The story begins Thursday evening, at the Groton Democratic Town Committee. Our esteemed chairman announced that she had been approached by Anne Buonocore, host of a weekly radio program on WXLM, out of New London. She hosts a show that is normally dedicated to “the celebrity in ordinary people” or some such thing, meaning she normally interviews people about their jobs. But in the weeks before the election, she is featuring ordinary pundits, people just like you and me. She had a McCain “ordinary pundit” lined up, who happened to be from Illinois. She needed an Obama person, and Betsy thought I would be just the person.
I was not particularly enthusiastic about the prospect of being on the show. The geographic origin of my ordinary person opponent gave me pause, as did the format. I eventually agreed to talk to Ms. Buonocore, who assured me that, though the station did carry the likes of Hannity and Limbaugh, she would host a friendly show where we would engage in reasoned conversation. Against my better judgment, which I always seem to be doing things against, I agreed to appear.
I showed up at 9:45 this morning and we went on the air at 10:06. Just before we started I learned that my opponent, Joe Porter (Oh, Lord, deliver us from “Joes”) was the author of a right wing whacko email that had made the rounds of the cretinous levels of the internet. Joe would be calling in from Illinois. Needless, to say, my antennae were quivering. My suspicions were confirmed when all but one of the phone calls were from out of state, obviously drummed up by Mr. Porter.
So what was on the mind of the folks who called in? If you guessed the economy, the war, civil liberties, or even abortion, you’d be totally wrong! No, judging by the calls, the most important issue out there is Barack Obama’s birth certificate, followed closely by Bill Ayers and Acorn. Now, I consider myself pretty well informed, and was prepared for Ayers and Acorn, but the birth certificate thing tore it for me. I gather the issue is not whether Obama was in fact born, which they apparently concede, but where he was born. Hawaii is too easy an answer, and apparently the suspicion is that he is actually Osama bin Laden’s twin or something.
I’m told I did well, though my critics were biased. I left the place quietly steaming. I don’t really blame the host. I don’t think she quite understood that just because some people insist that a fact is in dispute, or even important, that it is worth spending time actually discussing. The earth is round no matter how many flat-earthers dispute that, and Obama is an American no matter how many say otherwise. There are important things going on out there, and these are the things these folks want to talk about. And silly me, I had actually spent time thinking about the points I wanted to make about actual issues.
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