The Election Night Extravanganza
Don’t worry, I’m not going to go into a political analysis or opine about this or that policy, or about what the results of last night’s election mean for the future. Though I take politics seriously and am highly opinionated, I try to keep away from that here on the blog, since this place is about writing and fun. And who wants politics mixed with their fun? Still, I feel the need to talk about the events of last night, not because of the election itself but because of where I was and what I experienced in connection with it.
See, I got invited to the San Diego Republican Party’s election night party/pep rally/whatever the official term for it is. Having never attended an event like that before, I decided to go because why not? Always got to try something new, right? So I threw on a sports coat (custom tailored in Thailand on my last deployment, thank you very much ;P ) and rolled downtown to the fancy hotel they had rented out for the shindig.
I knew one person in the entire place, a guy I went to High School with who is now heavily involved in San Diego politics. We were never really close back in school but when the Navy moved me to town I met up with him a few times. Still, I haven’t really seen him in a couple years, and I last night saw him for all of five minutes last night and then only from a distance when he took the lectern for a bit.
Which is a long way of saying I was on my own to mingle. Depending on the situation, I can be pretty good at that. Last night, I was…meh. Not really on my game, if you know what I mean.
Still, I met several nice couples, with whom I had pleasant but bland conversations. Then I met a colorful guy who was great because he held opinions that were well outside the norm for that crowd, and did so in a cheerful and humorous way. That kind of guy is always fun to hang with. I gave him my card; hopefully he keeps in touch. Finally, I met a nice, and attractive, lady who makes her living as a copywriter. Lord knows I could use some help with my sales copy – and did I mention attractive? – so I made a point to hang out with her for a while. (Lest I make it seem as though the interaction was completely mercenary, I did legitimately enjoy her company and we had a fun, engaging, and wide-ranging conversation.) We also exchanged cards.
That was about it, as far as networking goes. Not horrible, but still I could have done better at meeting people.
But that’s not what left me feeling weird about the event.
I really don’t know what think about it. On the one hand, it was cool because here were a lot of people who really care about the course of the country, and who have spent a lot of time and/or money to affect it. And that’s a good thing.
But…
I’ve always known politics is a lot of BS, and a lot of fakery. No one can observe the goings on in political campaigns and in DC and not realize that. Or at least I hope not. But then I often make the mistake of assuming everyone else is as smart as I am. And that simply ain’t so. Not bragging here, it’s simple statistics based on my IQ score.
But I’m watching these guys as the candidates come to the lectern one by one, and they were all working to fire up the crowd and say how they’re going to win and you can’t keep a Marine down and…
And, I looked at my watch and thought, “Dude, the polls closed 45 minutes ago. It’s a bit late for a pep talk. Maybe you should have a second speech prepared?”
I dunno. Call me cynical but there just seemed like a whole bunch of acting for the crowd and cameras because that’s what they were expected to do and…futility…about the whole thing. I mean, these are Republicans in California. Who do they think they’re kidding? But beyond that…I don’t know. Everyone seemed genuine, yet something about it also was fake. Talking points and party line platitudes, and a lot of doing things for show, for the cameras.
Know what I mean?
There were some San Diego PD guys rotating through periodically to make sure no one got too drunk and did anything stupid. They were rotating through the Democrats’ party also, and I asked one of the Cops what they were up to. He shrugged and said they weren’t doing much. But I can’t help but wondering if it had the same feel over there or not.
Maybe in 2020 I’ll go to the Democrat election night party to compare. Better get a MAGA hat first, though. Kidding. That would be a bit of a dick move, and would cause more annoyance for me and them than it would be worth. And it would also defeat the purpose of going there to compare and contrast and also have a good time.
But in reality I don’t know if I’ll be attending any more political party events, no matter the team. Too much show for me, not enough depth.
Not sure if that makes any sense. And it’s probably not a fair thing to say. Maybe if I’d known more people going in, or if I’d been involved in the actual campaign, the experience would have been different, more meaningful. Or maybe not.
It was a good night, but also kind of a weird night at the same time. I think I need a bit more time to process it.
