Churtling

Many years ago, when I was still fundraising, I attended a breakfast meeting where many politicians were in attendance. Being Ohio, they were mostly Republicans. I was stuck at a table with an aide to a local Republican politician who quite craftily stayed on his cell phone until the event began, eluding all of us wanting his boss' support. The speaker was a high up leader of that party whose name I don't recall (this was during Bush's first term in office). He kept repeating over and over again in different ways that Bush and his team were good people. This obviously bored me, so I began taking in the grandeur of the room. Then the aide, who was sitting next to me, I noticed was in complete concentration on what was being said. This caused me to turn back to the speaker, who was still saying Bush was "good people." I turned back to the aide, who then began vibrating slightly and making some noises. I was concerned he was having a seizure, and naturally moved a little away, but on continued look I realized that he wasn't convulsing. There was something strange about what he was doing, yet it seemed familiar. Then it dawned on me -- he was doing what I'd seen a friend's cat do whenever a shiny small pom pom was shaken near her. She became almost trance-like and began making the same noise. Koka does it too whenever a bird flies near any of Kent's windows and she can't get to them.

That event told me all I needed to know about Republicans.