Democratic Boomers Aren't Done Yet!

 

by Pa Rock

Missouri Democrat

A few weeks ago I used this space to mention a Trump political effort which I had observed in my community of West Plains, the county seat of Howell County, Missouri - a place extremely prominent local author Daniel Woodrell refers to as "Howl" County in some of his books.  There really isn't much need to put forth an effort for Trump in this political backwater because he won the county in 2016 against Hillary Clinton with just north of 79% of the vote, and he increased that margin to just over 81% in 2020 when he ran against Joe Biden.  (But I proudly voted against Trump both times, and I suspect that the fellow who wrote "Winter's Bone" probably did, too.)

The Trump political activity which I wrote about two weeks ago in a posting entitled "Young Men at a Fruit Stand" discussed a group of rather raucous yahoos who were making noise and attracting attention along a well traveled street in town.  They were standing under a plastic tarp on poles and selling or distributing Trump campaign paraphernalia.  They looked as though their primary skill sets might have included beer pong.  A day or two after I published that piece, their roadside venture abruptly disappeared.

Last week I saw a notice in the town's newspaper which stated that the local Democratic Party had opened a shop on the square in West Plains, and I made a mental note to stop by on my first opportunity and pick up a couple of bumper stickers.  This past Wednesday proved to be the first time that I managed to escape my duties as a full-time dog valet, and I headed to town to run some errands.   While I was out, I also went to the square to checkout the Democratic headquarters.  The "square" which goes around the county courthouse, is now actually a "traffic circle," and I was overly conscious of cars dashing onto and off of the circle while I drove around it twice searching in vain for the building where the county's few Democrats had set up shop.  I returned home disappointed that I had not been able to find it.

Had the headquarters opened and closed in less than a week?  Or had their materials proven to be so popular that they ahd exhausted their supply and closed up?  Or, more likely, had a group of modern-day bald knobbers ridden into town on horseback and taken the community misfits out into the woods to re-educate them?   It was all very concerning.

Yesterday afternoon I was in town again for a different batch of errands, and just on a whim I decided to take another spin around the courthouse square circle to see if I could spot what I had been unable to see two days earlier - and I did.  There were plenty of Democratic signs in the two large windows and a big sign that said "Open."  The only thing that was lacking was a handy parking space.  I circled the square again and found a spot in front of the "Courthouse Annex," which is across the street from the actual courthouse.  The annex is where the county clerk and collector have their offices -  a building run and completely staffed by Republicans.

The Democratic headquarters was staffed by two very nice ladies who had probably been in high school about the same time as me.   I was the only visitor at that time, and they remained seated but chattered merrily as I perused their wares.  In addition to yard signs (for several Democratic candidates), bumper stickers, and campaign buttons for sale, they also had some interesting posters on display which were not for sale, and a silent auction in progress which contained some art work and political books.   It was a well organized political store with a good variety of materials.

One of the ladies told me that she had a retaining wall in front of her house that had discolored with age, and that she had tried to wash the name "Kamala" onto it.  That project had not gone as well as she had hoped, and now she was considering mowing the word "Kamala" into her yard.  I love elder radicals!

I resisted the urge to enquire as to the well-being of their cats.

One of the not-for-sale posters was of Kamala done in the colors and style of Shepard Fairly's iconic Obama "Hope" poster.  This one was an homage to female empowerment, and I knew that was something my granddaughters (both aged twelve) needed to have.  The ladies gave me ordering information.

I normally make a practice of carrying fifty dollars or so when I am puttering around town, but I had already bought a couple of things when I found the political store.   Being a cautions shopper I knew that I had two ten-dollar bills and eight ones in my wallet when I entered the building, so I was able to shop without embarrassing myself at the checkout - or so I thought.   I picked up one yard sign ($20.00) and two bumper stickers ($5.00), paid the ladies, and left.

(I made sure that the Republicans scurrying about in the Courthouse Annex like so many cockroaches got a good view of my new Harris-Walz yard sign as I put it in the car!)

When I got home and was putting things away, including my wallet and car keys, I happened to glance in the wallet and noticed that it contained three one-dollar bills and a ten!  I had shorted those old dears ten bucks!  I was mortified!  I rushed back to town to correct the error.  By then there were two more ladies in the room - all four seated and chatting as I walked in shame-faced and admitted my faux pas.

They said they had not noticed the mistake, and one insisted that I had given her a twenty and three ones, but when she pulled out her currency, which she kept in a roll, and pulled off the last transaction, there was the ten with three ones.  I had stiffed them!

So now we're straight and I guess I will be welcome to stop by the Howell County Democratic Headquarters again - and I will.  It's always pleasant visiting with others like myself who don't even know how to play beer pong!

Don't even try to stick a fork in us Democratic boomers because we aren't done yet!