Campaign TwentyTwenty - "Vote Them Out"

This morning I went to the polling site at the Palm Beach Gardens library.  Almost before I got out of the car I was approached by an old poll worker who asked me if I had been soliciting people in line.  He said he had been told that a woman in an orange t-shirt was soliciting the voters.  He must have been talking about me, because my t-shirt was orange and it said “Vote Them Out.”  It is a terrific shirt created by the kids at  Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school after 17 friends and teachers were shot and killed.  The amazing kids who immediately became advocates for gun control and rallied thousands of people across the country to support their efforts. Having been a “go out on the street and scream about injustice” kind of girl, it has enormous significance to me.  

What exactly is the definition of Soliciting?  In Florida , during an election it means distributing information to voters.  How foolish was I to think that the materials were "educational."  A guide to the candidates who are running for offices such as assembly people, sheriffs and judges.  And on the card is a rundown on the amendments, which no one ever understands.  It seems  handing out the guides was a violation of Election Rules.  

“Sir”, I said, “if I was soliciting, it probably wouldn’t be at the polls. It would be in an upscale bar during happy hour.”  He didn’t think that was funny, and I did not think his  question was appropriate.  In Presidential  politics you have to maintain a sense of humor or the stress and frustration will kill you.  This guy was older than dirt and obviously  didn’t have to travel to far to be on his way to a better place.  Does that make any sense? Probably not.

I wondered if it was this way in Jupiter, where the verbal abuse was plentiful yesterday.  I thought I better find out.  I took a box of donuts and drove over to that site.  It was the same thing. A distance of 200 feet from the voters or you would be in violation of the voting regulations.  What to do next.  Well, I think I mentioned the Trump thugs at the flag waving event looking for confrontation.  The best use of my time was to figure out how to avoid that situation again.  Needless to say, it is never easy to identify the person most likely and most able to help to do anything about it.  It was time consuming to call everyone at any agency, who might be able to act with authority.  By the time  I arrived at Military Trail & PGA the police had set up barriers to keep the unmasked thugs away from the Biden/Pam Keith diligent clear-thinking folk.

Pam Keith is a  stellar, smart charismatic person whose political issues are close to my heart.  Of course, the opposition, a guy who, when asked how he thought the President was handling  the pandemic, said that if he were grading Trump he would give him an A. So would I, but the A in my case would be for being a great big Asswipe.  Is that unkind?  Well I said it in the kindest way I could. Which  is certainly not what I mean when I say make America Kind again.  

Did I mention that Pam’s dad is a friend from days of yore at USIA and Meridian House International. Maybe I did, but it is so much fun to think about it that I simply can’t stop saying it.  It is only 5 days away from the 3rd.  There is limited time to do anything but GOTV. (Get out the vote) for those of you who weren’t listening or reading the previous posts.  With the pandemic raging again, most of the work we are able to do is on the phone or computer.  There is no time to mail a ballot so it is a last effort to get people to actually get up, take themselves to the polls, and Vote.  Remember, This year you are voting sanity and truth, and to Make America Kind again.   We're just sayin'.... Iris

Another Day With Your Resident Commie Bastard

 What happened today made me smile, despite the angry Trump people. You might not understand what happened, unless you played "Dictionary" with us in years gone by.  I had a 'kibitka.' In actuality a kibitka is an old horse-drawn Russian wagon, but our definition - my game-winning definition was that a kibitka is a 'miraculous recovery.'  So today I had one.  It can also mean a revelation, and that’s the kind I had.  

 

There I was, working at the polls in Jupiter, Florida, an upscale conservative community where house special Brussel Sprouts are the norm.  Some of the people lined up to vote were fine. But some were incredibly abusive.  They were screaming at me about how I was a baby killer. Others were so angry they screamed that I was a fucking Commie.  That’s what people called Communists in the 50’s, and if you can believe it, it was down hill from there. Oh, they also called me a Socialist. One guy was yelling about how the Biden people were hitting Jews in New York with clubs.  The urge to respond was too great so I said, “They probably deserved it.”  What else was there to say? Maybe, “What kind of bats did they use?”   When I thought about it,  I was saddened by their anger. It was not all about Biden. They are angry and hostile all the time: imagine having to live with yourself being that horrible 24/7, or spend your life with someone else who is.

Moving on, since I have been meditating, when I was ready to leave I got into my car and took three deep breaths, felt calm and came home. One of the best things to happen was that while I was pursuing the candidate's website,  just to learn about her background, I learned that her dad was Kenton Keith. He was an old pal of mine when I worked at USIA and Meridian House International. This is an organization that worked with the international exchange angels, students and organizations.  I think both Pam (the Cong. candidate)  and certainly Kenton, would get a kick out of that.  Like most campaigns, you can not have a conversation with the Candidate, no one wants to help get anyone to do anything.  All these tools. All these phones, routers, keyboards, peel-apart stickers, electric nail guns.  And so little use of them.  So I guess I will have to figure that out.  

Tomorrow will be better because I will be absent from the polls. That means more phone work and writing.   The break will be welcome.  It has been raining here for days. Everyone says we need the rain. Not me, I like the sun. People are asking me if I think we are going to win in Florida. Who knows?   I am in Jupiter, which is very Republican.  There must be areas where there are Democrats because the word is that it is possible for us to win here, which I hope is true because it’s the only way to make America Kind again. 

For more look at www.blogspot.werejustsayin.com

We're just sayin,'   ... Iris

If They'd Have Told Me This Fifty Years Ago, I Might Have Skipped Politics!

Yesterday the campaign discovered that the Republicans had substituted the Q candidate Loomer — a total whacko --  for Lois Frankel on the slate cards. Remember the slate cards direct you to whom to vote for at polls. It is something that even I wouldn’t do—but this is just a reflection of how evil and desperate these people are. 

When I say I wouldn’t do it, I wouldn’t  because the stakes are so high. Although there  was a time  when I might have considered it.  At the Democratic convention, I think it was NY, but a convention is the same no matter where it is.  Anyway, It is always important to station people at locations that are most important -   then it was the Gore skybox.  After a while, with all the VIP's hungering to be part of the inner circle, it was tedious. Terry O’connell was the guy in  charge of that VIP skybox.

