By Jonathan Miller, on Tue Jul 12, 2011 at 10:30 AM ET (To those of you new to the RP Nation, we welcome you to one of our longest-standing traditions: the RP’s Top 5 best-of-pop-culture-lists. Check out his previous entries…if you dare: Favorite Breakup Songs, Favorite Hoops Books, Most Jew-ish Gentiles, Favorite “Docs” who Weren’t Doctors, Pretty Boys I Begrudgingly Admire, and Guilty Pleasures.)
As I venture through middle age, it’s amazing some of the strange and obscure things I remember from my adolescence. Such as the middle name of my first serious girlfriend: Miriam.
OK, OK… I married her…You got me.
One truly inexplicable memory that’s stuck with me is that of my high school youth group buddy, Stacey. When it came to music, she didn’t have a favorite band, or even a favorite song. No, Stacey had great affection for brief moments in the middle of popular tunes. Like a fleeting Keith Richards guitar lick. Or a Mariah Carey high-C note. Or — since it was the 80s, after all — some fancy synthesizer work.
For me, always a voracious reader and wannabe writer, my passion has been directed toward a brilliant lyric. Sometimes, it’s just a line that is particularly clever or moving or instructive.
So, in salute to Stacey, I offer my Top Five Pop Music Lyrics:
5. “…And Then Meeting His Beautiful Husband.”
I hate Alanis Morisette’s “Ironic.” I simply hate it. Here’s this extremely bright and insightful singer/songwriter who just set the world on fire with her extraordinary breakup song, “You Oughta Know“; she comes up with a catchy tune and a great thematic idea…but then totally flubs the execution. Nearly every example she gives of “irony” is not irony. Rain on your wedding day sucks, but it’s not ironic, unless maybe you’re a meteorologist. A black fly in your Chardonnay is gross, but does not even approach irony. I get Marvin the Martian angry whenever I hear the song; so when an acoustic version popped up on the radio recently, I used it as a teaching moment for RPette #2, who was sitting shotgun in my car. But as I was about to explain to her why learning that an attractive, appealing man is married is not ironic, Alanis pulled a fast one on me and changed a word from the original version of the song: “It’s like meeting the man of your dreams/and meeting his beautiful…husband.” As a recently admitted and very proud gay marriage proponent, I had to smile: One of my favorite lines appears in one of my least favorite songs. Isn’t that ironic?
4. “This’ll be the day that I die.”
“American Pie” is one of those songs you either love or completely despise. Some claim it’s a brilliant symbolic exposition of the history of rock music; others term it a childish recitation of popular events, a la Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (which would be #2 if I compiled a Top 5 list of horrible songs by musicians I love — right behind “Ironic,” of course.) Blame it on my adolescent nostalgia (“American Pie” was one of the few songs I could play and perform roughly in tune), but I fall in the former camp. By positioning Buddy Holly’s death as a critical moment in rock history, and transposing Holly’s most famous lyric, McLean evokes tragedy with appropriate reverence to one of rock-n-roll’s original masters. With forty years of distance, the Mick Jagger/Satan metaphors later in the song seem a bit overwrought, but “This’ll Be the Day that I Die” still rings sincere and true today.
 3. “OJ Simpson…Not a Jew”
In every generation, there’s that seminal moment: An event so memorable that you can remember exactly what you were doing when you learned it happened. For the Greatest Generation, it was the bombing of Pearl Harbor. For Boomers, it was JFK’s assassination. For us Gen Xers, at least of the Hebraic variety, it was Adam Sandler’s first performance of “The Chanukah Song” on Saturday Night Live‘s “Weekend Update.” As I’ve argued previously at this site, America’s Seinfeldization — the prominent public emergence of so many proud and open Jewish comedians during the 1990s — helped pave the way for the historic Joe Lieberman candidacy in 2000. And the pivotal moment was learning from Sandler that so many revered celebrities (Paul Newman! Harrison Ford!) had Jewish blood. So, midway through the song, when the comedian name-dropped OJ Simpson — who infamously was in the middle of the trial of the century — I took a deep breath, and was finally able to exhale with a belly-quaking laugh, relieved that he was no Member of the Tribe. That line doesn’t provoke as much laughter today, but at that precise moment, it was the funniest line ever written. (2011 Postscript: Casey Anthony…Not a Jew).
