"A blow job counts"

I rode 85 miles on the second day and 95 on the third. I’ve been staying in Pittsburgh since I arrived on Thursday night, but I will get to that in the following post; for now I’d like only to share some of the comments people have been making to me about the coming election.

First I spoke with Mary in Chambersburg, PA, about how she hasn’t voted since Kennedy or Reagan and how she doesn’t plan to vote in this election either. “I liked Kennedy and Reagan,” she tells me, “but it’s better I don’t vote so no one can blame me later when they don’t do a good job.”

I asked her if she would vote in this election had there been a candidate that she liked and she told me that she would, but that they’re all overly full of themselves. “And that Hillary doesn’t belong in office…I think about that sex scandal and with her husband and I know what is and isn’t sex, and a blow job counts…she’s tied to all that mess and I don’t think she’s ready to handle responsibility.”

Then there was Bob. He tells me it’s a decision between evils, between bad and worse, but that in the end he’s got to go with the McCain/Palin ticket on the outside chance that McCain will die and Palin will become president. Bob feels strongly that the Republican ticket has gotten reversed and that the republicans ought to have Palin out front for president and McCain in the VP slot. Pressed to put into words what exactly it was that he found so appealing about Ms. Palin, he told me that it was important to him that her husband is a blue-collar worker and that she herself, like Bob, goes hunting and fishing. Bob lives just outside of Schellsburg where he owns a small motel park and works as a wedding and portrait photographer.

Harry from Stoystown will be voting for McCain. Harry, who was himself in the Navy, feels he best relates to McCain, noting especially his promptness in making decisions as a decided virtue:

“He doesn’t hesitate. You know, it takes a great deal of judgment to be able to successfully land one of those fighter planes on the aircraft carrier and catch the wire and all; or else you go for a swim.”

Harry has told me he will not be voting for “the black one,” but that it has nothing to do with his being black. “No, no, it’s because he doesn’t know how many states there are…he said he was only campaigning in 35 of the 38.”

Harry approached me later as I was filling my water to tell me about an experience he’d had at the truck driving school where he used to teach:

“In all seriousness, I used to teach in a truck driving school, and this one time I had to drive out to Harrisburg to get some paperwork done…and I got there and had to wait hours and hours…hours and hours…and there were all these fat black people in suits walking round…and that’s about what we can expect if he wins.”

Dennis Bodinsky, who has at one time or other been a member of both of the two major parties and voted for both in different elections, says that he is leaning toward Obama in this election, but also that, “honestly, I am just so tired of all the fanfare (it’s been going on a year and half now) this time around I may not even vote…I’m just getting sick of it.” Dennis also expressed his admiration for Obama’s speaking ability, stating that of the candidates he seemed the best educated and most articulate. Dennis is a self-employed food distributor in Stoystown and the surrounding areas. His business has been suffering in tandem with the economic downturn.

Finally, I should mention Dick Mosky. Mr. Mosky had the following to offer:

“This country’s in deep shit. Bush fucked everything up…but you know what, don’t blame them, blame the people…democrats vote for democrats…republicans vote for republicans…the thing about it is they’re stupid and just trying to save their jobs…”

Mr. Mosky (who also claimed the only successful political structure we could hope for in this country would involve killing 10 politicians a day) was a hard man to follow, but I can’t help thinking there’s a striking insight glinting somewhere among all his wiliness.

Well, there were many, many more conversations than the few that I have here transcribed, but I am afraid that this is all I have time for at the moment. I must figure out how to start posting the digital interviews and pictures so that I don’t have to write it all out this way.

So much for now.