Designated Driver
Posted at 6:00 AM on January 27, 2010
by Dale Connelly
(30 Comments)
Tonight President Obama gives his first official State of the Union address.
If we are to believe the TV show "The West Wing", one cabinet level official in the order of succession will not be in attendance, waiting in a separate, secure location so the government can continue to operate in case some event at the Capitol leaves a power vacuum at the top.
What kind of event would that be? I shudder to think about it.
The most benign scenario I can come up with involves the surprise opening of hundreds of bottles of champagne and a few rounds of bi-partisan toasting to the idea of working together for the good of the nation, leading to a boozy and ultimately joyous meeting of the minds on live global TV. There would be toasts to Senator Hatch's songwriting and windy speeches about Portugese Water Spaniels, slightly racy jokes and a few barroom ballads - all of it entertaining and possibly necessary. But after the 7th or 8th round of "bubbly" you'd want there to be somebody more sober in charge of the government. That's where the order of succession designate comes in.
Usually this winds up being someone who won't be notable in their absence. A natural party pooper - some government official without a very high profile, like the Secretary of Agriculture. (Sorry, SecAg, don't take this the wrong way. Your department is very important. It's just YOU that's not very interesting.)
The good things about getting this assignment:
- Public service. You have been given an awesome responsibility.
- Wear and tear on the legs and hands. You're not in the hall so you don't have to pop out of your seat to support the President on every applause line like all the other poor saps in the cabinet.
- You most likely won't have to do anything at all, and you've got an interesting story to tell the grandkids.
The bad thing about getting this assignment:
- What if? You have to run that over and over in your mind all night long until they give you the green light to go home.
What do you do to make the time pass? You could watch the speech, but you're in the cabinet, so presumably you already know what he's going to say. Do you make a "to do" list in case you're called into action? Is Solitare an option? Scrabble?
Have you ever been the sudden recipient of unwanted responsibilities?
Comments (30)
not in that scale, but yes. early in my career my boss, the director of the dept., walked out in a snit one day. this was in a small hospital in Virginia (the state). we had a huge accreditation visit coming the next week. i was told (not asked) to take over. we made it thru the inspection. i did the job for the 14 months (want the hours and minutes?) hired someone for my old job who really wanted the director job. in time we traded and i was back in the job i loved. i'd say that cabinet memeber should climb out the kitchen window and go home. now.
Good Morning All,
Respnsibility? Well I try to live up to my responsibilities, but I guess there are many that I wouldn't choose if I had a choice and some of them came on suddenly. I want everyone to know that while I am trained in the study of insects I am not responsible for those Asian Lady Bugs that invade houses and I actually like them.
It is too bad that politicans don't usually take their responsibilties seriously and the public doesn't take it's responsibility for making them do the right thing seriously.
There was one suggestion that our president should apologize for trying to please all the powers that be and tell us he is now ready to do the right thing, but I doubt he will do that.
A co-worker, who was a new Windows administrator at the time, had a stroke. He was working on a major project, which involved Windows servers of various kinds. Anyway, my background is networking, the Cisco IOS, and Unix/Linux, but I was asked to take on that particular Windows project. He never returned to work sadly.
Wishing everyone a good day!
If there's no kitchen window, find a paper and on one side of it write down all the things about yourself that you are satisfied with and on the other side write down all the things your parents did to mess you up. Then make it into a paper airplane and see how many wall ornaments you can hit. If the room is soundproof, scream out all your frustrations and all the people's names that are responsible for them. There. That took a lot out of me. (Catherine's line and one worthy of stealing IMO.)
Let's have a great day RH!
I am sorry - I see that I did not answer Dale's question. Indeed I have been the sudden recipient of unwanted responsibilities. It was having to grow up. Whether or not that was achieved is questionable.
I can't think of anything (of any import) that I got dumped on me. Lots of little stuff everyday, but who doesn't?!
Donna, after I made the list of what I like about myself, there didn't seem any point to making the other side of the list. But any excuse for a good paper airplane, huh?
