Horseraces and Politics

Date May 8, 2008

Let me tell you a story that can begin to explain my indecisiveness in the CD-3 State Senate race.

It was the year the Pope got shot, and I was a Catholic School girl at Notre Dame High school  in Belmont, California. A classmate and I in our uniforms decided to skip school and go to the race track at Bay Meadows. We collected all the racing sheets and we even went where the horses were being kept. We examined the horses. Then our eyes met. The horse’s warm, deep brown eyes told me that this horse would run and win for me — just for me.

Two 14 year old Catholic school girls each place two dollar bets with an unshaven adult.

My friend’s horse wins the race. My horse — well, let’s just say I don’t remember. My friend picked the horse that looked pissed off and not interested in enchanting anyone.

I think this was around the time I was sporting my “Anderson for President” button on my backpack. I was in Europe when I wanted to work for  Gary Hart, and when I got home I ended up working for Mondale-Ferraro. I wanted Gary Hart in 1988, but Monkey Business ended that. In 1992, I supported Jerry Brown for President. The only time I have won was when I voted for Clinton in the 1992 General Election, and that was only because of the weird wormhole created by Ross Perot’s presence. I regret voting for Nader in 1996, but didn’t make the same mistake in 2000. I choose to consider a technical win voting for Gore, even though we got someone else for president. In 2004, I flirted with supporting Kuchinich, Clarke, and Dean. Where am I going with this? Can I pick winners? Apparently, not.  People I support lose, and often badly. One lost, even though they won. Sigh.

So the correct question may not be who I endorse, but who will I inevitably curse.

Oh gawd. I’ve endorsed Obama. My bad.

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Category Posted in Carole Migden, Mark Leno, california politics, elections, stream of consciousness