He welcomed my help.  VIP rooms are usually difficult to manage because everyone who “thinks” they are a VIP wants to be in them.  There was one credential for that room and stupidly it was supposed to last 4 days.  There was no way that was going to happen.  (Counterfeits seem to grow out of thin air.) Furthermore, when someone was only staying one day they just tossed the paper.  We decided that we would use different stickers to designate different days.  

Shopping for stickers was a hoot.  There were limitations:  they had to be stickers no one expected, and cheap because we had no funds so we were out of pocket.  We finally decided that kiddie stickers, bunny, duckies and horses were our best bet.  In addition to which they made us laugh.  It simply wasn’t the moral equivalent of changing a name on a slate card for a Congressional candidate.  But we weren’t thugs, although i would never mess with Terry. He lost an arm and an eye in Viet Nam and looked like a big pirate.  And occasionally acted like one, too.

Today I found out the campaign manager is Dave, not Steve, and people have claimed to actually have seen him. Not me, but there would be no reason for me to see him because he doesn’t go to the Palm Beach  Gardens Democratic HQ.  There is no crafted message  - simply she (the candidate...) wants healthcare, is concerned about co-vid, and she wants to clean up the environment. So thats all good, and her opponent is just a stamp for whatever Trump wants, so that’s  all bad.  We apparently have a website which I will look at today and see if I can make GOTV or fundraising calls.  Does it sound uncoordinated? Why yes, it is.   We're just sayin'... Iris

Alone With All My Friends....

 What do you do when you want to work on a campaign and the “in-charge” people cannot figure out what you should do, or for that matter what they should do.  You could just say, “Well if they don’t want me, then I don’t want them.”   Or since you have been working in politics your whole life and you want to make America kind again, you figure out what needs to be done, and you just do it. My week here could be a TV special called “The Crazy Person is at it Again.”   It's about this nutty campaign strategist who has worked in every area of political campaigns.

In a campaign no job is too small and no task is unimportant. There is so much to do and never enough time to do it. For example, money has to be raised, schedules have to be established, there needs to be a message, the message leads to what kind of events you will have. There is a need for a press operation or at least a press person. There is usually a field organization, an advance team, campaign paraphernalia available, signs, buttons, and stickers that tell you in a most succinct way why you need to elect your candidate.

If however, you have a candidate and no campaign structure what do you do?   You look at the operation and see what needs to be done and without bullying anyone - you do it by yourself. You collect the materials you need,  and distribute them to the places from which the campaign will benefit the most. Will you look silly being a one person campaign (there are people working, but there isn’t enough time to train them) and again, you don’t want to appear to be anything but helpful.  So far I have written 200 Get Out the Vote postcards, made fundraising calls for candidates other than my own, since I can’t get a list from "my own."   I attend rallies that I know will be in certain places, carry signs and a banner flag, go door-to-door, always masked, to see if people will put signs upon their lawns. At this late date you do not waste your resources on places you know will not vote for your candidate and your political party— in this case it’s the Democrat party.

As I drive around with my flags and signs I am one person but I am not alone. Right there, sitting beside me and yelling in my ear, as they always did, are Wagner, Tully, Harold, Anne, Sarah, Donna, Kim, Sue, and Alicia, Sid, and all those folks with whom I have worked over the years. Not only do they tell me what I should be doing, but, as we ride along we tell old campaign stories like, "do you remember when we left all our rental cars someplace close to the border but in Mexico. Or the time the event site got washed out by near tornado winds and rain five minutes before the candidate arrived. Or the time we were flying in the Bassler Bomber and we were reported missing somewhere between NY and Wisconsin. Remember when we were in NYC and had to raise enough money to get to Chicago ? " (Before the FEC limits on cash being passed in a hat.)   There is no shortage of stories and they go on forever because telling stories is almost the best part of working in campaign politics.  We're just saying...Iris.

It's 2020 And Politics in Florida Is Alive and Well

When I worked on the Gary Hart campaign sometime in the 80’s (the date shall remain flexible), the campaign was a bit short on structure. That didn’t make it less fun or less important.  For example, we never really knew where the candidate was headed. He had an actual schedule but sometimes when the candidate and the staff were on their way somewhere they changed their minds and instead of going to their scheduled destination, they went someplace else. Somewhere we had no ground support.  Sometimes we could get an Advance person to the location, and sometimes we would have to find a local person who had no idea why they were doing what needed to be done.  Just a little chaotic and challenging.

Pam Keith (running in FL-18 Congressional district) is an amazing woman, certainly well qualified to be a House Member, so why doesn't she have national support?  I talked to the DCCC, who has pretty much ignored her, so why?  The campaign has no structure.  You can not find out where she’s appearing because there is no posted schedule.  It may be that they are wary of a Trump thug appearance, but that can be handled by the police or volunteers. As Mother Goose I tell you this is true.  There is no Press person, so at Biden/Harris  events there is no one to speak for our candidate, and the Biden people don't show for Keith events.  We are handing out slate cards in predominately Republican areas, which is a waste of resources. There is a fundraising operation, but I can’t find them. And certainly no surrogates who can speak on her behalf.  If she wins, and I certainly hope she will, it will be because her opponent is a Trump supporter.  It’s a little frustrating.  

That being said, yesterday I posted about a Biden rally overrun by Trump thugs.  Did I mention that there was a  guy who wore a T-shirt that said “Ask me if I’m carrying a weapon,” and underneath there was a box checked "yes."  The police assured me there was nothing they could do about that or the fact that despite the county-wide mandate for masks — the thugs do not wear them.  Today i will call the county, but they’ll just say, 'nothing we can do.'  The police were wearing masks.  
Actually, if you think about it, I’m like a brainstorming campaign all by myself. I decorate my car, ride around in neighborhoods where there are likely Biden voters, I look for rallies. I put signs in places like Home Goods and TJMaxx  (smart shoppers - well educated in savings).  It's pretty funny. If I could wish for anything, it would be to have a team of chicken people here, and of course, to make America Kind and Truthful Again.  We're just sayin'...  Iris

Politics and Thugs: They Seem to Go Together

For the last few weeks I have been working in 3 political campaigns in PalmBeach County, Coral Springs and Palm Beach,  and sending post cards all over Florida.  Here’s what’s going on. The Trump voters are exactly what you would expect, based on all the reports. They are Thugs. Oh sure there are some nice people but there is a hostility for Biden people who have worked in campaigns of yore. We put up a road sign, they take it down. From some reports they have razor blades tacked to their signs so the sign can’t be removed. They infiltrate our rallies and push young people around.  The police stand by an watch with amusement. It enraged me so I went to Trump headquarters to confront the racists. They said they didn’t know what I was talking about but they were smirking.

