Spanky Runs for Mayor
Spanky Runs for Mayor
In this episode, Spanky’s about to create some mischief and mayhem for Mr. Mayor. The City Council made Spanky their official leader and no sooner done than it was said he would not be uncivil like m
In this episode, Spanky's about to create some mischief and mayhem for Mr. Mayor. The City Council made Spanky their official leader and no sooner done than it was said he would not be uncivil like mean old Mr. Mayor, but would turn another and another and another cheek until Mr. Port could see just how submissive he would be. Hence, I guess, the nickname, Spanky.
Well before my first psychology class, the Little Rascals became a paradigm of group behavior for me. Before anyone told me about alpha personalities or passive agressiveness, I appreciated how a guy like Spanky could get himself and his friends in trouble. And in most episodes it was only pure luck, or the timely intervention of the adults, that got his crew out of trouble.
Spanky always had a plan. And though the gang, faced with his proposals, were usually wide-eyed in their intimidation, somehow through sheer self assertiveness he was always able to lead everyone into harm's way. Before long, all were in the soup.
For those still blessed with youth, unfamiliar with the Our Gang Comedies, the ensemble was a bunch of hilarious child actors, also known as The Little Rascals, led by this diminutive fellow Spanky. His most well known sidekicks were Buckwheat and Alfalfa. And of course there was always that dark haired girl of means he was so anxious to impress.
Well I didn't set out to take you on a trip down memory lane. I want to talk about the role of partisan political parties, their operatives and apparatus, in campaigns for non-partisan offices. If this is a distinction without a difference, why make a distinction at all?
We had quite a dust up at the end of the last mayoral campaign. At the center of the controversy were the endorsements of the Democratic party. The winner was given token support. The loser was not only endorsed but was in command of the party's mailing lists, phone banks and social network. You sure can't say the dems didn't have a dog in the fight.
In the end the losers wanted the winner disqualified claiming the endorsements made it a partisan race, and alleging the winner could not participate in a partisan contest. Surrogates still rail and work to have the election overturned.
So what's the reason for making so many of our elected offices non-partisan? Why shouldn't they be partisan? And if they shouldn't, why do we tolerate the local political parties meddling in the races?
Partisans are firm adherents to a party or faction, with an inclination to favor their own over others. Perhaps because partisanship is curiously similar to gang behavior, where a group works together for sometimes antisocial ends, out of an abundance of caution we attempted to prevent partisan politicians from taking over local government. It seems that at least at this level we felt partisanship could become antisocial.
Take note. We did not set out to establish bi-partisanship in our local affairs. We sought non-partisanship. Again, not a distinction without a difference. That is to say we sought to prevent a group whose interests were one sided from organizing to direct the policies of local government and favor their own. These non-partisan offices were intended to be filled by individuals who not only weren't beholding to a party for their election, but who were able to transcend their personal prejudices to act in the interests of the community as a whole.
Going back to the last municipal elections, so what was the role of these folks from the two parties? We know that like a zebra changing its stripes, the former chairman of the local dems offered himself for the city council, ostensibly as a non-partisan. And we know that the party apparatus was up and running in more than one race to elect their own. The parties endorsed candidates in numerous non-partisan races. There seems no obstacle to partisans overwhelming truly non-partisan candidates.
And now Spanky's gang is positioning themselves to take out that interloper who stole the mayor's office from them.
Where are the adults?
The little rascals are about to run amok again, and we seem already to have forgotten the mischief and mayhem of the last episode.
Bellingham has been doing a quite reasonable job of budgeting in difficult times, taking a stand to remake the city and protect the environment, and has remained almost stoic in its perseverance towards an economically realistic plan to redevelop the waterfront.
All we need is Spanky and his gang undermining those efforts all in the hope of retaking city government. Before he starts weakening the executive office, maybe he should first get elected.
Well before my first psychology class, the Little Rascals became a paradigm of group behavior for me. Before anyone told me about alpha personalities or passive agressiveness, I appreciated how a guy like Spanky could get himself and his friends in trouble. And in most episodes it was only pure luck, or the timely intervention of the adults, that got his crew out of trouble.
Spanky always had a plan. And though the gang, faced with his proposals, were usually wide-eyed in their intimidation, somehow through sheer self assertiveness he was always able to lead everyone into harm's way. Before long, all were in the soup.
For those still blessed with youth, unfamiliar with the Our Gang Comedies, the ensemble was a bunch of hilarious child actors, also known as The Little Rascals, led by this diminutive fellow Spanky. His most well known sidekicks were Buckwheat and Alfalfa. And of course there was always that dark haired girl of means he was so anxious to impress.Well I didn't set out to take you on a trip down memory lane. I want to talk about the role of partisan political parties, their operatives and apparatus, in campaigns for non-partisan offices. If this is a distinction without a difference, why make a distinction at all?
We had quite a dust up at the end of the last mayoral campaign. At the center of the controversy were the endorsements of the Democratic party. The winner was given token support. The loser was not only endorsed but was in command of the party's mailing lists, phone banks and social network. You sure can't say the dems didn't have a dog in the fight. In the end the losers wanted the winner disqualified claiming the endorsements made it a partisan race, and alleging the winner could not participate in a partisan contest. Surrogates still rail and work to have the election overturned.
So what's the reason for making so many of our elected offices non-partisan? Why shouldn't they be partisan? And if they shouldn't, why do we tolerate the local political parties meddling in the races?
Partisans are firm adherents to a party or faction, with an inclination to favor their own over others. Perhaps because partisanship is curiously similar to gang behavior, where a group works together for sometimes antisocial ends, out of an abundance of caution we attempted to prevent partisan politicians from taking over local government. It seems that at least at this level we felt partisanship could become antisocial.Take note. We did not set out to establish bi-partisanship in our local affairs. We sought non-partisanship. Again, not a distinction without a difference. That is to say we sought to prevent a group whose interests were one sided from organizing to direct the policies of local government and favor their own. These non-partisan offices were intended to be filled by individuals who not only weren't beholding to a party for their election, but who were able to transcend their personal prejudices to act in the interests of the community as a whole.
Going back to the last municipal elections, so what was the role of these folks from the two parties? We know that like a zebra changing its stripes, the former chairman of the local dems offered himself for the city council, ostensibly as a non-partisan. And we know that the party apparatus was up and running in more than one race to elect their own. The parties endorsed candidates in numerous non-partisan races. There seems no obstacle to partisans overwhelming truly non-partisan candidates.
And now Spanky's gang is positioning themselves to take out that interloper who stole the mayor's office from them.Where are the adults?
The little rascals are about to run amok again, and we seem already to have forgotten the mischief and mayhem of the last episode.
Bellingham has been doing a quite reasonable job of budgeting in difficult times, taking a stand to remake the city and protect the environment, and has remained almost stoic in its perseverance towards an economically realistic plan to redevelop the waterfront.
All we need is Spanky and his gang undermining those efforts all in the hope of retaking city government. Before he starts weakening the executive office, maybe he should first get elected.
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