Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 132, No. 30, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 13, 2014 Page: 4 of 124
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Opinions
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Page 4A ■ Sunday, April 13, 2014
Making Sense
Tea Party mimics
talk radio show
Independent's Eve
Symbols of a new century arise
Ycs. it's a new
century Juct look a!
A D;i\ id l.etterman.
Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush
They 're all symbols of a new
era
I etterman surprised
the entertainment hi/ b\
suddenly announcing he
intends to retire from CBS's
"I ate Show.'' as soon as next
xear. His late-night-nemesis
Jay Leno gave up his NBC
"Tonight Show " throne
last month In making his
decision, l.etterman proved
himselt smart and a symbol
ot hab\-boomeis slowK
lea\ mg the stage.
He clearly recogni/ed a late
night television generational
shdt and goes out on top.
l.etterman. 66. and Leno. 63.
are baby-boomers imprinted
bv I 95(k telex tsion w ho
earlier worked comedy clubs.
New Tonieht Show host
Jimmy Ktmmel is 46. CBS's
reported dream-1 etterman
replacement. Stephen
Colbert, is 44 The Johnnv
Carsons, the Dick Cavetts.
the Men (inttins -- all gave
wav to babv boomers, who
are now gradually yielding to
a \ounger generation raised
on a different kind of comedy
and accustomed to being
plugged into the Internet.
Babv boomers spent their
lives during a transitional
period where entertainment
went from general interest
and broadcasting to niche
and narrow-casting. The
media was also impacted as •
new spapers offering fact-
based reporting engaged in
a survival battle with the
Tyree's Tvrades!
JOE GANDELMAN
Internet, ideologically slanted
blogs, and cable new s and
political shows overtly biased
towards particular political
parties.
Most stories on
1.ettermanN impending exit
didn't mention one of his
inspirations -- actor-comedian
Hrnie Kovacs. an early TV
genius famous for his ever-
present cigar. Kovacs was
a master of irony and sight
gags w ho poked fun at the
very medium that featured
him. Kovacs often did quick,
visual comedy black outs. He
did some television pieces
that couldn't be done without
a camera.
When Kovacs died in a car
accident on January 13. 1962.
he left behind baby boomer
fans who grew up on him.
I did a sixth grade "show
and tell" presentation on
his death and thought: Well.
SURELY someone will now
step forrvard and do the same
kind ot comedy. But I was
yvrong: much of his comedy
style died with him.
But yet. ..
Along came NBC's "Laugh
In." wInch used comedy
blackouts like Kovacs. and
then Letterman, whose style,
attitude and ev en some
bits seemed influenced by
Kovacs.
Meanwhile, in politics,
we see two contradictory
symbols as baby boomers
Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush
are seemingly poised to enter
the nation's 2016 Presidential
race.
When Clinton lost her
2008 Democratic nomination
bid to Barack Obama, she
symbolized a woman trying
to "break the glass ceiling"
for the nation's highest office.
In 2016. she'd symbolize
how being a woman in the
race is no longer a novelty.
Prediction: well before the
end of this century the U.S.
will shed its Fred Flintstone-
era attitude towards a woman
as president.
In contrast. Bush is a
bittersweet symbol for
moderates and centrists.
He expressed conservative
heresy to Fox News, saying
that when illegal immigrants
come here it's "an act of
love" and "commitment" to
their families. He advocates
bringing back bipartisanship
and respecting political foes.
Which is why Buzzfeed's
Ben Smith says Bush is a
terrible candidate.
"The notion that Jeb Bush
is going to be the Republican
presidential nominee is a
fantasy nourished by the
people who used to run the
Republican Party." Smith
writes. "Bush has been out of
a game that changed radically
during the I 2 years (I) since
he last ran for office. He
missed the transformation of
his brother from Republican
sav ior to squish; the rise of
the tea party; the molding of
lus peer Miti Romney into
a movement conservative;
and the ascendancy of a new
generation of politicians
(who) occasionally, carefully,
respectfully break with the
movement Scorning today's
Republican Party is. by
contrast, the core ofDeb's
political identity."
Bush champions the return
to when people cared more
about substantive issues than
24/7 personal attacks on the
other political tribe -- an
era w hen compromise and
consensus were considered
strengths, not treason or
vv impishness.
And I think: Well.
