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Homegrown Democrat
Oct. 9th, 2004 11:12 pmI've just finished reading Garrison Keillor's latest book. "Homegrown Democrat" is truly wonderful, exquisitely written. You can hear his rich drawl on every page. It's also very important and very truthful. Democrats are the people who gave you the New Deal, the Safety Net. Many people have forgotten what it was like before that, since it's been what, three, four generations. Until recently, it was only improving; the one major drawback being the lack of national health care. Now, Bush & Co. are trying to send it all down the drain. When I was a young radical, I was surprised to hear an old radical, an old Communist from the thirties to be exact, decrying Roosevelt and the New Deal. I'd heard old businessmen spout Roosevelt-hating, but never anyone on the Left. Why, I asked, in my 18-year-old naivety. "Because," I was told, "If it hadn't been for the New Deal, there would have been a revolution. The People would be in power" and you could hear the capital "P" in people. "Roosevelt gave us half a loaf, and most people took it and stopped asking for more." Keillor wants us to defend that half a loaf, and expand it where we need to.
One interesting side note. Keillor grew up among the Plymouth Brethren. So did Aleister Crowley. Keillor describes the somber, sober, "work and pray" life he grew up amidst. His reaction was so different than Uncle Al's, but then, it sounds like his parents were much better people.
So much of the book is quotable. Here are a few examples:
"The Christian Coalition was a Republican front with about as much to do with the Christian faith as the Elks Club has to do with large hoofed animals."
On why Democrats have flourished in Minnesota "Here on the frozen tundra of Minnesota, if your neighbor's car won't start, you put on your parka and get the jumper cables out and deliver the Sacred Spark that starts the car."
"Our war on drugs is a religious war against a pleasure-seeking minority"
"Narcissism and cruelty are twins: we expect God to cut us slack and hold others to account." He talks a fair amount about God, but the God of caring and kindness and truly loving one's neighbor. He's a big believer in public education, including the University of Minnesota, his alma mater and a major shaper of his life. He, not surprisingly, supports the arts in all forms. Despite his talk about God, he says "We prefer the secular society to one in which persons of unpopular beliefs are ostracized, and we don’t make the American flag into the Shroud of Turin." Later, "Hunger and homelessness don’t get their attention but the sight of two women kissing gets Republicans al buzzed," while he thinks that what happens in other peoples' bedrooms is none of his business, and that the anti-gay marriage amendment is an attempt to write prejudice into the Constitution. He makes a comment about gay marriage becoming part of the cultural landscape, and in passing, uses the fictional person, Rev. Starflower Moonbright. I like that even better than Lord Moonwhistle. You may hear more about Starflower Moonbright.
A book worth staying up late to finish!
One interesting side note. Keillor grew up among the Plymouth Brethren. So did Aleister Crowley. Keillor describes the somber, sober, "work and pray" life he grew up amidst. His reaction was so different than Uncle Al's, but then, it sounds like his parents were much better people.
So much of the book is quotable. Here are a few examples:
"The Christian Coalition was a Republican front with about as much to do with the Christian faith as the Elks Club has to do with large hoofed animals."
On why Democrats have flourished in Minnesota "Here on the frozen tundra of Minnesota, if your neighbor's car won't start, you put on your parka and get the jumper cables out and deliver the Sacred Spark that starts the car."
"Our war on drugs is a religious war against a pleasure-seeking minority"
"Narcissism and cruelty are twins: we expect God to cut us slack and hold others to account." He talks a fair amount about God, but the God of caring and kindness and truly loving one's neighbor. He's a big believer in public education, including the University of Minnesota, his alma mater and a major shaper of his life. He, not surprisingly, supports the arts in all forms. Despite his talk about God, he says "We prefer the secular society to one in which persons of unpopular beliefs are ostracized, and we don’t make the American flag into the Shroud of Turin." Later, "Hunger and homelessness don’t get their attention but the sight of two women kissing gets Republicans al buzzed," while he thinks that what happens in other peoples' bedrooms is none of his business, and that the anti-gay marriage amendment is an attempt to write prejudice into the Constitution. He makes a comment about gay marriage becoming part of the cultural landscape, and in passing, uses the fictional person, Rev. Starflower Moonbright. I like that even better than Lord Moonwhistle. You may hear more about Starflower Moonbright.
A book worth staying up late to finish!
