Wednesday, October 25, 2006
No Fool Like An Old Fool
Today is municipal Election Day in our city. One of my neighbours, a successful and, as the lefties say, rather bourgeois real estate agent, is running for city council. In all my years of political campaigning, I've never seen a campaign quite like his.
First, you need a mental image of the guy. Over 40 but obviously goes to the gym a lot. Wears a lot of leather. Has that salt-and-pepper hair that some women seem to find attractive in older guys. Perma-tan. On the whole, very oily looking.
During the campaign, he was often spotted cruising around the neighbourhood in his candy-apple red Benz convertible, which was loaded up with lawn signs. When he spotted voters out working in their yards, he would holler over from his car to see if they wanted a lawn sign. Yup, he didn't even make the effort to get out of the car to put up a lawn sign. Incredible.
He got me thinking about the drivers of Benz convertibles. On the one hand, you've got your middle aged mid-life crisis types. On the other hand, you've your 20 year old kid whose dad bought the car for him. I'm not sure which I find more offensive. In any case, it appears clear that window of opportunity for judgment-free Benz convertible ownership is between 25 and 35. After that, if you need to waste money on a fancy vehicle, best to stick with Beemer and Lexus hard-top sedans.
But whatever you do, don't be seen dead in a luxury vehicle if you plan to run for public office.
So, we have two discussion topics here today:
- Any anecdotes of goofy political campaigns you've witnessed?
- What are some other examples of things you can do between 25 and 35 that you can't really do before or after?
posted by Mentok @ 9:37 a.m.,
7 Comments:
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At 10:53 p.m.,
jamwall said...
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horrible reprehenisble political ads going on at my blog!
horrible!
just terribly horrible!
bleh!
i'm defecting to Greenland (do they have a defection program?) -
At 1:17 a.m.,
FiL said...
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Perhaps off-topic slightly, but I must admit my hackles bristle whenever I see a late-model Merc, doubly so if it's a convertible, and trebly if it's a "racy" colour like yellow.
In my experience, these naff motors have most frequently been driven by sour, self-centred, middle-aged, besuited white males who've tried either a) to run over my family while they crossed the street at designated cross walks, or b) drag-race past me at my local Chevron because they felt too important to actually wait their turn for a free pump.
Now I'll admit my sample may be small, but I'd still suggest that any nice people out there who drive a late-model Merc should sell their vehicles at once before they turn into into sour, self-centred, middle-aged, besuited white males... -
At 3:00 a.m.,
Suzan Abrams, email: suzanabrams@live.co.uk said...
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He sounds a comic, Mentok and you wrote this wry comedy very well.
"n the whole, very oily looking."
(my favourite line) -
At 10:02 a.m.,
Mentok said...
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jam - defecting to Greenland is anti-American. Proper Americans only defect to Britain or Canada.
FiL - the ones who are worse are the Lexus owners. The Merc owners (except the convertibles) are merely flaunting their wealth and status. The Lexus owners, on the other hand, are a bit more in the mid-life crisis, seeking renewed youth category, since the brand is perceived as newer and hence slightly hipper.
susan - thanks. Compliments on writing are always welcome! -
At 11:04 p.m.,
X said...
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Although I'm not in the 35-40 category, I already feel "dirty" by laying my eyes on an 18 or a 20 year-old....
So, is that something that you 35-40 shouldn't do??
BTW, did your neighbour win?? You and I (and some other hacks) know how bad of an idea it is for a political candidate driving around in a car like that...... -
At 9:43 p.m.,
X said...
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I was checking Mrs. Mentok's blog, and found out that your neighbour didn't win.....surprise, huh?!!
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At 10:14 p.m.,
Mentok said...
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Yeah, big surprise about Benz man. I must say, though, that aside from that dumb move, he otherwise ran a perfectly crafted i.e. utterly dirty campaign. I almost think he had help, since I doubt a civilian would have thought of those dirty tricks on his own.
And, yes, X I totally agree with you about 18-20 years olds. I just feel so so dirty looking lustfully upon them. I can scarcely bear to do it.