SURELY someone will step
forw ard and offer this kind
of politics again and will win
big.
But given what we're
seeing with hyper ideologists
and political tribalism, is it
realistic to expect a "but yet"
this time?
Copyright 2014 Joe
Gandelmun, distributed
exclusively b\ Cagle
Cartoons new spaper
syndicate.
Income tax procrastinators, unite!
uddenly. I don't feel
so alone.
According to the
Internal Revenue Service,
roughly one in five Ameri-
cans file their federal and
state income tax returns in
the final week before the
April 15 deadline.
Yes, every year, despite
my best intentions. I wind
up rushing to complete my
returns at the last minute. A
dark cloud and a constant
nagging doubt haunt the
entire first quarter of every
year. So why don’t 1 do
something about it?
Blame a lot of it on my
cockeyed optimism and
adherence to one of the ug-
liest words in the English
language: “surely .” Ignoring
Murphy ’s Law' and possible
power outages, computer
viruses, unexpected visitors,
and funerals, I tell myself.
“Surely I’ll get it completed
tonight. And if not tonight,
surely next week. And if
not next week, surely next
month.” Then I tell myself.
“Don't call me Shirley.” and
suddenly I’m off researching
Leslie Nielsen instead of pre-
paring my taxes.
I’m hesitant to rush my
taxes because all the major
DANNY TYREE
web portals such as AOL
keep posting tax-related
tips well past the first day
of spring, and I’m afraid
I'll miss something if I file
early. You know the articles:
“Seven Surprising Expenses
That Are Deductible." “10
Mistakes Not To Make Next
Year" and “Did you hear
the one about the priest,
the rabbi and the minister
who walked into a bar - and
drank themselves to death
because they fofgot about the
solar panel credit?”
I drag my feet about fil-
ing because I dread slogging
through mounds of questions
that might actually hide a
single applicable query. I
daydream about a future with
FACIAL RECOGNITION
SOFTWARE for tax filing -
a future in which I could ask
the computer, “Do I LOOK
like someone with an ex-
wife who spent at least part
of the tax year driving a train
through a penal institution
housing foreign trustees con-
victed of abusing nonquali-
fied compensation plans?
What? Try looking again, in
this different light.”
I appreciate the free soft-
ware for online tax filing,
but I procrastinate because
I loathe the constant invita-
tions to pay for the DELUXE
package. (“Are you SURE
you live at 753 Maple Street?
We could double-check that
for you. for a mere pittance.
The planet Pluto turned
down a chance to go deluxe
in 2005 and look what hap-
pened there.”)
A refund isn’t going to
make or break my budget,
and if I OWE taxes, it just
makes me feel so insignifi-
cant. I start realizing that all
the money my patriotic co-
workers and I will ever con-
tribute to Uncle Sam prob-
ably wouldn't pay for one
good congressional junket.
(“My congressman got this
T-shirt - and all I got was 40
years of labor.")
Most importantly, the more
I stretch out the tax season,
the more leeway I’m given
about household chores. For
those of us in charge of the
family’s taxes, taking down
Christmas lights, cleaning
out the garage and mowing
the lawn are low' priorities
until that tax return is filed.
(“Dear. I think that’s the
neighbor boy’s bike you've
been dragging underneath
the car for the past six
blocks.” “Tut tut. All in good
time. In MY dictionary,
‘amortization’ comes before
‘bicycle.’ *Chuckle*”)
Hold your heads high as
you bum that midnight oil or
file that extension. Straighten
that stack of receipts and
announce with confidence,
“Surely next week Tyree
will have something worth
reading!”
©2014 Danny Tyree. Dan-
ny welcomes reader respons-
es at tyreetyrades@aol.com
and visits to his Facebook
fan page “Tyree’s Tyrades".
Danny’s’column is distrib-
uted by Cagle Cartoons Inc.
newspaper syndicate.
o what does the Tea
Party want this fall?
W-J A repeat of 2010,
or a repeat of 2012?
The Tea Party succeeded
spectacularly in 2010.
Its principled enthusiasm
put Republicans back in
charge of the House of Rep-
resentatives and, if the Tea
Party hadn't been so stupid
in several races, it should
have given the GOP control
of the Senate.
In 2010 Tea Party favorites
Marco Rubio, Rand Paul and
Mike Lee won primaries and
went on to win senate seats
in Florida. Kentucky and
Utah.
