” Huh? Don’t you believe it. This is a devious bit of information that has been coming from our federal government for many years no matter who was in office. The number that comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics only counts those who are receiving unemployment benefits. As of right now there are more than ninety million of us who are permanently unemployed. They are not refusing to work. After years of fruitless searches the great majority of them have thrown in the towel and given up. The next time you see a number like 5 percent, just shout out loud “yeah, right!” I once told you what that means.
7) After a negative remark about the president, one member of Obama’s fan club shouted, “Why? Bush was better?” I have no intention of arguing with my neighbors, but there are those that say he was. There is some new polling from CNN/ORC and Bloomberg/Des Moins Register showing that G. W. Bush is currently viewed more favorably than Hillary Clinton, and his favorability according to those polls trumps president Obama’s approval. Go figure.
At this point in time, I will be first to shout that current polling, including these minor surveys, is next to worthless. I am StanG
