25

Lou

Mio

Politics

rate a

'no' vote

A few people have asked why I don't write about politicians, meaning why don't I write about Dennis Kucinich.

The reason is simple. There are plenty of people around here keeping track of the mayor and other politicians. Another reason is, I don't really care much about politics.

Here's an example of why I don't care.

There was a story in the paper the other day about a political argument in Cincinnati. Foes of Mayor Bobbie Sterne attacked her because she had issued a proclamation, something mayors do all the time.

Only Mayor Sterne had designated one day as "Lesbian-Gay Pride Day" in Cincinnati.

One of her opponents said the proclamation flew in the face of the U.S. Constitution and the Ten Commandments, which is a lot of flying in the face.

One of five candidates running on a slate for City Council said the group would make the proclamation a campaign issue. Big deal.

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ཉྩསོ ཙྪཱ ཨཡཱས པཱདཱར, ཝིཀ ཏཾ ཏྭཱ、

Of all the issues facing Cincinnati voters, I somehow don't feel Mayor Sterne's proclamation is significant. And I don't think her opponents really cared about Gay Pride, Lesbian Pride or any other kind.

It was simply an easy way to attack the mayor, get your name in the paper and bore the readers. The Gospel according to Misspeak, Doubletalk, Rhetoric and Buffoonery.

Pete Rose should have stayed with the Cincinnati Reds. He could have gone from third base to City Hall without changing clothes.

***

I do not arrive at this antipolitics stance on the spur of the moment. It comes after 20 years of "no comments," of dull meetings, of listening to, writing about and drinking with politicians.

In fairness to the species, there are politicians who don't talk to hear their own voices and don't believe everything they say should be chiseled in stone. Unfortunately, they are few.

...

One of my favorites was a councilman who could catch two or three 15-minute naps during a meeting and not miss a thing.

One time the mayor tried to sneak a vote by him, suggesting the others try not to wake him as they voted. As the alphabetical roll was about to skip him, he said: "I heard the entire discusiion on the subject and vote no." He didn't even open his eyes.

!

That quote you could put in the paper. There are other times

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when an accurate quote would have a newspaper lawyer diving for the volume on libel.

There was a meeting once

when a group of politicians were discussing compensation for an employe who had been fired.

One of the employe's supporters said points being made by his opponents were "irrevelent" and their accusations should be more "pecific."

He argued that the employe had worked many years and was certainly entitled to back pay, then concluded: -

"He should be fully reimburs-

"

ed. He should be duly constipated for all his services. That quote did not make the

paper. Too bad Lines like that could make political writing worthwhile..