There really is a designated absentee. The morning after the State of the Union address The Washington Post usually runs a cute story on how the designee spent the evening.
When I worked in the hospital I used to attend the deliveries of all the babies who were stillborn or not expected to survive. I was there to provide counseling and support. One night my poor patient was there all alone. There were 3 other women in labor and ready to deliver. There were 3 nurses and 2 doctors. When it became obvious that all 4 deliveries might occur simultaneously. The nurses said to me,"You'll be fine and we'll get to you when we can." I held the patient's hand and used my most reassuring voice. Luckily help arrived about 30 seconds before she delivered. My patient was fine but I was glad that my night as a designated catcher was over.
Stay waqrm Heartlanders!
And, Jim, the commentators before and afterwards could
1) disucss/analyze whether the issues are good for the country and its people and NOT discuss if it is good for the Pres. or anyone else's apporval rating.
2) instead of launching into an opinion/analysis admit that they are not really qualified to discuss all or certain issues because they recongize they are too biased because they are republican, democrat, not fully informed, hung-over, uncertain themselves, or consider that an insignificant point.
Blessings on you, Beth-Ann.
Ah yes, Barb in Blackhoof, your story reminded me that when I started at my current job 18 some years ago, in the office of 8, I was there just a couple weeks when my co-worker/trainer/supervisor who was the development fundraiser was diagnosed with breast cancer and was out for six months. At the same time the office manager left for greener pastures. I was left to train myself while working 'with" a borderline personality who knew little more than I did how to "manage" the office...big bosses were in St. Paul. My oh my, not pleasant memories...but I'm still here.
Please notice sneaky Dale did it again: made an ironic political comment and then suddenly at the end switched the question to something else. I think Dale should host a post speech panel discussion and do that to the talking heads--delightful vision.
My sudden unwanted responsibility: When my children were up to about age 7 they expected me to be able to fix all broken toys and solve all problems. That attitude drifted away until about age 14 I was the dumbest thing on the planet with whom it was an embarrassment to be seen in public and who knew nothing. Then aabout age 23 or so they got polite about their belief I was an idiot. Now at 36 and 39 they suddenly call me out of the blue asking for real advice and hoping I can help them solve problems and that maybe my experience could help them. Now, of course, it is an unwanted responsibility, but I am polite about it; still shocks when it happens about every other night somewhere between 7:48 p.m. (at a key point in a PBS show I am watching) and 1:30 a.m.
Like Clyde, most of my "sudden responsibilities" have been brought to me by Daughter - things like knowing physics, astronomy, comparative religions, biology, philosophy, geometry, as well as the ability to fix most anything. Who says there isn't good use for a liberal arts education?
I recall one 10 minute car ride that involved a discussion of big bang theory, evolution and a little religion for good measure last summer, just after she had turned five. I hate to think what she'll be asking about in another few years...
Anna--you weren't listening to me; in a few years she won't be asking you any questions. She will be keeping secrets from you.
Greetings! So true, Clyde ... I've learned more about some of my sons' activities from other moms. Nothing bad or horrible ... just, "oh it was your son that called my daughter one time," or a bus driver who told me my 15yr old gave his girlfriend a daily hug and kiss before she got on bus (they've since broken up). She thought it was sweet.
And of course, I learn many interesting things from their teachers. Unpleasant responsibilities revolving around kids had to do with informing them when their grandparents died. There's always more to learn ...
being in what was a family business i had worked with my dad and brother for 25 years when my dad had to retire and left the business to my brother and me. the punchline was that my brother liked being a musician on weekends and lived in northern backwoods minnesota so he needed to be home to be ready to play on thursday because if he came back to get ready friday he would be too tired, then he decided that since he finished late sunday he needed to take monday off and then since it was a long way to drive on tuesday to get back thursday so he stopped. he thouhght i should support both he and my dad. my brother still lives in la la land but now works on his own and we have made it through a tough transition that is a part of the passing of a torch of a generation but leaves a few scars along the way.
my paper airplane keeps veering to the right
Anna, I am not at the stage of secrecy yet, and the Big Discussion stage is lasting quite awhile, as the son and heir started young. He thinks I remember everything I have ever been taught (and then some), but would rather concentrate on my knitting than pony up the answers.
