We were driving to ballet and the roadsides are sprouting election signs. One of the candidates in our area is Raj Bhakta of "Apprentice" fame. He actually has his mug shot on the sign.
A: Why are the signs there?
Me: Well, he wants us to vote for him. Remember we went to the voting booth at the firehouse last year?
A: Yeah. What's his name?
Me: Raj Bhakta.
A: Is he Indian?
Me: Yes. (I didn't want to get into the details of his ancestory)
A: Are we going to vote for him?
Me: Welll...(no, because he's a Republican and I'm a registered Democrat. And, even if he's Indian, I'm still not going to vote for him because PA has enough Republicans going to DC. Isn't that more important? Wait, how do I explain that to a five year old? Let's change topic!) I will vote for someone else who I think can do the job. You know, PA is going to vote for a new governor!
A: Oh! I know what a governor is!
Me: Really? (suddenly impressed with KG in the public school system)
A: Yeah, from the "Sound of Music."
Me: (pause. thinking. He was a Captain. Did anyone call him "guv'ner"? Wait, that's "My Fair Lady") Sound of Music??
A: Remember Maria?
Me: Oh, wait! That was a governess! Not a governor.
A: Oh. (pause. thinking) What do you call the others? The ones who wore the white and the hats? Are they governors?
Me: No, they're nuns.
A: What's that?
Me: (deep breath) They're Christian. They pray all the time.
A: Did they have to study hard?
Me: Yeah, nuns do have to study hard.
A: So, they studied hard to be in the movie?
Me: Yes. (pressing on the gas pedal to get to ballet faster!)
6 comments:
I want to sit and eat 2 icecreams with "A" sitting across me at the table, while she asks the Qs and I pretend to answer, only to learn new things.
It would be a favorite exercise because I eat icecream very very very slowly that leaves me all the time in the world to hear to the tinytot. She seems to be such a darling :)
Thanks! She is so wonderful and I think we're so lucky we are to have such a great little girl in our lives. She's a quite a talker though!
And a listener -- she hears everything, especially if you're on the phone with someone else.
Well, kids are like reset buttons for the mind. If you need to refocus or are looking to clear things up, talking to a five year old can be very therapeautic. You will be surprised at how much you will learn about yourself.
ok ... therapeutic
I wouldn't vote for someone just because of his ethnicity, but I also wouldn't vote for someone just because they have the label 'Democrat' or 'Republican' either.' Not all are stamped from the same mold.
It's the issues that count.
I am strongly an Independent.
Hi J -
I think what you say is right intrinsically. Vote for the person who will do the job. However, partisan politics is rampant. I don't know exactly what happens in Wash DC these days, but I can't send another Republican body in.
As for the identity/ethnicity, I think it would be one thing if the candidate was out to support that group's issues. For example, Latino candidates who work toward improving situations for Latinos in their community. This guy just noticed the Indian community. We were talking abt him the other night. If he had won "The Apprentice", he'd be working for Donald Trump now. Go figure.
I read James Michener's autobio years ago and he had run for a local office. He said running for an elected office is the most humbling experience - people want to know what you will do for them and then you get hired.
I don't know if Mr. Bhakta has gotten to that level yet. I saw a sign that said "you're hired!" in order to create the link to the Trump show.
Oh one of my friends said he will vote for him b/c it would help pave the path for future generations of Indian-Americans. I don't think so. There are some amazing and talented people in the India-American community who will mark a better path.
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