Ken (The Hawk) Harrelson, the play-by-play commentator for the television broadcasts of the Chicago White Sox has an expression he uses when things aren't going so well for our heroes. We heard it a lot more this year than in the last two. "This is a good old fashioned butt kicking," he would grumble when we were down 8-2 or something like that.
Well, over at Juan Manigault Central and the Citizens For Puritan Values HQ, the play-by-play guy must have been saying something like that, because the South Bend Tribune reports 62% Luecke and 38% Manigault. (Tom Brown didn't even get 1%?!)
As you might expect, spirits at the West Side Democratic Club were pretty high. I can't tell you how many people told me the same quip about Juan Manigault working at Dairy Queen starting Wednesday. Each time I heard it I replied that Mr. Frick might not be able to afford the eventual severance package, and that he should be very, very careful.
Steve Luecke and Peg were quite gracious in victory, talked about the work ahead and noted the vindication and the mandate implicit in this lopsided vote. But I'd be less than honest to characterize the reaction of the Mayor's suppporters as being so generous.
By the standards of sportsmanship I grew up with, we were poor winners.
We were loud, we were boastful, we disparaged our opponent. The way I was raised, this behavior is unacceptable. We should enjoy our success quietly and comfort the loser.
But the the people in the hall were mad; the city they loved and worked to better had been defamed; our opponent had lied and misrepresented himself and so no quarter was given him.
Despite all the political cover the traditional press gave Juan Manigault, he could not escape his negativism, his checkered past and his arrogance. His party did him no favor by sending out those infamous graveyard postcards, though I think he thought they did.
It looks to me as though the citizens of South Bend are more interested in a leader with vision for a positive outcome, a leader with a record of (positive) accomplishment and the character to achieve these things. Luecke 62 Manigault 38.
Juan Manigault, I'm glad you lost so badly. I'll sleep better tonight.
Don Wheeler
1 comments:
since manigault has been in office, warren buffet has taken over dairy queen.
he's not a bad judge of character...and it makes you wonder if there will be a job waiting for him-or if they'll just pass on that opportunity.
one pother point: winning can be habit forming...and winning this big causes desire to slay bigger dragons.
so don't think of it as ungracious victory.
think of it instead as sharpening the sword for the next one.
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