There I was in the preschool holding, I mean cubby, room. Here comes another mom, she's from an English commonwealth nation and we were all complaining about kindergarten and the cost of it and she says, "That's just what I'm worried about if Obama wins, all our tax rates will go sky high." I thought my head would explode. I actually felt that familiar whirring in my ears. But did I excuse myself to go to the hallway and breathe into a paper bag? No. Why not? You ask. Because clearly I have learned NOTHING in the last 39 years and 11 months. And since I've learned NOTHING I say something incomprehensible about how it'll be worse if McCain wins because there will be no confidence in America anywhere else in the world. Another (midwestern) mom says something nice and reasonable about how the market's going down no matter who wins. Then the non-voting mom from the Commonwealth, who has assured us she's not a Republican, then announces something along the lines of how all the banks were going to leave New York if some Bush tax kicked in after a certain amount of time and all the jobs would go abroad to London or somewhere because it's so expensive to do business in New York. And there it was, on a platter: A second chance. I could have shown maturity, wisdom, restraint. I might have bit my tongue and smiled sweetly and said whatever. But did I? Oh no I didn't. Not only didn't I, but I swore. In the holding room with children under three swarming around.
Oh yeah, it was a great moment. A bright, shining moment.
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4 comments:
Okay, on our next play date, I'm just gonna start saying shit just to see your head implode.
Like, I might say, "I think Sarah Palin is going to make an awesome VP. She's my role model."
And then I might say, "All I ever wanted for Christmas is another Republican in the White House"
Oh! And then, I'll mutter something about how I have the hots for Dick Cheney. Just to see what you'll do.
You are so funny, Robin. Of course, you couldn't just walk away! That's why we read your blog!
Kim
Oooooh! Boy am I sorry I missed drop off today of all days. I woulda had your back. Of course, now I am desperately trying to figure out who said what....
N got a Obama doll from my sister and he now cuddles with it every night, carefully taking off and putting on his presidential blue blazer.
It is beyond me why you are thinking that letting this woman's crazy ideas suck up all the air in the room would have been the way to go. It wasn't your instinct that was the problem; it was the content of your response! You should have pushed right back on the tax issue by saying: "actually, Obama's tax plan will cut taxes on all but the wealthiest five percent of Americans." Chalk it up to a long drive home yesterday...
OK, I feel Much better now, Especially that N has an Obama doll with a removable jacket! But I still will apologize even if she was bananas and wrong. And Nicole, I actually thought about the top whatever percent of income response, but this woman husband is a banker, an international banker. Her taxes actually will go up -- As They Should! So, in an effort to be diplomatic because we can talk about sex but not money, I said, "Well, we all lead incredibly priveledged lives." And fortunately I didn't have to spell "priveledged." Because clearly I can't. But that was before my outburst about the common good and how people making $100 million should be willing to contribute to it.
I still wish my head didn't explode quite so easily.....
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