Street Politics in our Nation's Capitol
A few months ago while living in Austin, I finally conquered my mini-tragedies and made the decision to relocate to Silver Spring, Maryland for the summer. Silver Spring, Maryland is an affluent and sleepy little suburb at the end of the Metro Red Line just outside of Washington, DC. When I first turned the corner and saw the long quiet street decorated by mansion like houses and neatly manicured lawns, my heart sunk. I suspected that I would be surrounded by middle-aged republicans. I suppose I should back up for a moment. Why Silver Spring, Maryland? I didn't toss a dart at a map; I actually came here to spend time with my very close friends. (The thirty-something, disgustingly functional breeders from my previous post.)
What I found when I arrived here was surprising: Bush supporters seem to be few and far between. I have seen only one Bush/Cheney sticker since I've been here, and they had Texas tags. I thought Austin was fairly liberal, but I saw three or four Bush stickers a day while I was there. Maybe that's just because the imbecile is from Texas. Texans are weird about their pride. I think that some of them support Bush just because he's from Texas.
I'm not basing my observations solely on the presence or lacking presence of stickers, but on conversation as well. I have been riding the metro, hanging out in coffee shops, eating in restaurants that range from the local dive that barely passes health inspections, to fancy French joints with more than 3 forks per place setting. In all of these places, I have heard conversations in all of these places. The tone is always the same. Sometimes people sound angry, sometimes they sound weary, but they are all sick of Bush and would be happy to see him gone. I thought that people would be more supportive of him here, in the Nation's Capitol.
I even heard one older man on the subway talking about who he will vote for. He pointed across the isle to a stranger and declared "I'd vote for that guy before I'd vote for Bush."
Maybe its just wishful thinking, or maybe I'm only hearing what I want and filtering the rest out, but I think its refreshing to witness political descent on the streets of Washington, DC. Maybe there is still hope.
What I found when I arrived here was surprising: Bush supporters seem to be few and far between. I have seen only one Bush/Cheney sticker since I've been here, and they had Texas tags. I thought Austin was fairly liberal, but I saw three or four Bush stickers a day while I was there. Maybe that's just because the imbecile is from Texas. Texans are weird about their pride. I think that some of them support Bush just because he's from Texas.
I'm not basing my observations solely on the presence or lacking presence of stickers, but on conversation as well. I have been riding the metro, hanging out in coffee shops, eating in restaurants that range from the local dive that barely passes health inspections, to fancy French joints with more than 3 forks per place setting. In all of these places, I have heard conversations in all of these places. The tone is always the same. Sometimes people sound angry, sometimes they sound weary, but they are all sick of Bush and would be happy to see him gone. I thought that people would be more supportive of him here, in the Nation's Capitol.
I even heard one older man on the subway talking about who he will vote for. He pointed across the isle to a stranger and declared "I'd vote for that guy before I'd vote for Bush."
Maybe its just wishful thinking, or maybe I'm only hearing what I want and filtering the rest out, but I think its refreshing to witness political descent on the streets of Washington, DC. Maybe there is still hope.
posted by abbiapple at 11:44 AM
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