It is impossible to believe that this is happening in our country.  Yet, it is.  Sure in the past we got arrested for hanging signs in places where they might not be legal, but that was harmless fun. And yes I sent chickens to opponent's rallies—don’t ask. But the opponents laughed. This campaign has no sense of humor. The reason, because it’s not about people, the pandemic or the economy, it’s about the power to do what he wants, for financial benefits and his admiration for racists, autocrats, and other political thugs.  

When I go to Black and Hispanic areas it is thrilling. People ask for lawn signs, buttons and other campaign paraphernalia. But yesterday I worked the polling place in Jupiter and it was pretty depressing.  Maybe 1 in five voters took Democratic slate cards. If you don’t know what a slate card is, it basically preparation for the voter who doesn’t know the local politicians — state races, judges, and sheriff.  It is inspiring to see the number of people in line to vote early, but my fear is that the Trump voters outnumber the Democrats.  It is impossible to understand why, given his “wheeling-dealing”, dishonesty, and innate evil thinking. Such is life, but it’s our children’s and grandchildren’s lives on the line.  All I can think is please, Make America Kind Again.   We're just sayin'... Iris

They’re Gonna F*ck It Up

Most of the Democrats with whom I speak are incredibly nervous about the election. They are having a conversation like David and I had today, and it starts like this.   

“They are going to f*ck it up, aren’t they?”  

We have been assured that the Biden people are out there somewhere.  What makes us nervous is that it feels a little like the Hillary campaign.  Okay, people didn’t vote for her because they didn’t like her. Those of us who know her will never understand how her “crack” staff, many of whom I know and love, managed to position her as humorless and removed from  the people who were supposed to vote for her. Regardless, she won the popular vote which means nothing if you’re not sitting in the transition Oval Office taking over the government. David actually said that Sanders would have been a better choice because there was so much passion in his campaign. There are hardly any people who are passionate about Biden/Harris.

May of the Biden people are people I know and people with whom I worked.  And I can’t get a call back from the campaign. And I am not the only one.  My pal Paige, who has impeccable White House credentials sent the campaign  a thoughtful message with suggestions of Covid friendly events they could do. He never got the courtesy of a response or a call to say thanks.  Another friend was so frustrated he gave the LinconProject $200,000 to be able to speak to people who were smart and grateful for his always important political advice.

Having worked on any number of Presidential campaigns (7), the truth is that you do get very busy, but you can have a volunteer (there are no shortage of Presidential campaign volunteers)

return calls and take information to deliver to the appropriate campaign staffer.  No one, experienced or otherwise wants to be ignored. There are a million ways to make people feel included and all that inclusion means more voters. 

The language and the appeals have to be personal because if they are personal, people will feel invested and they might even feel passionate. Wouldn’t that be nice.  If you have worked on a Presidential campaign you know that the most important task is fundraising.  However, there are different tasks that are also important and can be assigned.  Right now the Trump people are knocking on doors to pitch the President and they are telling people that Biden is sleepy, not very smart, and to old and frail to be the President. None of that is true but since Trump has been framing the Biden campaign as laughable, the truth is irrelevant.  

Speaking of the truth, the President never tells it.  Trump is s racist, a sexist, a bigot, a bully, and a crook. He has no morale core. He doesn’t care about right or wrong, he cares about whatever works to promote how great he is. He is never embarrassed when  he is caught in a lie, he simply talks over the accuser. And that’s what he will do during the debates. He won’t be nice or courteous, he will try to humiliate his opposition and if that doesn’t work, he will try name calling or degradation. There is no level to which he won’t stoop. 

A few years ago I was working with an organization that was trying to figure out how to debate some Republican women who were against Title 9.  It was difficult to explain to right thinking women that they should never explain or try to answer questions posed in such a way - that it would always be a no win. You have to get your message across without the truth. Unfortunately, it takes too much time.  Trying to be respectful doesn’t work with people who have a right wing agenda.  Trump is one of those people, every time he opens his mouth.

Am I frustrated by all of this?  Yes, it is frustrating that people you love and respect say that they are going to vote for Trump because they don’t know what Biden is planning, despite all the plans he has released. No one wants to read plans, they want to be able to hear in 25 words or less what he’s going to do.  That explanation has to be passionate, compelling and brief.

Anyway, it is possible that the Biden people will f*ck it up simply because they can’t imagine anyone would vote for a person who is constantly offensive, but they will if Biden doesn’t give them a reason to vote for him and not just against Trump. We have learned that because there is now a lunatic in the Oval Office.   We’re just sayin’ ....Iris

Hatcheting the Hatch Act

There comes a time when you forget what you are doing and the results are always a surprise. The other day when  I was applying toothpaste to my legs, instead of sun block, was one of those times.  Yes, it felt a little pasty but it was possible that the uv sun block could have been 1000 instead of 50.  Forget it, it was a stupid mistake because I was not paying attention.

And speaking of not paying attention, sometimes it appears that the Democrats are not paying attention once again.  The Trump people, who are not necessarily Republicans, have knocked on a million doors to boost votership in the campaign.  We have not knocked on any.  The reason is the pandemic, but surely it’s possible to knock on doors, wearing masks and standing six feet away.  The excuse that they re trying to keep campaign workers safe misses the point that the only real way to keep them safe is to defeat Trump in November.  People really appreciate a personal appeal.  The Democrats are making phone calls, sending text messages (hoop dee do!)  and mailing postcards. 

