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“Madison Square Garden: The Pillsbury Doughboys Go to a Sun Dance”

Quite a title. In what is by far the longest essay of the collection so far, Leonard is commenting on the 1992 Democratic Convention in NYC. He writes, “And it’s not such a stretch to imagine in the Thursday night boogie of Bill and Hillary, of Al and Tipper…to Fleetwood Mac, some semblance of Crazy Horse and the Famous Sun Dance.” OK, if he says so. Also has a long introduction to the essay making an analogy (totally tongue in cheek) between the DNC and eastern religion. By the way, The Pillsbury Dough Boys in the title are Bill and Al. Following so far?

Leonard takes us on a dizzying tour of the many extracurriculars that go on around a political convention (demonstrations, media parties, etc.). In the case of the Democrats, these events tend to be protests against the party, not in support (remember Chicago 1968?). He includes an apt quote from Amos Oz about Israel that applies well to the Democrats (even more so today), “…the moderate, dovish Israeli left [read: US Democrats] sometimes resembles a reverse phalanx: a square of brave fighters, their backs to the whole world and their faces and their sharpened, unsheathed pens ready to turn on one another.”

He then has a long section comparing his version of journalists with credibility (Molly Ivins, Bill Greider and William Safire) with just about every other notable journalist on the right and left who he shows are basically in bed with the politicians. I’m sure he didn’t make any friends with this essay.

Also, very funny quote from Molly Ivins, “It’s illegal to be gay in Texas again. They reinstated the sodomy statute, so people can legally screw pigs in public but not each other in private.”

Also funny, “George Will thinks that Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” is ‘a grand and cheerful affirmation’ of American life." Has he listened to the lyrics? Songfacts.com says about the song:

This is one of the most misinterpreted songs ever. Most people thought it was a patriotic song about American pride, when it actually cast a shameful eye on how America treated its Vietnam veterans. Springsteen considers it one of his best songs, but it bothers him that it is so widely misinterpreted. With the rollicking rhythm, enthusiastic chorus, and patriotic album cover, it is easy to think this has more to do with American pride than Vietnam shame.

The original title for the song was “Viet Nam.”

Eventually he gets back the Dough Boys and, although he will support them, he is very disappointed that a more courageous candidate (Mario Cuomo, Jesse Jackson) didn’t step forward.

New word: enteogen = a variation on the word entheogen?...or just a typo? Means “generating the divine within” and refers to some psychoactive substances like peyote.

New learning: In the Hindu religion, Indra, is the god of rain and thunderstorms: