The MAGA Whisperer

[mallorys_camera]

Joey's BBQ was a modest success. Maybe 60 people at any one time—which probably means the total headcount was a hundred or so because cars were always coming & going.

Summer in October. Such a gorgeous day! (Thank you unseasonably high pressure front.) And Joey really went all out on the food! He roasted a pig!



And there was locally grown corn-on-the-cob, and locally grown squash, and locally grown potatoes, and locally grown apples. I provided dessert—zucchini bread (locally grown zucchini, natch), and several people sought me out in the crowd to tell me it was the best zucchini bread they'd ever tasted, which was flattery because while I'm a reasonably good cook, I suck at baking.

Someone donated a bounce house for the kiddies.

And there were horseshoes and a soccer game and several of Joey's impossibly beautiful friends made the trek up from Williamsburgh to play music:

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1088122093401875

For several weeks, the Shawangunk Dem email list had been abuzz with How political should this event be?

Like the Shawangunk Dems had any say in the matter!

It was Joey's event, and he has quite rightly assessed he will not win if he stresses any connection to the Democratic Party. "Democrat" is a dirty word in these parts, right next to "Libtard asswipe" in the Town of Shawanagunk semi-official lexicon.

Among the Shawangunk Dems, I have something of a reputation as a MAGA-whisperer—I guess because I'm not as polarized as 90% of the U.S. right now. So I made it a point to wander through the crowd and zero in on prospective MAGAs with sprightly conversation in the hope of helping secure their votes.

Once you're elected, you can do what you want.

But you have to be elected.

And, of course, that means people have to vote.

Will they? Hard to say. Most people, even those living in rural areas like this one, think local elections are relatively unimportant. The biggest determinant in local elections is most often the weather on Election Day.

###

Else? I have a staggering amount of work to do. Just staggering.

So, I guess I better get to it

Really, all I want to do is lie out in the sun & read Cormoran Strike novels. The weather is supposed to hold at this summer-like temp for one more day before it plummets.

Comments

[rebeccmeister]

It sounds like this was a really good occasion to at least get out and interact with other humans! We can only hope, when it comes to actually voting. Good luck with the continued work. Have to remind ourselves sometimes: better than NO work.

[mallorys_camera]

Yep. If my presentiments are correct, we are heading into some very rough financial times.

[asakiyume]

Love your opening photo of the kid with the flier in his pocket.

Sounds like a fun picnic--certainly won't have hurt Joey's chances, and he's contributed something positive to people's lives, which is a Good that maybe will have positive ripple effects regardless...

[mallorys_camera]

Hard to say. The #1 factor in determining the outcome of local elections is actually the weather on election day. But we shall see! 😀