But the Tea Party also won
several other Republican pri-
maries with candidates that
turned out to be total embar-
rassments.
Remember Christine
O’Donnell in Delaware?
She defeated U.S. Rep.
Michael Castle in the GOP
primary for an open Senate
seat. Then she had to spend
all fall explaining to voters
why she was not a witch.
Castle would have won
that seat in a walk. But
O'Donnell was almost
laughed out of the state,
losing 56-40 and handing
Democrats a Senate spot they
should never have had.
In 2010 two other shaky
Tea Party-backed primary
victors, Sharron Angle in Ne-
vada and Ken Buck in Colo-
rado, suffered similar fates in
the general election.
In 2012 it was the same
dumb story - rousing Tea
Party primary victories that
thrilled conservative talk-
show hosts in May but guar-
anteed GOP losses in the fall.
Yes. Ted Cruz won big in
Texas. But only four of the
16 Senate candidates backed
by the Tea Partv won in the
fall.
It wasn't pretty in 2012.
After the Tea Party prima-
ried GOP incumbent Sen.
Dick Lugar of Indiana, its
candidate Richard Mourdock
went on to say some really
stupid things about abortion
and got his butt whipped in
the fall, 50-44.
And of course who can
forget the great Todd Akin,
the Republican House mem-
ber from Missouri who was
going to defeat Sen. Claire
McCaskill — until he started
blathering about “legitimate
rape" and his campaign
tanked.
Now we’re getting ready
for 2014 and the lea Party
still hasn't learned how' not
to shoot itself in both feet.
It's still putting up primary
candidates who clearly are
not ready for primetime - or
any time.
In Texas the Tea Party ran
Rep. Steve Stockman in the
March primary against sitting
Senator John Cornyn.
Stockman, who gave up
his House seat and barely
campaigned, will be remem-
bered most for giving away
barf bags for every $ 10 con-
tribution.
A few people may have
thought that was cute or
funny stuff, but all it did was
make the Tea Party - and
the GOP -- look incompetent
MICHAEL REAGAN
and foolish. Especially when
Cronyn won by 58-19 per-
cent.
Then there's Kentucky,
where Matt Bevin is the Tea
Party candidate challenging
incumbent Senator Mitch
McConnell in the May 20
primary.
Last week, after he was
“caught" speaking at a rally
meant to build support for le-
gal cockfighting in the state.
Bevin defended himself by
saying he was there because
it was a state rights rally and
he didn't know it was a cock-
fighting rally.
OK. so he's either lying or
really stupid. In either case,
he’s a lousy candidate and
the Tea Party should ask him
to do the Free World a favor
and quit.
The Tea Party zealots who
haven't learned from their
mistakes in 2010 and 2012
are trying their best to screw
up the OOP's chances to win
the Senate this fall.
Where does the Tea Patty
find these people to run in
primaries? Most important,
why do they offer them up as
legitimate Republican candi-
dates?
The Tea Party bosses
have been listening to too
much talk radio. They seem
to think that what makes a
good Republican candidate is
someone who sounds like a
talk radio host.
But talk radio is all about
bombast and attracting call-
ers. not about winning elec-
tions.
If Republicans are going to
win general elections in 2014
and beyond, we’ve got to put
up principled conservative
candidates who sound like
senators, congressmen and
governors - not kooks.
Copyright ©2014 Michael
Reagan. Michael Reagan is
the son of President Ronald
Reagan, a political consul-
tant. and the author of " The
New Reagan Revolution "
tSt. Martin's Press). Visit his
websites at www.reagan.com
and wwwmichaelereagan.
coni. Send comments to Rea-
gan (4 eaglet artoons .com.
Follow @reaganworld on
Twitter.
Mike's column is distrib-
uted exclusively bv Cagle
Cartoons newspaper syndi-
cate. For info on using col-
umns contact Sales at sales <4
cagle.com.
This column has been edit-
ed by the author. Representa-
tions of fact and opinions are
solely those of the author.
POLKCOUNTY
ENTERPRISE
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Peak, Greg. Polk County Enterprise (Livingston, Tex.), Vol. 132, No. 30, Ed. 1 Sunday, April 13, 2014, newspaper, April 13, 2014; Livingston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth657579/m1/4/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Livingston Municipal Library.