The Gentleman Is Correct In Sitting

Anthony Weiner is mad as hell and correct in not taking it anymore.

For those of you just joining us - the New York Congressman drew attention last week by losing his cool on the floor of the House. When a detractor attempted an interjection, Weiner refused to yield - instructing the gentleman to sit down. The fit of rage was brief and full of compelling points, none of which have been mentioned in any reference I've heard to the incident. Which is just more of the maddening detachment that got the man so worked up in the first place.

Peoples' lives are real. Covering your ass is not. Did I just lose the gentleman?

Politics requires a certain remove. One cannot make life and death decisions everyday if one is too close to the lives in question. It's a game and if one wishes to create positive change, one must learn to play it. But knowing this is no excuse for not doing your job, whether you're an elected representative or a regular citizen.

Consider the comfortable remove of California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman who ignored the political game entirely for most of her adult life before deciding to make it her career. I don't follow this at all. You found politics so tedious and irrelevant that you couldn't find time to do the absolute minimum - and now you want the people to entrust you with an elected position of enormous responsibility at a time of extraordinary challenges? I'd like a little more info, ma'am.

But I'll only get well-rehearsed responses from her on how not voting was "wrong" and some lame dribble about being focused on raising a family. (Which by the way, was a primary argument against allowing women to vote in the first place. Way to represent, sista.) I'll get whatever her handlers have told her to say in order to cover her ass. She's just playing the game.

And why shouldn't she? She's spent a fortune getting a seat at the table. What's our excuse? Any intelligent person will likely dismiss my concerns with rolled eyes and pre-scripted excuses about how the system is corrupt and no one can do anything about it. It's a weak argument because it isn't real. It's just the pre-scripted response that the guy on the street gives to cover his ass.

No. The gentleman will accept responsibility. The gentleman is correct in accepting responsibility.

Our officials work for us but we're too lazy (or sorry, focused on raising our families) to properly oversee them. We complain instead of taking action because we delude ourselves into thinking that politics is separate from our lives. This is every bit as reprehensible in an ordinary citizen as in a Congressman. You should vote yes if you think something is the right thing. Your decisions are real. Healthcare, education and the environment are real. So forget about your ass and do your job.

Barbara Grizzuti Harrison once said, "I refuse to believe that trading recipes is silly. Tuna casserole is at least as real as corporate stock."

Indeed. Times are tough, folks. We need to get real with each other. Be accountable and demand accountability. We need to understand that participating in the political system IS taking care our families. Voting is at least as real as tuna casserole.


The Diva's Fancy Pants Tuna Noodle Casserole

8 oz. egg noodles
1/2 an onion, diced
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
Kosher salt to taste
1 c milk
1 c shaved 3 cheese blend (parmesan, romano, asiago)
6 oz. canned tuna, drained
15 oz. can of peas, drained

1. Heat the oven to 350 and grease a 2 quart casserole
2. Boil the noodles to al dente and drain
3. Melt the butter and fry the onion til it's transluscent and the house smells yummy
4. Add flour and salt and stir to combine well
5. Add milk and whisk until the sauce gets thick. Go easy on the heat for this part.
6. Add cheese and stir to combine well
7. Add tuna, peas and noodles and stir to combine well
8. Pop it in the oven for 30 minutes

Serve warm with cracked pepper.

Serve cold on second day with Sriracha sauce.

Breathe easy.