Montrose - Daily Press

Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground……

And I’ll show you a man who can’t get his pants off.

••••••

Advertisement

The 17th annual Olathe Sweet Corn Festival starts today. Save the GPS – just follow the cars to Olathe’s Community Park. Plenty of sweet corn to savor, exhibits, demonstrations, live music all day and Travis Tritt Saturday night. Fireworks, too.

••••••

So how bad is the air in Beijing, site of the forthcoming Olympic Games?

During a recent javelin competition to see who would represent China, one of their athletes threw the spear and it got stuck. (In the air.) So says latenight funny guy David Letterman.

••••••

Talk of political “dynasties” among historians – it’s an election year – and the discussion typically wraps itself among American families – Adams, Roosevelt, Kennedy.

Yet, for the first time in 28 years, U.S. voters come November will face a national ballot without anyone named Bush upon it. Would posit that’s a dynasty as well.

••••••

Of politics…….

The Notebook ran into a bona fide national delegate Tuesday night, Jayne Bilberry. She’s off to Denver Aug. 25 for the Democratic National Convention. Jayne’s also the chairperson of the county Democratic Party and can be seen pedaling here and there on her “Obama-mobile.”

I asked her who she is supporting for the vice-presidential side of the ticket:

“A kick-ass woman,” Jayne replied, demurely. (She also said she’s undecided.)

Since the country is in the midst of “Hillary fatigue,” that might mean Arizona governor Janet Napolitano, 50. Gov. Napolitano is a former U.S. attorney, a former state’s attorney general and was named last year by Time magazine as one of the country’s best five governors. She also made her bones in Arizona politics in education and immigration reform.

••••••

The “golden rule” of vice-presidential candidates is “do no harm.” There’s a great deal more vetting these days both in and out of the press. The campaigns of Sen. Walter Mondale and president George H.W. Bush in 1984 and 1988 are good examples. Both saw their campaigns punched around a good bit by their choices of Rep. Geraldine Ferraro and Sen. Dan Quayle. The financial wheelings and dealings of Ms. Ferraro’s family didn’t help the ticket; Sen. Quayle’s military service/history bedeviled the Bush/Quayle ticket, though they persevered.

Vice-presidents Al Gore and Dick Cheney changed the entire scope of the office to where it’s a major political job, no longer the “warm bucket of spit,” so said one of Franklin Roosevelt’s vice-presidents, John Nance Garner of Texas, who was mostly unseen and unheard of during his eight years in office, 1933-1941.

Now who knows James S. Sherman?

He was vice-president (1909-1912) to president William Howard Taft. Vice-presidents back in the day were known at the attack dogs on the campaign, the official hand-shaker and foreign funerals, but that is no longer the case.

I forget who said this, someone clever who compared the vice-presidency to the last doughnut in the box in the office kitchen/break room.

“Everyone says they don’t want it, but someone always ends up taking it.”

••••••

Our Farmer’s Market on Wednesday and Saturdays is a busy place in downtown Montrose. It’s filled with vendors serving up nature’s bounty, craftsmen and the occasional office-seeker. Check it out.

••••••

Daily Press tidings

The Daily Press’ Lifestyle editor and award-winning writer, Elaine Hale Jones, starts a three-part historical series on area mining. The Sunday Focus will feature “The Old Hundred” mine near Silverton. Subsequent weeks will profile the “Silver Ledge Mine” on Red Mountain near Ouray and the “Lewis Mill” mine near Telluride. The state historical fund is pledging money to save these old mines.

••••••

BumperSnicker spotted on Hwy. 550: Willie Nelson for President.

Comments