Gus
When Gus’ dad was introducing himself to the world, almost 12 million of us watched it in real-time. If you missed the speech, the link is at the bottom of this column.
When that dad - Governor Tim Walz - said to these millions of people that his family, Hope, Gus, and Gwen, were his whole world, we melted as if we were watching the highlight of an Academy Award-winning movie written by Aaron Sorkin (credits include “The American President,” and the television series, “West Wing.”)
Gus, his teenage son, stood up with tears of pride streaming down his face, saying:
“That’s my dad! That’s my dad!”
I tear up again just typing those words. The unscripted moment galvanized the fairytale come true.
The next day, hate reared its ugly, ugly head and some in the right wing attacked Gus. I won’t repeat their names, because the thoughtless comments were borne of a desperate attempt to be in the public eye. From the moment Donald Trump took the escalator down to the scampering sewer rats among us, time and time again I’ve asked myself: How low will they go? Only to find the sludge of excrement has no end.
The contrast between the two parties, their candidates, their motives, and their intent could not be more stark. For those keeping score on such things as ratings, and crowd size — love is winning.
Inclusion is winning. Vulnerability is winning. Freedom is winning. The Constitution of the United States is winning.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
We are the United States of Team Gus.
Do you receive the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative Roundup on Sunday mornings? Here is the one from last week. To get your copy delivered to your inbox on Sunday mornings, subscribe (it’s free). You’ll find keen political observers, feature stories, commentary, local dining reviews, poetry, and humor.
Okoboji
A few seats remain for the Okoboji Writers’ and Songwriters’ Retreat, September 22-25. The fourth annual event will be the best one yet! AND, thanks to Northwest Bank, you can save $100 of the enrollment fee until September 1.
https://okobojiwritersretreat.com
Did you hear Iowa Public Radio’s Charity Nebbe’s interview with one of our workshop leaders, Justin Roberts? Both Charity and Justin will be joining us as coaches during OWR IV.
During OWR, you can take a workshop by Charity on how to interview people, and how to write for audio.
Come!
Gus showed the world what authentic LOVE looks like. I want Raygun to make t-shirts that say: BE LIKE GUS!
A friend of mine asked: wouldn’t it be great if everyone belonged to a family where children felt about their dad like Gus feels about his? Clearly, those folk didn’t come from such loving families.