A rchive Date
[ 11-11-2000 ]
Category
[ International Relations ]
sub-Categoy
[ U.S ]
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[Bye, bye, American Lie
Ordinary folks can't relate to privileged presidential candidates
EARL McRAE - Ottawa Sun
November 10, 2000
AUSTIN, Tex. - Laya has it about right.
Laya shoves hack for American Yellow Checker here, and whipping the shin kicker across town to the governor's mansion she says, "I didn't vote and I don't care which one gets in. They're all acting like silly little children. My 15-year-old son has more maturity than these people."
Laya, who is black and originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, owns and drives her own cab. She works 12-hour days. It's a living, but a tough living. She could earn more if she also drove at night. She doesn't anymore. Night is when the creeps come out.
The creeps come out of the drinking joints and drug dens and you take a chance because the living is tough, and the creeps get in the cab and they look for an argument with you or they look for sex with you or they look to jump out of the cab without paying you or they look at the cab as a toilet bowl and throw up all over the back seat.
So, Laya drives by day and she didn't vote Tuesday to decide which of two privileged, rich, white guys who drive around in chauffeured limousines, not cabs, will be the next president of the United States of America with their grandiose promises on medicare and social security and education and national defence, and neither one of them has ever had to tough out a living driving a cab; neither one of them touches the real, everyday concerns of the marginalized and minority such as Laya, Driver No. 31 for American Yellow Checker.
What do they know, what do they care, those who are privileged, rich and white? Laya tells a story. Three years ago, Hollywood was shooting scenes for a movie in Austin. One afternoon, two girls and a guy on the street flagged down Laya's cab.
"The guy got in the front. I was pretty sure I knew who he was from the face, but I didn't say anything. I don't gush over people, I don't care who they are. It must have really bothered him that I didn't show I recognized him, because all he did was talk to the girls about the movie he was making and the movies he'd been in and all the stars he knew and how rich he is.
"I acted like I didn't even hear him, I just kept on looking straight ahead. He went on and on. When we got to the hotel where he was going, the fare was about $40. He gave me a $1 tip. "'Thank you,' I said. 'I now know why you're so rich.' He didn't say anything, he just walked away."
Emilio Estevez, son of actor Martin Sheen, who often marches for the poor and disenfranchised of society.
"When's the last time Bush or Gore had to worry about a paycheque?" asks Laya. "Have they ever had to worry about being out of work and not being able to feed a family? They talk about doing this and doing that, but it has nothing to do with me, with my worries."
Light rail follies
She pulls up outside the governor's mansion.
"Do you think Gore or Bush even think about light rail? What would they know about it? When's the last time one of them ever went to work by train? Light rail is what I cared most about. Light rail was on the ballot here. I don't want light rail. I drive a taxi. Light rail would be bad for me."
"Did you vote against it?" asks the shin kicker.
"I told you, I didn't vote. I knew I wouldn't have to with the light rail issue. There are a lot of rich people in Austin; they wouldn't be seen dead taking a train to work. They prefer their cars."
She was right: Light rail went down to defeat.
Outside the governor's mansion, reporters are gathered, waiting for Dubya to come out with his bodyguards from behind the high white-brick wall and say something, anything, on the Florida Farce. Protesters with placards are galumphing up and down the sidewalk. "Welcome to Florida - banana republic," they're chanting.
"What is your name?"
"Amos Carter."
"Do you think Bush can pull it out? Gore's closed to within 362 votes."
"I don't believe anything. It's all crooked. Nobody wins except the crooks. I wouldn't trust that Gore as far as I could toss him. They should call a whole new election for the country, but who's gonna believe anything anymore? They need the Pope down there doing the counting. I heard on the radio that Bush's people are thinking of getting back at Gore by asking for a recount in Wisconsin and Iowa. Gore just scraped by him there."
"What is your name, ma' am?"
"Annette Roberts."
"Why are you here?"
"I'm visiting from Indiana. I've told my 11-year-old son this is like a field trip at his school. At school, they were discussing democracy, so when he gets back, he'll be able to tell them all about this. Is the governor going to come out? I want to get a picture of him. Indiana's Bush country."
Imprisoned in mansion
The governor, who proclaimed he wants to reach out and listen to the American people - the young, the old, the poor, the wealthy - comes out of his mansion. He stands three steps in front of his door, shakes hands with three departing men in business suits, glances sternly through the wrought-iron fence at the reporters across the street shouting for a comment, turns, ducks back inside.
He might be imprisoned in his mansion for days more, even weeks.
That's how long they're now speculating it'll take before America knows who, if anybody, is leading it.
The shin kicker goes to a phone booth and calls a cab. Laya. She had given him her number. Said she needed the business.
"They were saying on the radio that Bush might go home to Crawford for the weekend," says Laya. "He bought a big ranch there in May."
Crawford, Texas. Population 631. Or is it 361? Maybe 985. Could be 1, 784.
Is there even a Crawford? Is there even a Dubya? Is there even a Texas? Is there even an America? Bye-bye, American Lie, the shin kicker is outta here.
THEY SAID IT
Following are notable quotes yesterday from the U.S. presidential election:
- "I think if the recount ... confirms the Election Day result that Gov. Bush has been elected president of the
- United States, then I think it's only appropriate that yes, he thinks that's final." - Don Evans, Bush campaign chairman
- "If the will of the people is to prevail, Al Gore should be awarded a victory in Florida and be our next president." - William Daley, Gore campaign chairman
- "I don't want any votes that I did not receive and I don't want to win any votes by mistake. It seems to me that these 3,000 votes people are talking about - most of those are probably not my vote and that may be enough to give the margin to Mr. Gore." - Reform Party nominee Pat Buchanan on his surprising showing in Palm Beach
- "In fact, we have been glued to our TVs watching your results. I am hoping they will be a lot more accurate than the other night." - Florida State Secretary Katherine Harris
- "We have come to believe there were serious and substantial irregularities resulting from the ballot used only in one county, that that ballot was confusing and illegal and that arising out of this is the need for a redress in order to make sure that the will of the people can be properly honoured in this situation." - Warren Christopher, in Florida to observe the recount on behalf of Gore
McRae can be reached at (613) 739-5133, ext. 469 or emailed at earl.mcrae@ott.sunpub.com
 World Fact Book (CIA))]
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