[Speed Gibson,
Monday September 10, 2007 at 9:06am]
Time Out
When at my son's college football game in Northfield, where we took a 49-0 drubbing from the Carleton Knights, an image has stuck with me. It was a Carleton fan wearing a political button. Somehow, that bothered me. Can't we set this aside for such events? Nobody came there to campaign or learn more about the candidates, especially this early.
What wearing a button does - in this setting - is identify you as a little less real. I say that whether you're wearing a button for a Democrat, Tim Pawlenty, even a Republican. You can put it in your pocket for a couple of hours and give the players your attention and appreciation instead.
It doesn't always work to the candidate's advantage, either. The man in question was wearing a Ciresi button. The man was also more than a bit overweight. The phrase "Hey, hey, heh!" might be an understatement. All I could think was "it figures." I can just see the Ciresi people cringing, which will probably be the only time I will pity these fools.
What wearing a button does - in this setting - is identify you as a little less real. I say that whether you're wearing a button for a Democrat, Tim Pawlenty, even a Republican. You can put it in your pocket for a couple of hours and give the players your attention and appreciation instead.
It doesn't always work to the candidate's advantage, either. The man in question was wearing a Ciresi button. The man was also more than a bit overweight. The phrase "Hey, hey, heh!" might be an understatement. All I could think was "it figures." I can just see the Ciresi people cringing, which will probably be the only time I will pity these fools.