Joy to the world

So far the Dems have won the House and counting. Which proves that the "Nancy Pelosi is the devil" brand of attack ads patently did not work, for which I am extremely grateful to a large segment of the population. (I do not often delve into politics, having friends who are much better equipped to do so than I am to leave this kind of thing to, but the ad angle is more TV than politics to me.) Like most people, I loathe attack ads and have seen far too many this season, even in SC where the races are virtually moot. Sadly, it appears that these ads work, at least according to the research, so we will continue to see them, and they will inevitably become more vituperative with each passing season.

But this strain of anti-Pelosi ads was just too much for me, and, since they have proven to be useless, let me now comment on them a bit. In case you were asleep or in a heavily left-leaning area (ah, Philadelphia, how I miss just this particular part of thee): assorted Republican candidates across the country decided that it was in their best interests not to campaign about the issues or even to attack their local competition but to attack the very idea that Pelosi might become Speaker of the House, casting her as their new villianesse du jour. As the Miami Herald observed in October, "In debates, speeches, magazines and a few ads, on talk shows and the Internet, Republicans attack Pelosi as the face of a tax-raising, homosexual-embracing, abortion-promoting, war-fearing, criminal-coddling, government-expanding liberal party that would ruin America if it gains at least 15 seats on Election Day and takes control of the 435-member House." However, this appears to have been a silly, silly move, because few people knew her outside of San Fran and producing these ads simply meant that more people got to know her and, I like to think, most likely looked on her favorably in comparison with the outlandish ad tactics that brought her to their attention in the first place.

And can we talk about the gendering going on here? Because she will be, if she becomes Speaker, the first female Speaker of the House ever. And so what was more scary, do you suppose, her liberal tendencies or her gender? Hmmmmm.... Did you know Pelosi had 5 children in 6 years and raised them all before going into elected office at 47 (though she was an active volunteer long before then)? This woman should be cheered resoundingly, especially from the right. Talk about family values! Huzzah!

But enough politics! See, I can't sustain an argument along these lines without giving myself hives, so I must move on, to...ummm...well, this weekend was not one in which I watched a lot of television (*gasp!*) given that I was busy on Saturday walking in the Lowcountry Heart Walk in downtown Charleston. We had a cold snap here (relatively speaking; it was 37, which for us is very very cold) and were walking in many layers by the waterfront, but it was a beautiful day, and the husband and I raised the most money for Team Pharmacy, which was lovely (many thanks again to all you donors!). We spent the evening at a barbeque competition put on by a local church and ended up back at our house for hot chocolate and games when it just became too cold to enjoy the free roasted meat. Trust me, it has to be extremely cold indeed for us to pass up all-you-can-eat southern barbeque! In all, a frankly fabulous weekend.