The message on the post card is one of three. My message is supposed to be “Dear Whomever, thank you for being a previous voter (maybe). Who you vote for is a secret, but whether you vote is public information.  After the election on Nov 3, local organizations may follow up  with you on your voting record.  My name (Iris)”

When I saw this supposedly ‘tested’ message, I was a little taken aback.  My first thought was who would read this without thinking, “someone is following up with me?  I don’t want people to contact me about my vote!  Once the election is over, the last thing I want to do is talk about the election.” 

We are supposed to write this on each postcard, I volunteered to do  200 of them.  This was supposedly ‘tested.’  Here’s what I know after 40 years of involvement in political elections.  Whatever you say or send has to be personal.  For example, when I make calls for a House race, I always start with my name, and then I say “I’m a friend of the candidate, we are hoping you’ll vote for us, and [Insert name of …] whoever is running for President.”  That works a whole lot better than,  “I am a volunteer for the candidate….”

Here’s the other thing, and I have conducted an informal survey with 50 people.  No one knows what “the Hatch Act” is.  So you ask, what is the Hatch Act?   It is a law that prohibits anything political to take place on government property by government employees.  When the political appointees  had a meeting at the White House to discuss something that was political rather than government business, it took place in a specially designated space -  I think it was the Roosevelt room  - that was designated for all political business.  And this is why the President’s unmasked guests on the White House grounds, and the Secretary of State’s speech from Jerusalem were so outrageous.  The President says he was going to reimburse the taxpayer for the millions of dollars that was spent on the Republican Convention, but you know that Trump never tells the truth, so why should he start now.  And the fireworks, OH PLEEZE!

It’s hard to explain the violence, which is getting far more attention than the protests.  While I don’t think it’s the same people who are doing both, it is possible that white supremacists, or anarchists are inciting the violence  (Provocateurs!).  The fact is that the violence is helping the Republicans.  They are framing the conversation as, “we are the law and order people,” and those “radical Socialist Democrats” are just going to eliminate the police.  I just pray, and I mean down on my knees, and everything, that we are not blowing it again.  Joe biden was not my first choice, but he is a good choice, as is Kamala. But we need to get into action mode or the turkey in the White House will be roasting the country for Thanksgiving.  We’re just sayin’… Iris

It's Convention Time, But Not For the Conventional

This year, as we all know, the national political conventions are all about technology.  What a bore. As the Director of Security for a national political convention (first and only woman ever to have that job), it is impossible for me to imagine what that job must be in this chaotic time.  

It was in NYC at Madison Square Garden (MSG) so we started to work about seven months before the convention.  We probably would have started sooner but the Ringling Brothers had rented the venue for the circus and we had to wait until after it was cleaned up and fumigated because the animals really smell. Once the area was fumigated and cleaned we could start to rebuild the Garden to meet our specifications.   The producer was brought in to look at the space and start to design the podium and the delegate areas.  The capacity of MSG was roughly 35,000 people.  No one was taking a count (like they are now doing at retail stores, but the NYC fire departments are experts on crowd sites.  They can eyeball a room and tell if the crowd is manageable.)  

Because the site was over Penn Station, there were concerns about lockers, restaurants and travelers, you can imagine there were “special’ circumstances. Not only did MSG need security but Penn Station had to be secured.  There were so many different authorities involved, police, firemen, MSG security, FBI,  Secret Service they outsourced Democratic Committee and the people in charge — that was me.  Communications were complicated and there were no cell phones (not yet invented) , just bulbous, thick,  gray Motorola radios with every security specialist on a separate channel.  The radios were so enormous that I had to assign a volunteer just to carry my radios.  

Part of my job was to develop a credential plan.  What credentials would be acceptable in what areas.  How would we credential the podium area, backstage, the rooms backstage for celebrities and speakers, the media, the candidate sky boxes, the media skyboxes and the VIP areas. (big money machers).  It was so complicated that I created a t-shirt that showed what credentials would work in what areas.  Needless to say, the MSG security needed to be in their uniforms so we had to assign a DNC volunteer to every MSG employee.  The other security people would just grab a volunteer and turn them around in order to gaze at the layout.  

It is exhausting just remembering it.  There was policy to decide, for example, could Governors’ security be allowed to carry weapons into the hall to protect their Governor.  The answer of course, was no. all we would need was some Governor’s security guy (sorry, Charles Durning, that position has been filled!) shooting in a hall with 35,000 people.  There was policy about arrivals and departures, about terrorist groups, about protestors, and the most important thing:  what we would do with my mother and her friend Sylvia, who sat in the VIP area not far from the President.

This year the Democrats did everything on line to taped.  There was probably no need for any security because most people spoke from their homes on tape or to an empty auditorium.  Sure, the ballroom had to be secured but there were only a few people and some press.  I’m sure there were bomb dogs who were constantly searching both inside and outside the auditorium and offices from which people spoke, but that was, depending on the speaker, either Capital Hill Cops,  Secret Service, or private security. Who else would you need? The Republicans are working out of the White House and because that’s illegal (you can’t do anything political in all but one room in the White House the President’s people will reimburse the taxpayer for anything spent. (Sure they will).  

The beauty of past conventions was the chaos.  It was so much fun just doing day to day business. And wondering if anything would work?  Would there be enough transportation for all the guest and delegates?  Where would people talk, meet, and negotiate and do actual politics?  And What would the public think after four days of Convention?  Would they be inspired  enough to vote for your candidate? It’s kind of like making sausage.  You never want to see what goes into it, but if it’s good, you will think it’s delicious and want more. I think I preferred being the chef, ordering everyone around and walking away with a hell of a sausage inside my backpack.

Willie Horton Called

Is it true that if you prefer to drink rather than eat, you might be an alcoholic? Who cares, the President says you should drink bleach, so why not vodka.

Yesterday David hobbled home from a biking accident. Wait:  he came upstairs looking dirty and disheveled and said, “I had an accident.”   

“No kidding, I guessed you were bleeding and looked like shit for some reason.”

  

Anyway, he hit something, fell, put the chain back on the bike, and with all the scrapes and bruises rode home — maybe in the rain.

Not to worry, he’s just fine. Except he broke his foot. On the other hand, I accidentally stepped on an ant hill and have ant bites all over my foot. I had parked my bike and when I came out to unlock it, I didn’t look until I felt this tickling on my foot. Who would ever think these tiny little creatures could cause such ugly feet. 

