A note on pandering
Embittered by fifty-two years (!) of false promises, my parents have sworn off voting for candidates who promise Fidel’s head on a platter delivered by a dancing girl who can sing Celia Cruz. Their vote for Republicans ticket is inspired by a combination of embracing the sociopolitical part of “conservatism,” parental exposure to the horrors of forced nationalization (at gunpoint in my grandmother’s case; she worked for a bank), and habit. They have accepted that the current version of the GOP has no use for their support of abortion rights, no matter how cogently they argue that their endorsement of choice is the most conservative position a self-professed Republican can make; and having seen its discontents in the airline industry Dad is skeptical of the panacea of deregulation. About other “social issues” my parents remain shall we say uneasy. Although I haven’t asked them about the “viability” of the former Speaker of the House’s campaign for president, I trust that accounts like this won’t endear him to them.
