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The Sound of One Half Clapping
North Miami Beach, Florida 1-28-2000 Aaron H. Schectman
THINKING ALLOWED
Essays on issues, ideas and reflections on the times. Published now and
then. Opinions pro or con are welcome.
THE SOUND OF ONE HALF CLAPPING
In America we have a two party system. It is like two halves of a single
entity. This is exquisitely clear when an exuberant soon-to-be ex president
crows before the legislature and one half stands applauding while the other
half sits on its hands.
The cock crows in the barnyard because he is "cock of the walk". This is
the picture that so bitterly flavors the image of a morally disgraced man
who at the same time is a brilliant politician. His distracters cannot
accept his cocky walk through the success the country is having without
noting that the more things change the more he remains the same. His
cheering section cannot help but exult as he masterfully uses his pulpit to
preach equally to the two parties while one half claps in standing ovations.
The other half stifles its urge to join and stolidly waits biding its time.
The President of the United States used his State of the Union speech to
unashamedly bolster his Vice-President and his Senator aspiring wife in
their candidacies. Squirming Republican lawmakers had to sit there and take
every bit he delivered. And, he delivered it in grand style. He is a very
good orator, you know. He gives a speech of wide-ranging intelligence
seemingly extemporaneously. His obvious enjoyment in standing before his
enemies with his cup overflowing gave joy and hope to his supporters.
We shall not see his like again soon. He is unique and, understanding his
unsuppressed needs, he is the kind of President who actually leads and whom,
I think, Americans respect and would elect again.
America's two party system rarely allows the party in control of the
executive to work effectively while the legislature is in the hands of the
opposing party. In the present situation this is not only galling but
humiliating to the party waiting its turn. It sat on its hands while the
Democrats cheered standing in ovation time and again making for a lop-sided
picture of a country united under one flag. Carol's Evaluation: 10 out of
10.
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