Read the rest of…
The RP: My Top Five Favorite Pop Music Lyrics
By RP Staff, on Mon Jul 11, 2011 at 5:00 PM ET After today’s focus on the debt ceiling debate, tomorrow, we look at the bigger picture — how is the American Dream surviving under our new economy paradigm, and what is the role of the individual citizen?
Tomorrow, two of our most well known contributing RPs — Michael Steele and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (most from Maryland) — take a look at our country during this current economic downturn. Citing JFK, MLK Jr, and others, the two offer their distinctly different visions about America’s future.
And to make sure you know we aren’t taking ourselves too seriously, the RP offers another one of his Top 5 pop culture lists.
We think you will really enjoy it. So join us tomorrow!
By Jonathan Miller, on Mon Jul 11, 2011 at 2:30 PM ET As part of today’s theme here at The Recovering Politician, the RP himself weighs in on the debt ceiling crisis consuming Washington. Here is his column, cross-posted at The Huffington Post:
For my maiden political stump speech, I faced a daunting challenge.
I had not yet turned 30 years old, looked 22, and was desperately trying to convince a group of good-ole-boy county chairs that I was qualified to serve in the US Congress.
I decided to address the 800-pound elephant head-on: I noted that my hometown’s (Lexington, Kentucky) favorite son, Henry Clay, was only 29 when he was elected Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in the early 19th Century.
Of course, I simply was setting the crowd up for a joke. I pointed to my silver-haired friend in the front of the room, Terry McBrayer — a popular former state legislator, gubernatorial candidate, and state party chair — and told the crowd that Terry had warned me not to make the Clay comparison:
“Jonathan, I knew Henry Clay. I served with Henry Clay. And you’re no Henry Clay.”
= = = = = = = =
A few weeks ago, we celebrated the 200th anniversary of Clay’s ascension to the highest legislative position in the country. Three of Clay’s successors (Dennis Hastert, Nancy Pelosi, and John Boehner) flew to Lexington to pay tribute. Reflecting on Clay’s extraordinary domestic diplomacy in the decades prior to the Civil War — earning him the nickname “The Great Compromiser” — Speaker Boehner remarked, “There was no one person more responsible for holding our union together than Henry Clay.”
I reflected on Boehner’s comments this past weekend. Our Union today is much too strong to worry about the existential threat posed in Clay’s era. But as we stare into the oncoming tsunami of potential credit default for the first time in the nation’s history — and as we watch Democrats and Republicans so bitterly divided that they are making a seemingly impossible impasse quite plausible — we sure could use a Henry Clay right about now.
And John Boehner is no Henry Clay.
Click here to read the rest of the RP’s column at The Huffington Post.
By RP Staff, on Mon Jul 11, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET If you are in the dumps due to the doldrums of summer, you’ve come to the right place.
This week, The Recovering Politician is running on all cylinders, with dozens of new pieces by contributing RPs, Friends of RP, RP staff, and even the RP himself. Check in often for interesting, enlightening and funny takes on this week’s big stories.
Today’s focus will be on the biggest story of them all — the debt ceiling crisis that is consuming Washington and the nation. Tune in for takes from all sides of the political spectrum.
Enjoy your Monday. And don’t forget the sunscreen!
By RP Staff, on Fri Jul 8, 2011 at 5:00 PM ET We have a huge week in store for you next week at The Recovering Politician. Dozens of fresh, new pieces by contributing RPs, Friends of RP, RP Staff, and the RP himself.
Stay tuned on Monday for some close analysis of the biggest story of the year — the crisis concerning the debt ceiling. You will hear, as always, from all sides of the political spectrum. And as always, we’d love to hear your views in the comments section.
Have a great weekend, and rest up for a big week ahead!
By RP Staff, on Fri Jul 8, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET Yesterday, the RP conducted a fascinating interview with Christine Todd Whitman, the former GOP Governor from New Jersey and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency during George W. Bush’s first term in office.
