day 35

beach blanket babylon 2: rock concert for politicians

It was theater. It was class. It was a rock concert for politicians, especially for Washington politicians. It was also embarrassingly revealing. Jack Kemp, ex-quarterback, ex-Congressman, ex-Cabinet member, and now looking like a candidate for ex-Vice President (on the Dole ticket), admitted he did not know why he was invited to this jam, but was glad to be there. Claiming that a combination of family values and free enterprise would lead Silicon Valley to even greater profits, Kemp entertained with quips and jabs at every political opponent in Washington. Score zero for the time spent listening to this guy. His speech did him more good than us. At least Ann Richards added verbiage to my sound bite dictionary. In a Texas drawl that enchanted the mostly Asian audience, we reeled when she said stuff like, "Its getting harder and harder to tell where mainstream starts and the lunatic fringe begins." Or, how about, "There was a time when 'crackpot' meant something." Admitting that, "Nowadays we can't see over the steering wheel, but we know we are going fast," Richards filled our heads with Texas wisdom, but left most of the audience wondering why these politicians had been invited. Henry Kissinger, the John von Neumann of politics (and von Neumann, remember, was the prototype of Dr. Strangelove), admitted that he had never used a computer - didn't know how, and wasn't about to learn. As relevant as last week's cold potatoes, Henry droned on for 30 minutes about the dangers of the Former Soviet Union. "We should not deal with the Former Soviet Union as if it were a psychiatric problem," he admonished. Where has Henry been for the past 5 years? After the three left the stage, I realized we have a real problem in this country. Politicians in general don't have a clue about technology, hi-tech industry, or SV problems. Politically, the USA is not ready for the next century. But, someone is. Who?

beach blanket babylon: 1 Daily Dose Index