In the Heat of the Night

Ass-Headed Bottom: Lemme guess... What he wants is a black president of the United States, excluding those bass-ackward Southern states, the ones that deserve 16 more years of W. It has decidedly been a pleasure, these past few weeks, to visit Dred Scott's St. Louis, to teach Richard Wright's Chicago, to watch Sidney Poitier's Mississippi, and to think that a man even more determined than Dred, as driven but wiser than Richard, with a better face and delivery than Sidney is in charge of us all. And the thing is, Dred would cry for joy, Richard would cry with rage, and only Sidney would laugh with real pleasure at the new day rising. Which is why In the Heat of the Night is such a great movie for right now. Because it is a hopeful movie.

Slothrop: Is this the same Ass-Head who voted against Obama during the Democratic Primary? As in, given how close the race was, the same Ass-Head who thought that Obama wasn't even the best Democrat for the job, let alone the best candidate? We're all glad the Ass has become more wise, and certainly applaud his sentiments which ring true. But if we're gonna get hopeful, let's keep a bit of honesty nearby as well. 

Ass-Headed Bottom: Even when busting on the Ass-Head (occasionally necessary, I admit), perhaps we can recognize a moral consistency in caucusing for Billary in a July primary and yet voting enthusiastically for Obama in a November election? Can we please maintain a distinction between helping our ponderous democracy actually work by sustaining competition between rival candidates, and the brain-death of voting for a senile old wrong Republican man for president? Honesty is not served, my dear sophist, by suggesting that I could ever have voted for McCain, or could have failed to vote at all in the most important election since 1864. Nor will I deny myself joy and hope at this miserable 11th hour simply because over the last year I supported two different colors and by the way genders of change. Obama's upcoming nomination of Hilary for sec. of state should give you some impression at least of what he thinks of her, and if he doesn't actually like her, but instead deems her qualified, and already an inspiration to millions, and a woman after so many men and whatever Condee was--well, that's why I voted for her in the primary. Dick.

Sophistical, noseless Slothrop: