Day 9.2, Word Count: c. 7,675
A little more before bedtime
McGruder couldn’t keep looking into the woman’s eyes. God, he wanted to, but he just couldn’t do it. There was too much anger there. But more than that, there was too much contempt.
Or maybe it was disgust.
“Well? I’m waiting,” Jenny Garcia said and – mercifully – turned back to the freshly poured coffee in front of her.
“You ever here of the Family?” McGruder asked.
“You mean the Mafia, Terry? Jesus, I knew you were wasting my time,” the professor said as she started to get up from the counter of the dinner.
McGruder placed a hand on her forearm. Gently, but firmly. Holding her in place. He was relieved that she didn’t instantly yank it away or belt him in the face.
“Not that Family,” he said.
“Then which family,” she said, sitting again. “Spill.”
“In Kansas, about fifteen or so years ago, Ma and Pa Kent got sick of the liberal media, Hollywood, and the immoral politicians in Washington shoving filth and tolerance down their throats,” he began. “They decided that the rich Republican businessmen they’d backed for years were just as bad as the Eastern Democrats and intellectuals they voted against. So they started to vote for more Conservative candidates--”
“I’m a goddamn political science professor with a doctorate, Terry, I know what the political landscape is like in Red State America. Get to the point,” Garcia nearly spat at him.
“Fine,” he said, getting a little hot under the collar himself. “Then I’m surprised you haven’t heard of the Family.”
“I don’t really study theocracy in America too much. My specialty’s more in urban politics, if you remember,” she shot back.
“Okay, okay. Calm down, just give me another minute to set this up my way, all right?” he asked.
“Isn’t it always you’re way, McGruder?”
“Yeah,” he responded quietly. “Sure it is.”
Jenny looked at him again. For a second, McGruder thought, it was the way she used to look at him. There wasn’t any contempt in that look. It bolstered him.
“Go on,” she said.
He took a breath, a sip of the now cooling coffee, and went on. “So now, Kansas – and most of the other Midwestern, Heartland states – have a bunch of evangelical, Creationist, anti-women, free-market, fundamentalists in Congress and the Senate, because some farmers and unemployed hicks don’t like what NBC’s showing on Wednesday nights.”
McGruder took another sip of coffee and then continued. Now he was looking right at Jenny, and she was looking back, without tracking her eyes around the room in an effort to avoid his. At least I’ve got this moment to take away from this, if nothing else, he thought, and nearly smiled. But he held it back.
“But all of these congressmen and senators and county seat wardens and whatnot didn’t get into these positions solely on the backs of crazies and wingnuts. They got the votes of a lot of formerly moderate Republicans who were basically fed up with the system and saw this as a way to lower their taxes and get more capital gains. And, that moderate backing helps hide some of these politicos real agendas – banning abortion, taking evolution theory out of schools, women’s suffrage repeals for Christ’s sake. They don’t have to go out and look like crazed martyrs all the time, because they’ve set up organizations to do that sort of recruitment for them – the Mainstream Coalition, and the like.”
“Sure, Operation Rescue and other groups, I know who and what you mean. But where’s this going, Terry,” Professor Garcia asked, feigning exasperation, but clearly interested.
Terry smiled. “I’m getting to it,” he answered. “Most of these splinter groups aren’t affiliated directly with the Republican party, even though they’re working mostly at the ward leader’s behest, but they are out in the open, acting publicly and loudly. They thrive on calling attention to themselves, in fact. But not the Family,” McGruder finished.
“The Family likes to keep it on the Q.T.”
McGruder couldn’t keep looking into the woman’s eyes. God, he wanted to, but he just couldn’t do it. There was too much anger there. But more than that, there was too much contempt.
Or maybe it was disgust.
“Well? I’m waiting,” Jenny Garcia said and – mercifully – turned back to the freshly poured coffee in front of her.
“You ever here of the Family?” McGruder asked.
“You mean the Mafia, Terry? Jesus, I knew you were wasting my time,” the professor said as she started to get up from the counter of the dinner.
McGruder placed a hand on her forearm. Gently, but firmly. Holding her in place. He was relieved that she didn’t instantly yank it away or belt him in the face.
“Not that Family,” he said.
“Then which family,” she said, sitting again. “Spill.”
“In Kansas, about fifteen or so years ago, Ma and Pa Kent got sick of the liberal media, Hollywood, and the immoral politicians in Washington shoving filth and tolerance down their throats,” he began. “They decided that the rich Republican businessmen they’d backed for years were just as bad as the Eastern Democrats and intellectuals they voted against. So they started to vote for more Conservative candidates--”
“I’m a goddamn political science professor with a doctorate, Terry, I know what the political landscape is like in Red State America. Get to the point,” Garcia nearly spat at him.
“Fine,” he said, getting a little hot under the collar himself. “Then I’m surprised you haven’t heard of the Family.”
“I don’t really study theocracy in America too much. My specialty’s more in urban politics, if you remember,” she shot back.
“Okay, okay. Calm down, just give me another minute to set this up my way, all right?” he asked.
“Isn’t it always you’re way, McGruder?”
“Yeah,” he responded quietly. “Sure it is.”
Jenny looked at him again. For a second, McGruder thought, it was the way she used to look at him. There wasn’t any contempt in that look. It bolstered him.
“Go on,” she said.
He took a breath, a sip of the now cooling coffee, and went on. “So now, Kansas – and most of the other Midwestern, Heartland states – have a bunch of evangelical, Creationist, anti-women, free-market, fundamentalists in Congress and the Senate, because some farmers and unemployed hicks don’t like what NBC’s showing on Wednesday nights.”
McGruder took another sip of coffee and then continued. Now he was looking right at Jenny, and she was looking back, without tracking her eyes around the room in an effort to avoid his. At least I’ve got this moment to take away from this, if nothing else, he thought, and nearly smiled. But he held it back.
“But all of these congressmen and senators and county seat wardens and whatnot didn’t get into these positions solely on the backs of crazies and wingnuts. They got the votes of a lot of formerly moderate Republicans who were basically fed up with the system and saw this as a way to lower their taxes and get more capital gains. And, that moderate backing helps hide some of these politicos real agendas – banning abortion, taking evolution theory out of schools, women’s suffrage repeals for Christ’s sake. They don’t have to go out and look like crazed martyrs all the time, because they’ve set up organizations to do that sort of recruitment for them – the Mainstream Coalition, and the like.”
“Sure, Operation Rescue and other groups, I know who and what you mean. But where’s this going, Terry,” Professor Garcia asked, feigning exasperation, but clearly interested.
Terry smiled. “I’m getting to it,” he answered. “Most of these splinter groups aren’t affiliated directly with the Republican party, even though they’re working mostly at the ward leader’s behest, but they are out in the open, acting publicly and loudly. They thrive on calling attention to themselves, in fact. But not the Family,” McGruder finished.
“The Family likes to keep it on the Q.T.”
posted by RJackson at 11:11:00 PM
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