We are recovering nicely. It’s amazing what a little bourbon and some fine tequila can do for a beating.  

It is a political year and if I were young enough I would be out on the road stalking for Biden. But those days are passed and they are cherished memories. I think about all the people with whom I worked. Some I just haven’t seen, like Eric, Andy, Brenda, Dennis, Kim, Sue, Mark, Mary, Marthena and Joe, Sarah, The Sullivans, and the Carter/Udall/ Clinton friends. Some are gone, Carl, Ron, Jody and Hamilton, Moodle, Steve, Jeff, — never mind, this is too depressing.

Lets talk about owls. Did you know that owls have legs. Yep, under that regal dress of feathers are two skinny little legs, which, by the way, they can cross.  

That was a nice transition right.  

David went to the doctor yesterday, he has broken his foot in five places. the doctor thinks that if he’s careful he might not need surgery.  He’s being careful. We are finally leaving Florida in August as long as his foot is fine and my ant bites go away.   Last night D Trump did a half hour “press opportunity.”  He liked himself so much that he’s going to do another one tonight. No doctors, no scientists — just Trump who obviously got scared about the polls and listened to whichever aide told him not to talk too much and stick to the script. How long will that last?  Given his proclivity for dropping some ridiculous bomb on himself and the fact that he can’t stop talking, usually about things of which he knows nothing, not very long is my guess.  But who knows - we’re  getting close to the election and maybe even debates. 

Last thing, based on the political commercials I have seen so far Trump is running a “Willy Horton” campaign. Video of seniors being robbed because there are no police available. Biden is running commercials that talk about his fitness for the Presidency. Let’s hope that people are smarter now than they were in 1988.  When Mr. Dukakis came to talk to  my political campaign class he admitted that it was a mistake not to take on that issue, but it was a different time and I hope there are smarter voters  this year.  Attention Snoopy… the campaign is upon us.

We’re just sayin’…Iris

The Patterns of the Pattern

Today David asked me what i wanted to do with the rest of my life. He said there was not that much of it left, so how did I want to spend it?  We are realists looking at the average life span  of white men and women of our generation.  It was not something I think about all the time so it gave me pause.  

I responded, “Well, I always wanted to be at star at something. And I don’t know if there’s time for me to do that. And, at what would I be a star?  There have been decisions I made that were not very smart, but look at my record” I said to him. “Certainly I should be a political legend.  If I were a  man that probably would have happened. So many campaign firsts. So much work on women’s issues. So many 501 C3’s for which I got no credit. So much stuff,  but no clarity.  Books, yes. Shows, yes. Memorable projects for which other people took credit, yes.  So many credits and hardly a Kudos.  But all that is in the past, so what do I do now  to make a difference?”

This blob, which has always been a joy and a life line and why did I stop writing?  Well, with the pandemic and too many losses I was truly overwhelmed. Nothing humorous to write. But over the years the issues we dealt with were not humorous, we just were able to laugh at them and ourselves.  Donald Trump, for example. is a person without any skills, no interest in learning, and a wretched leader.  A racist, a bigot and a moron.  Under most circumstances, because I had enormous respect for the Presidency, I might forgive him. But no, he’s just an idiot without a moral core, who clearly is afraid of Putin.  You can’t be the President and afraid of a another horrible leader without a moral core.  

But enough of the ‘nots.’ As was mentioned in the first paragraph, there were some serious losses.  This will not be an obit column. There was the man who was my high school boyfriend, and if you had one, you understand the impact of that love on your life.  He played professional football and got hit in head a few too many times. It did something resembling Alzheimer’s to his brain, but that was not the disease.  The remarkable thing is that he didn’t remember what happened yesterday, but he did not forget his high school friends or the adventures  we had.  We never lost touch over the years but it was often months, sometimes years that we didn’t see one another; the loss was pretty heavy.  

This pandemic has wreaked havoc on all our lives, but thankfully there is Zoom. Catching up with people you haven’t seen in days, months or years  has been pretty easy  and  delightful.  I studied tap, attended  two weddings and unfortunately one funeral. Some meetings are one shot but  some are ongoing meetings. For example, I attend a meditation meeting every week with some college friends.  It has been terrific to see them but it has changed me in so many ways.  I am “easier”.  We have learned different techniques and experienced a variety of feelings.  We meditate together and then we talk.  The two things that have had the most impact on me, are the concept of patterning and the ability to look most arguments as “nothing,” and so to move on. In my mind the two are connected. How many of us repeat the same argument with our kid or spouse, because it is a pattern we fall into.  For example, when I got divorced my ex would call me over and over and we would argue, We would do the same ‘you did, I did” dance over and over.  One day my friend Jane, who had often witnessed this painful performance, came over to me, took the phone out of my hand and hung it up on him.  “You don’t have to talk to him”, she said.  “It is always about the same conversation about nothing,  and you don’t have to do it.”  I changed the pattern.  Now when David  and I start to argue, I respond with either something funny or Absent myself.  We have been together non stop for over 100 days, and we have not had any ugly words. We changed the pattern.

Tomorrow, the political thoughts come back. If you don’t agree, don’t comment, it’s my blob and not a conversation.  That’s changed.  We’re just sayin’…. Iris

The Essentials of the Essentials

This is a terrible time to be a shopaholic.  The people that make the rules have no idea that for some of us, TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Home Goods are a necessity.  The ridiculous governor of Florida has deemed the WWF (that would be fake Wrestling…)  as a necessity, but not hair and nail salons:  what an idiot!  This morning I spent hours making price tags I could pin on to my clothes just so I could go into my closet. 

There were even some I put Sale tags on. but to tell you the truth, it’s just not as much fun as actually meandering through a store. Last night we lit yahrzeit candles (memorial candles) and I told my mother that if she wasn’t dead, she would never survive the closure of Bloomies. Once I told her that she needed to get some exercise and she looked at me like I was nuts.  “‘For your information,” she said, “I exercise every single day.  In the morning I get up and get dressed, put on my make-up, and go to the Mall to look for sales.  I buy a few things that I like, and I don’t try them on.  The next day  I get up, get dressed, put on my make-up and Return them. I have my hair and nails done once a week so I look nice in public, but I never just relax.  I walk miles when there’s a good sale at the designer discount stores or a department store with a sale on dishes, or whatever little something that looks nice.”

