As if Virginia Republicans don't already have enough good reasons to keep Jeff Frederick as their Party Chair for Life, the Roanoke Times has perhaps the strongest reasoning yet on this subject:The economy is in full-blown recession. Home values are dropping. The commonwealth is shedding jobs. State and local services are being cut to the bone. During these dark days, Virginians needs a distraction. They need the comical antics of state GOP Chairman Jeff Frederick.
Excellent point, and don't underestimate the value of laughter in hard times. According to WikiAnswers.org, here's how the Great Depression influenced American comedy:
During the Great Depression there was little money for anything and it was a luxury to even have a radio and those that did were glued to it listening to their favorite radio programs that were almost all comedy.
The movies were the main events during the Great Depression and cost a dime to get into. The general public would save up or pool their money to try and go to the movies at least once a month or, if lucky, every week or two. There was 'The Wizard of Oz', Shirley Temple movies; The Three Stooges; Andy Hardy Series (with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland); Walt Disney; Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs; Al Jolson; George Burns and Gracie Allen, Jack Benny, Charlie Chaplin, etc. People could forget their troubles in the movies and often did. One would think during such hard times ticket sales would be down vastly, but more than 60 - 75 million tickets were sold in one week! It was also during this time the 'talkies' came in. Movies with actual voices and although not perfected the audiences were mesmerized.
The historical parallels are striking. Today, we are once again going through tough times, and here in Virginia we are "mesmerized" by the crazy antics of Jeff Frederick and his Merry Band of Far-Right-Wing Republicans. Whether comparing Obama to Osama, calling Colin Powell a coward, screwing up a potentially huge Republican victory in the State Senate by (what I call) "premature e-Twitteration," mugging for the camera with a beer in hand (see above), displaying his complete ignorance of (arguably) the most important scientific discovery in history, whining like a baby about Republicans' efforts to oust him, etc., etc., this is comic gold on par with Burns, Benny, Chaplin, and other greats of the Great Depression. In fact, I almost can't type the words "Jeff Frederick" without ROFLMAO. So please, Virginia Republicans, don't axe Jeff Frederick; in these hard times, just as in the 1930s, we desperately need a laugh! Thanks.
