Don't lose your focus

Several years ago, during another D.C. mayoral primary campaign,, one of the second string candidates, who lived not far from us, was himself putting up posters on telephone poles. He came to the pole at our corner and I happened to be in the yard, and he came up to me and introduced himself and told me he was running for mayor. Of what city?, I asked. D.C., he said, looking at me as if I were a little dense. Then, pardon me, I said, why are you wearing that T-shirt that says "I Love Boston"?

Well tonight, at the forum for D.C. mayoral candidates at the DC JCC, we lingered a bit talking to friends. When we left, there was someone at the front door handing out brochures for Michael Brown. But in his other hand, he held a bag of two oranges, the gift (and campaign symbol) of candidate Vincent Orange.

We went to see the five primary candidates, because we did not know who to vote for. We still don't.

Adrian Fenty arrived an hour late and left an hour early. Council chair Linda Cropp left early, and arrived almost on time. Orange, Brown and Marie Johns stuck it out the hwole time, with Johns coming early enough to shmooze at the reception, Brown sticking around long enough to shake the hands of the lingerers, and Orange sticking around outside even longer, giving out oranges. "Please take them so they don't go to waste."

Who won the forum? Hard to say. Who lost it? Fenty. I think I am going to vote for Orange. Sure, sometimes he says a little too much, but I think he is bright, and appears dedicated, and I believe he understands the city's finances. My wife thinks I am nuts. But Oranges and nuts don't make a bad combination.

Of course, one of the winners will undoubtedly be Fenty or Cropp. Sorry, cannot vote for either one. Cropp has had too many high level positions (council chair, school board president) not to be part of the problem. Fenty is the Al D'Amato (Senator Pothole from New York) of Washington; he is apparently great on constituent service. But that does not translate, for a 35 year old, to being able to administer a city.

Or perhaps it is just that I cannot vote for a candidate who might win.

Mah Nishtanah ha-election hazeh mi-kol ha-elections?