Whitman shared her frustrations with the hyper-partisanship in Washington, the impact of the Tea Party on her beloved GOP, and the gridlock on environmental action and climate change remediation. She also offers her ideas on how to fix her party and her country’s political system.
Listen here:
No Labels is a new grassroots movement of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are united in the belief that we do not have to give up our labels, merely put them aside to do what’s best for America. No Labels Radio will offer a weekly dose of news and interviews with the policymakers who are working to find bipartisan answers to the otherwise intractable problems our country faces.
By RP Staff, on Thu Jul 7, 2011 at 5:00 PM ET While much of the media’s attention has been focused in the past few weeks on the ongoing national debt ceiling crisis; the polarizing, and seemingly intractable immigration issue continues to divide the country.
Recently, Alabama passed a very controversial immigration statute that some say is even more restrictive and punitive than the very controversial law that was passed by Arizona last year.
Tomorrow morning, contributing RP Artur Davis — a Congressman who represented Alabama for three terms, as well as a former federal prosecutor — shares his take on the law passed in his home state.
Be sure to tune in at 8:30 AM for Davis’ column, and as always, so much more.
By RP Staff, on Thu Jul 7, 2011 at 2:00 PM ET RIGHT NOW contributing RP Lisa Borders and the RP are co-hosting the weekly episode of No Labels Radio.
Their primary guest is former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman.
Click here to tune into the broadcast.
No Labels is a new grassroots movement of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are united in the belief that we do not have to give up our labels, merely put them aside to do what’s best for America. No Labels Radio will offer a weekly dose of news and interviews with the policymakers who are working to find bipartisan answers to the otherwise intractable problems our country faces.
By Jonathan Miller, on Thu Jul 7, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET Today at 2 PM EDT, contributing RP Lisa Borders and I are co-hosting the weekly episode of No Labels Radio.
No Labels is a new grassroots movement of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who are united in the belief that we do not have to give up our labels, merely put them aside to do what’s best for America. No Labels Radio will offer a weekly dose of news and interviews with the policymakers who are working to find bipartisan answers to the otherwise intractable problems our country faces.
Our primary guest is former New Jersey Governor and Bush Administration EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman. Whitman has been a long and strong advocate of bipartisan cooperation in Washington and our state capitals.
Click here to find out more about today’s broadcast.
OK, RP Nation.
Here’s your chance to suggest a question for Governor Whitman.
Make your suggestions in the comments section below. And then tune in at 2 PM EDT to see if I used it.
Thanks for your help!
By Jonathan Miller, on Wed Jul 6, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET Two weeks ago, I shared with readers of The Recovering Politician a disturbing interview in which Kentucky GOP bigwig Larry Forgy stated his bizarre and pernicious theory that Jews such as George Soros, Barbra Streisand and Steve Spielberg would be pumping in significant loads of cash to support their co-religionist, Jerry Abramson, in his bid for Lieutenant Governor.
The RP Nation responded with outrage — dozens of your comments and emails unanimously denounced Forgy’s slur.
As far as the Kentucky mainstream media…well…the response was much more muted. It took two weeks for one of the state’s leading newspapers to issue a condemnation, and it did not even address the most offensive remarks. The other editorial page — from the very paper that broke the story — has been atypically silent.
I share my own views about the media response — as well as my belief that it is incumbent on all of us to denounce intolerance whenever it rears its ugly head — in my column this week in The Huffington Post:
My bet is that is that it was a conscious decision [by the media] to deprive oxygen to the flames of anti-Semitism. I suppose they believe that ignoring the issue and refusing to publish the more outrageous accusations will prevent them from being repeated and then accepted in areas of the state where latent anti-Semitism could be transformed into something much worse. Hopefully if this is the case, the rest of the media, as well as the state Republican party, will get the message and send Forgy off to permanent pasture.
But if the 20th Century taught us anything about the proper response to anti-Semitism, it is that we must confront it whenever it raises its ugly head. As I argued in this column two weeks ago, we no longer need to be afraid that this sort of anti-Semitism would be welcomed in this country, even in the rural, conservative Bible Belt. Indeed, by exposing and then denouncing language such as Forgy’s, we help reinforce the message now emanating from rural, evangelical churches — to love their Jewish neighbors.
To read my full column, click here.
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