That was the end of the exercise conversation.  did I mention that she would not always return the same items she purchased the day before. Remember when department stores decided that you couldn’t just return something that was purchased 30 days before or without a receipt.  That was clearly because of my mother.  I must say that the good news was that whenever there was an occasion where a gift was appropriate, me and all my cousins would shop in my mother’s attic. Her upstairs looked like a sale at the Fortunoff warehouse.  There was always something nice we could take to the event.  

All my aunts were the same.  When I married David, we said not to fuss. My father was not well and the wedding was in my parents’ living room.  We wanted it to be small, intimate. I told them not to invite anyone. They said OK.  The next thing I knew there were 50 people coming.  But here’s the point, they said it would be very informal.  There would be paper table cloths on the 7 tables they set up in the living and dining rooms, (all the furniture in the house was put on a truck in the driveway).  My Aunt Sophie and Aunt Peppy went to Kmart, where they would never shop, to buy the paper goods.  They came back to the house and started cutting the tablecloths to fit the tables.  My Aunts decided the paper cloths looked cheap. (Of course they did, they were cheap.) So they packed them back up, cuttings and all,  and returned them.  Yes, they returned the cut up cloths, got their money back and used the beautiful linen tablecloths they already owned. 

And so I say, they would never have survived the closures or stay at home orders. They always had too much shopping to do. What fun we had.  I really miss all of them.  We’re just sayin’… Iris

Texas for Howard

What does a person do after a campaign like Gary’s where we worked in the Silver Lake section of LA and we rested our weary heads on fluffy pillows at the Beverly Wilshire hotel. At least most of us did, except Richard Simmons, who brought his own pillows. He made me aware of this when we met at the parking facility and he was near hysterics because the cleaning people had lost  his treasured pillows. As a political nutcase, there was not much to do except go to work for Walter Mondale, who I liked, but the staff had to stay at union hotels — which were usually bleak.  

Howard, my friend and the scheduler promised he would send me, and Sid and Terry someplace interesting. He lied, and we all went to Texas. First stop El Paso Texas, known as the Sun City because they have an average of 302 days of sunshine a year. It is in the western corner of the state.  When we landed we rented a car and headed directly to our hotel.  Well, not exactly directly because we spent what seemed like hours looking for the place.  We actually could see it, but just couldn’t figure out a way to get there.  Finally, Sid was so frustrated that he drove right across a lovely flowered park.  (Maybe I should use flowered in the past tense).

Simply put, the hotel was a pit.  A real pit! On the way from the airport but what was mid town El Paso, we saw a lovely new hotel, we didn’t ask if it was a union property, and just checked in, called Howard so he could divert the other advance people to the hotel where we decided to stay.  On the first night the team had dinner to get to know one another.  Sid who has a New York accent and ear, had no idea what the team was talking about when they asked him to pass the salsa.  He insisted there was no saucer on the table.  We laughed for quite some time.

The next day it started to rain. it rained so much that the fire department had to pump out the site we chose for the event.  The rain continued until about an hour before Mr Mondale arrived.  

When the event was over the Advance Team traditionally has a wheels up party. Which we did across the border in Juarez, Mexico.  We drank enough tequila that it rendered us incapable of driving. so we simply left our cars in Mexico, and taxied back to the hotel.  For all I know they may be there still.

When we sobered up the team moved to McAllen Texas, (talk about pits). It was so awful that Sid and Terry left, which was fine since they couldn’t be seen in public, (just a little too thug like),and I stayed.   But try as  I might, it was so bleak that I can’t remember what we did. Except I got a ticket for an illegal left turn, which I never paid.  The reality is, I probably can’t go back to Texas.  

The campaign was fine, but of course, we lost, so it was hunt for a job again.  No one hates to get a real job quite as much as I do, so I applied for a teaching position at American University. 

And then…….     we’re just sayin’… Iris

Iris - a Life in Politics Pt 3

Where were we? A brief recap: I moved to DC and got a great job as a political operative in the  Carter Administration.  The nature of my job meant I had the opportunity to travel all over the world. Sometimes for the job and sometimes for the White House. Could I tell you stories, or you could read them in my book “Schlepper”.  It was also the first year of the Kennedy Center Awards. This was terrific for many reasons. The primary reason was that I got to dance with my tap hero, Fred Astaire.  He loved being honored and loved that he was the reason I started to tap, despite the fact that my mother thought it was a waste of time to take lessons because I would never practice.  This was not true but she wouldn’t let me take piano lessons because I would never practice — instead I had to learn to play the accordion. That lasted until my grandma saw me schlepping this enormous instrument up Main Street.  When I wanted to have a puppy she insisted i wouldn’t walk him and gave him away. Oh, she insisted my parakeet had a nervous breakdown so he went back to the petshop.  

That was a digression: On 4th of July, we got invited to the White House lawn for fireworks, .  The Carters were generous about invitations to the White House.  We went to Christmas celebrations, fire works, the Easter egg hunt and often had seats at the Kennedy Center in the President’s box.  We knew everyone considered important because we got invitations to embassies and press events. I was Henry Kissinger’s dinner partner for The White House Press dinner. This list could go on but it won’t.  The neat thing was that we all (Secret Service, Media, and Politicals) came to DC at the same time. During the election I moved to NYC as Director of Security for the Democratic Convention. It was me and 17,000 guys — not bad odds for finding a date.  Oh, and I started to date David Burnett, when one or the other of us was available.  

You may recall it was a one term Presidency, boo hoo, but the impact and honesty with which the Carter Administration dealt was enormous. So with two friends we started a boutique PR business which we called called “Arrive” and called it an ‘access service.’ If anyone (big deal people) wanted access to anyone or anything they would hire us.  For example, Warner Brothers wanted the US to get involved in soccer, so we made sure to arrange for Péle to go to the White House and play soccer with the President.  We thought we could go anywhere, and do anything, and we did.  We were hired to do the international opening of the film Gandhi. We opened the film in Atlanta with the King Center, in DC with UNICEF, and in India with Columbia pictures.  There were many trips to India, and it was the most exciting and challenging project I have ever undertaken.  At some point I will talk about the experiences, but that would take a book. Richard Attenborough, Sir John Mills and the whole cast became pals.  I dined at Indira Gandhi’s and travelled across the world with person and daughter-in-law.