Practice this handy phrase,"I don't know, but we can get a book at the library" Doesn't work well for philosophy and ethics-you're still on the hook for those, but very fine for quantum mechanics , the causes for WWII and the immune system.
Good luck.
clyde
you obviously are to close. you need to stop giving good advice and begin turning it around and having them work out their own stuff while you have them on the line and by the way here are my issues could you kids me get these and call me back when you have it figured out. its only fair.
Anna,
When my answers to diffficult questions did not suffice I would quote my high school biology teacher who often said to me, "It's either DNA or God and if I knew the answer they would put me on a pedestal and curtsy."
Good luck!
tim--by too close do you mean physically? You cannot get far enough away in this age. They find us everywhere. My son is in San Jose. Of course, I am flattered and mystified. One problem is that I now doubt my ability to answer. I do a lot of Rodgerian counseling, to which my daughter once said, "Oh quit being Karl Rodgers."
Ah, yes brothers. I was going to bring up my ex-brother but then didn't. My ex-brother knows a great deal about Dale's blog topic, protecting the line of succession, far more than he is allowed to tell. He used to carry the "football" (do you remember the attempt on Pres Reagan's life?) for the vice-president and Sec of State. They do far more of this sort of thing than you can imagine. And they practice everything over and over again. They are paranoid about it, which is interesting since my brother is a severe and largely untreated paranoid-schizophrenic. In his last letter he seemed to be saying that my sister and I caused the rise of Nazism under Hitler.
could i have your phone number, Clyde? i could use a good substitute Dad about now!
the most unexpected responsibilities came to me after I took in my great-nephew as a foster son for two years---whew! now i struggle with the responsibility of having returned him to his mother...
i'm with donna--hardest responsibility is taking care of myself!!
that designated absentee job sounds just right for me--hanging out by myself while others are busy busy busy with so-called affairs of state....and if i DID have to jump in and do something, i of course would use tremendous common sense. where do i apply?
Anna--I cannot believe you said that. I have a friend who always says blame everything on genetics or God. Then yesterday an ex-student on facebook quoted that to me as "It's either family genetics, God, or the milkman."
A couple of years ago I was the assisting minister for a service at my Lutheran Church when the pastor and I noticed, after the service had already started, that the cantor hadn't shown up to sing all the parts of the liturgy that the cantor is supposed to sing. Singing is a big deal in our church, and the pastor at that time couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, so I just started singing the cantor's parts, something I had never done before. The church secretary was in the congregation at the time, and gleefully put me on the cantor list as well as the assisting minister list after that.
My first job out of graduate school was as the number 2 in a small office. On my first day my new boss points me to my desk and says, "Oh, by the way, tomorrow I'm going on vacation and the union is going on strike." It turned out to be a pattern with this guy--when the going got tough, he got going.
clyde, i meant close like the forest for the trees. i like the milkman.
i was reading garrisons sunday column on salon.com this morning and their blog is very angry. i can't take it for long. there was a reference to the republican party being a mirror of the 1920 -29 nazi party in germany. maybe you brother meant that you are stirring up the republicans with your liberal teachings and forcing them to take the hardline stance on non millionaire bloodsuckers.
good one from yesterday:
politics is from the latin:
poly..many
tics...bloodsucking insects
traveling tomorrow but i may be able to look in
tim--does your talent for speaking in metaphor work well with the Chinese? I love it.
I love that bloodsucker line. When you consider that politics' real root means something pretty close to civility, it gets very depressing. My paper airplane crashes all the time due to pilot error at the end of the middle of the runway. Tim Penny used to say we need a radical middle. Only when you are at the poles or paranoid are you allowed to be passionate. Johnny Cash used to sing a song long, long ago "The Guy in the Rear was a Methodist" that relates to extremes and passion lacking in the middle.