“Arrive” had a noble beginning and a disastrous end.  But the pain was lessoned by the Dukakis campaign.  When you travel with or for a candidate you meet the most fascinating people. Ok this is where my memory dims.  What was next on my agenda? My emotions simply can’t deal, more tomorrow…..

we're just sayin'.... Iris

Iris - a Life in Politics (pt 2)

The NYTimes is delivered to the house Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It is unfathomable that there can be that much news in every category.  Reading the whole paper is impossible and it is doubtful that anyone actually does it in one weekend.  Even if they do, there’s more news the rest of the week. some would say it keeps people informed.  Maybe, but in most categories it keeps people confused. Then of course, there are magazines, television and the internet.  Really, its all too much.

Anyway, with my business destroyed and my life in shambles, it was time for me to look beyond another business, but luckily, there was always another campaign.  This time it was Dukakis. admittedly, by his own explanation, he was not a great candidate and when he fired Campaign Manager John Sasso it was pretty much over.  When Professor Dukakis spoke to my political communications class, he agreed that it was the stupidest decision he made during the campaign.

Wait wait wait!  there was Something before Dukakis. Gary Hart.  It was a wonderful campaign and he would have made a great President but Gary was his own worst enemy.  He surprisingly won in New Hampshire.  Which was fine except he had no real office and no political staff. Just people from his Senate Office and a few “strategists” who were clueless about the mundane tasks of putting a campaign together, like finding advance people to travel before the candidate and set up political events.   We looked at his campaign office in DC, which was without any phones or people to make or answer calls and just a few of us created  something out of nothing.  Paige Reffe was hired as the Candidate Scheduler and I scheduled surrogates —  everyone but Gary. My job was easier.  There were no cell phones or computers to enable us to communicate. Often Gary was scheduled to do an event one place and while they were mid-air, he changed his mind and landed somewhere else, where he was unencumbered by staff.  It was usually a nightmare.

The month before the final primary votes, (California and New Jersey were on the same day so save this information for later. ) Eli S.and I went to California to create family and celebrity events and organize/strategize, the campaign. The best part of this adventure was that i lived in the Beverly Wilshire and my room was nicer than the candidates. It was glorious,  by that time i think that maybe David and I were married, but my room was in a secure area so he was searched by the SecretService every time he came to see me.  They knew he who he was but wanted to have some fun. 

Celebrity scheduling is not easy and I wont go into detail except to say Warren Beatty with whom  I had worked before would decide he needed to strategize or do a cute commercial at 3am.  The celebrity contacts were in my book and unbeknown to me Seth decided that he needed to speak to Jack Nicholson. He thankfully hung up when Jack answered. It was challenging and only once did I misplace  Stephen King, who was with Admiral Gaylor — but it was briefly.

Anyway the night before the vote, Gary was at a fundraiser and we were surrounded with journalists and Papparazzi.  Gary hated the press so I didn’t anticipate any problems.  He would surely avoid them.  Gary’s advance person was off having fun with the celebs. When he was about to leave I warned him that there were press outside and not to talk to them.  For some reason and there is no way to understand it, Gary walked outside directly to the press, and when asked how the campaign was going, he said “fine, except Lee is working in LA and I got stuck in New Jersey.”  As Jersey girl I knew that he would lose NJ and that was the end of the line for us.

More tomorrow…    we’re just sayin’…. Iris

The Job Blob Part Un

Whenever someone asks me to share an account of my work history and I try to do so, it seems the order of the years and the actual jobs gets fuzzy.  It happened the other day when a young woman asked about the way I spent years gone by.  

When still in Boston, I worked in a Chinese restaurant, a bakery and a drug store.  The people at the drug store were lovely. The women in the bakery (who had been there for at least 50 years) actually pushed and shoved me non-stop.  When my friend Marc came to buy bread and saw what was going on — they had no shame, “what are YOU doing here” he yelled at me over the crowd, I thought about it and yelled back, “I have no idea but I’m turning in my apron,” and stormed out.

Eventually I got a job at Snelling and Snelling employment agency. We had to change names, and that should have been a clue.  Soon after my start date came the finish date. They fired me because I was trying to place people in jobs they liked.  The firing letter said, “you do not understand the concept of this business, you are supposed to place people whether they like the job or not.  You are not a social worker.”  At that point I called Dr. Bender at Emerson College and begged him to give me a teaching assistantship so I could get a graduate degree.

Then what?  My graduate degree finished in 1971.  In 1972, I got pregnant, a job at Boston University, (with part time teaching at Emerson) and started to volunteer for the McGovern campaign.  Any work on a political campaign, even part time,  is pretty intense. But we lost.

Far as I remember the following order was —

a. Waltham High School.

b. Boston University. 

c. Straining the air with chicken soup for the baby.

d. The Morris K Udall Presidential campaign.

e. The Carter campaign where I worked for Rosalyn and the Carter family.

f. The US government

g.  Moved to DC

h.  Director of Security for the 1980 Democratic Convention

—- and then it was the 80’s, best as I can remember.  

i   Started a business, “Arrive Unlimited’ — a boutique PR company.

j.  Worked on the Dukakis campaign.

Alright, that’s the best I can do right now.  More tomorrow.  It may just get more interesting. When we look at the way we spent our lives are there mistakes, apologies, good decisions and bad. Sure. But my resumé is quite eclectic and in some ways special. Are there any regrets— sure, when you work in public service there is no money.

We’re just sayin’…. Iris

Xfinity- the horrid cable company...

While it is probably true that we all hate our cable or internet provider, there is no one who despises them as much as me.  Well, maybe there is, but it would be a close call. 

Last night when i tried to get HBO to watch the new Stephen King saga  “Outsiders” it appeared i did not actually have HBO. So I called my IT guy David B, and he said he would call Xfinity.  This morning he reported that everything was fixed and if I turned on the tv there it would be.  NOT SO FAST.   I did turn on the tv and still didn’t have HBO.

Needless to say, I called the evil giant Xfinity and the pleasant young woman asked how she could help.  It was obvious that she was not n the US because there were other people in the background who were nonspeaking english. However, at the end and beginning of each sentence she said “Iris” this will take just a minute.” This is not to say everyone who lives n the Us speaks English but when I inquired about where she was physically located, she said in the Philippines. One hour (I swear) later,  after asking me to turn to channels that did not exist on my TV, she said, “Iris,  You don’t have HBO in your package”  

“How can that be”, I replied.  Every cheap motel has HBO. Exactly what does my package include?’

“Starz and Epic Iris.”

“But I don't want those channels. I want HBO and TCM”.

“You can have those channels, but you will lose your internet Iris”

Stupidly I asked why.

“Because that your package only comes with Starz and Epic”

“Can I change my package?”

Of course Iris but as was told to you previously if you want to do that Iris, you will lose your internet. Iris. That was a special promotion. It might be a bit inconvenient Iris but you will have to go to your Xfinity office.”

After my tap class, I went to the infinity office.  It is modern clean and staffed with lovely people in black.  ‘

“What can we help you with? 

Xfinity is the worst provider ever, and I am frustrated to death and would love to yell at someone”

OK, but first you have to speak to that man over there and have hime sign you in.  

“He’s helping other people, why can’t you sign me in”  There were no fewer than 4 people standing around in this lovely space doing nothing.

“OK, I guess I could do that.”

The wait was brief and the woman to who I was assigned, explained that the package we had no longer exists  and apparently there is no HBO package where you don’t lose your internet which she seemed to think was a gift.  

“When I go to HBO in my condo, there is an offer to sign up, it sees so simple”

You could try that but if something goes wrong we can’t help you.”

“The truth is, I said, You can’t help me anyway or anyhow, so I’ll try that.”

“Hope it works, she said and have a nice day.

When I got home, I went to HBO on my TV, entered my credit card and after hours of Xfinity nonsense, I finally have HBO and can watch “The Outsider” along with my son.

We’re just sayin’.....Iris

Aun Tirene

Aun Tirene, (Auntie)

If anyone asked me to what or whom did I owe my love of theater, the answer would be easy— my Auntie Irene.  When we were kids we simply called her Aun Tirene which somehow developed into Auntie. The first Broadway show I saw was either, Fiorello, Bells are Ringing, or Milk and Honey.  I’m not sure of the order, and that was only three of the many, but even as a kid being with my Aunt was always a treat.  We would usually have lunch first at an automat or some fancy restaurant where we would eat little white bread sandwiches trimmed without crust, and filled with cream cheese and something green.  


Aun-tirene & Iris   ca. 2015
Sometimes we had a fancier lunch where she would instruct me about critically important rules, like breaking my bread before I ate it and which fork and spoon to use, and when. I thought these rules or instructions on manners were interesting. It wasn't until I was invited to fancy international dinners years later that I was grateful for all the lessons.  Important to remember,  you start with the silver on the outside and work your way in.

Irene, Milton, Rose

It might help to understand how important my relationship was with her if you know that growing up my dad had MS and my parents spent lots of time traveling to find a cure.  My brother and I felt somewhat abandoned, which now we know helped us to develop our independence and also to build our character, but without members our family we would have been incredibly lonely. My Aunt Irene was an intricate part of making sure we were schooled in  cultural growth.  For example, she took my brother to DC to learn about the capitol and government, and as I said our NYC adventures have a prominent place in my memory.

Irene and Milton, ca. 1927

She was a little younger than my dad but as kids, my parents were sweethearts from the time they were 16.  It made sense that after her husband died she was a part of my mothers family as well.  One of the things that comforted us at the cemetery  was that she was buried right next to mom and dad.  The pictures of them as kids are phenomenal.  Both she and my mom were gorgeous, and dad looked like Tyrone Power.  The three of them together took your breath away —and I am not exaggerating.  

Auntie  was always there for me.  She supported my career and personal choices, she reveled in my accomplishment and she loved all our kids and their accomplishments. There were many times that I felt closer to her than any other human being.  

When we moved back to NYC I saw her for lunch at least once a week if not more.  She had a great sense of humor and was always entertaining with her stories about travel to ports and parts unknown, steeped in adventure.  There were also stories about my grandmother and my biological grandfather, who was a tailor on Broadway.  Everyone loved her.

When we realized her short term memory was going, and her friends were deserting her, it was painful, but there were still family events which she always attended and enjoyed.  As I said she was loved and I was there to make sure she was OK.  Not that she needed me because she got up, dressed and ready to go until she was 94. At some point, she no longer wanted to go to the beauty salon, nor did she want to get ‘dressed’ up.  Her friends thought she was not being cared for, but on the contrary she had me, family and her companion Lauren who saw her everyday. They went to the movies, out to eat and on nice days to the park to watch the children play.  It was difficult to get her to go to the doctor or for that matter, any place she didn’t want to go.  Her friends reported me to NJ Social Services because they thought she wasn’t being cared for. But that was never the case. She wanted her independence and we tried to respect that.   I guess for her friends, to see Irene not coiffed and dressed to the nines, meant she was suffering from neglect, which was certainly never the case.  The saddest thing for both Lauren and myself, was that she got sick and was incredibly unhappy.  All she wanted to do was to be left alone. For someone who was as social as she was, the desertion by her friends was the most painful for her.

Thankfully she died peacefully in her sleep. We had a gravesite burial, which is what she wanted.  “Don’t fuss,” she told me, “when I’m gone, I’m gone.”  It was just family, and Lauren, of course, the child she never had, who we and she considered family.  

Going through all her things was an education about who she really was. Totally organized, beautiful clothes and shoes and diaries about her travels and adventures. .It was sad beyond imagination because she was the mom who said I was terrific and filled all the gaps in my life.  The last thing she said to me, which was the day before she died, was “please Iris, I’m begging you, just make them all leave me alone.”  

She died the day before we were moving her to assisted living.  We had moved her from her apartment, to the hospital, to rehab. In my heart I know she just didn’t want to move again.  She made the choice to assert her independence and not to go anywhere but to join her husband, and my mom and dad. We will always love you Auntie and as we always said to one another, “I love you, more.”    We’re just sayin’… Iris