My son gave me a wonderful book about unpublished letters to the editor of the British paper the “Daily Telegraph.” It is wonderful, pure human and very British at the same time. Dale, this is one of the letters I quote for you:
"SIR--I have started writing a blog under your system and I am disappointed by the pointlessness of the comments I receive. They have nearly all been irrelevant to what I have written. Are there any intelligent people who use this service? Apart from me of course."
And Dale I noticed the song about fathers and sons.
Clyde and all - Darling Daughter is still asking questions and still telling me lots. I think I have at least 5-7 years before that ends. And so far I have been able to go with the "lets look it up on the computer" if I don't have an answer - Daughter has even offered up, "let's look on your computer" when I haven't had a ready answer for her. Once she's reading well on her own, I'll send her across the street to the library to look things up. :)
Yes, I'm thinking the having children thing was
my experience of sudden responsibility. Not that we didn't expect to have responsibility, but didn't know quite WHAT to expect. Since they didn't arrive with the "required" instruction manual, there were many times when I was totally at a loss.
I remember once, after being asked a question (by my then five yr.-old daughter) which dealt with spirituality and the nature of evil, I had to mumble into my sleeve and finally say, "I don't know, Honey, we'll have to ask the Pastor about that." I was, at the time, trying to negotiate the crosstown/I35 interchange, so I plead having to pay close attention to my driving.
So, Clyde, as a Lutheran pastor, how often did
you have to answer the queries of precocious five year olds?
Hello, Audrey. Parenthood is a sudden shock is it not, day after day.
To answer your question, only with my own children, who by and large did not really struggle with that at that age but I was not a pastor until my kids were in their teens. In the church I served, when they referred to the young people, they meant the 50 and 60 year olds. My daughter gets some questions from her 4 and 7 year old along that line and gets sent some other small children with questions.
But this is how PK's are different. When my grand daughter Lily was about 3.25 years old, her parents went on what the British call a dirty weekend (I love that phrase). So we went over to take care of her and I would do the service, the first time I had done that. So my daughter explained carefully to her that they would be gone but grandma and grandpa would be there to take care of her and all would be fine. She asked if Lily had any questions. Lily thought a moment and asked, “Who’s going to preach?”
Both kids are most bothered by the fact that their grandma does not preach. Mommy does, Daddy does (does pulpit supply in other churches near them very often), and grandpa does, but it makes no sense that grandma doesn’t.
Our grand daughter Lily sleeps with her Grandma’s Bible when she comes over. Before she learned to read, she would pretend to read. She would imitate her librarian grandma’s story telling voice and make up a story from the pictures. By age 5, she was pretty good at it. Once she did it in B & N at the children’s story hour place. She ended up with about a dozen kids sitting in front of her listening. Some of their parents were watching and then a couple went behind her to see if she was really reading. It took them a bit to figure out what she was doing. And then because her grandma would read Psalms to her, she developed the knack of finding the Psalms in the Bible and then making up a psalm the same way. Some of her made up psalms got a little dark. We were not sure we wanted her to learn to read.
asked "Who is going to preach?"
Ah, Clyde, I'm snickering to myself at your last story (and I'm at the library computer so kind of have to hold it down). That "her made up psalms got a little dark..."
Like Kay, we got to be temporary parents for a nephew for a couple of years, though not unwanted. It was just sudden and unexpected. In fact, it was one of the best experiences we had since he was such a neat kid, and he and our son became like brothers. The hardest part was letting him leave when the time came.
There's this Mark Twain quote: “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished by how much he'd learned in seven years.”
Computer's in the shop, so who knows when I'll see you all again... Have a nice life, everyone.
Come soon Barbara.
The only problem with the Twain quote is th his fath died when he was 12. Which leads to a story ala Audrey's question about evil. Mrs. Clemen woke little Sammy up in middle of the night and took him down to his father's body in the parlor (how they did funerals then) and made him kneel over his father and pray that he would be good.
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