Politics on parade

...the local dance school dragged along its five- and sixyear-olds in tutus, and got a bit of free advertising I wondered how many people thought that this was out of place at a public parade The standard public services were out in full dress...

...What if some girl wants to walk bare-ass naked down the street9 I suppose you want to protect that, too," he rebutted "Well, sir, the nght to free speech—especially political speech—is rather explicit in the Constitution...

...REPORT FROM ATTLEBORO POLITICS ON PARADE NOT IN FRONT OF THE CHILDREN For longer than I've known him, my friend Jim has aspired to run for Congress He met his wife, my college fnend Lina, on the campaign trails almost a decade ago, and kept involved in Democratic party political circles while he worked as an advocate for Oxfam It's been good for me to know someone my own age with not only the intelligence and drive to be m Congress, but priorities that seem to be in the right place...

...All the church floats featured groups of smiling people, mostly children, usually singing or waving...

...His challenge sounded authoritative, and drew the attention of a number of onlookers Back I turned to lesson one on the Constitution and another appeal to the meaning of the Fourth of July But talk about the Constitution didn't seem to impress him...

...Fire trucks and ambulances delighted young Anthony and the other children, as they have for generations The local public schools were represented, as were the 4-H and the literacy volunteers Then there were the local churches, most of which were in evidence, starting with the Bahai The best float was All Saints Episcopal's It depicted an Ark aground on Mount Ararat, covered by an arching rainbow of balloons Saint John the Evangelist, the local RC establishment, spotlighted its school...

...Should that be forbidden7" "No," he replied, because that was a public service The parade was approaching, so I smiled, gave up, and walked back to watch the parade with Lina, Jim, and their three-year-old, Anthony...

...Today, both endeavors are subject to deep scrutiny, as if representing some kind of communal hope in public ought to be considered a nsky business My own understanding of Catholic social thought, however, prompts me to view all sorts of activities (even pnvate carting services) as beanng public dimensions, entailing public responsibilities But I worry that in our own culture these activities are becoming the only ones that are safe to enter and safe to think of as public—not partisan, not capable of raising our hopes too much or failing us too badly...

...I can't be certain that this was the majority view of the spectators, but I also can't help thinking of these impressions in the context of what both Jim and I aspire to do in our different ways...

...More blocks of people waiting and talking with neighbors Finally, just as the parade was approaching and I was about to give out my last flyers, a third man ambled out from among the parade watchers and said "You're-not handing out campaign literature, are you7 Politicians have no nght pushing their own private gams at a public event This is the town's day, not the politicians...

...The work was simple—greeting people and handing out campaign leaflets before the parade I'd never done any campaigning, so I saw it as a good opportunity to learn something It turned out to be a perfect day for a parade People set up chairs along the route, and almost everyone I met was friendly and in great public spirit It probably didn't hurt that many of those who saw the photo on the handbill thought that I was the one running for Congress But about ten minutes into my duties, a sixtyish-looking man informed me, quite earnestly, that I shouldn't be campaigning at a parade like this I was puzzled "Aren't we here to cele4 brate July Fourth and the birth of a democratic nation''" "This town has ordinances against campaigning," he replied I rejoined with a few startled words about the Constitution and its First Amendment We spoke awhile longer, but I sensed that I was not making much progress I moved on A few blocks and a few hundred people later, I encountered another man on the steps of a public building "You're not allowed to do any campaigning," he told me...

...They tried to communicate something about themselves and to celebrate their presence in the community But they didn't seem to draw the same enthusiastic response from the crowd as the 4-H Club, the literacy volunteers, or the veterans It occurred to me that most of the church floats were greeted in a fashion analogous to the various radio stations which also sponsored displays in the parade...

...Society surely suffers when people construe aspirations to public service and public ministry as something pnvate...

...Anthony, the three-year-old, told me that his goal is to become a truck dnver, like one of the guys pulling the floats It's a noble enough aspiration, but perhaps with a little encouragement, Lina or Jim or I can convince him that it might be worthwhile to consider public service THOMAS M LANDY Thomas M handy, S.J, is assistant director of the Leadership Education Project at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government 5...

...I don't remember seeing anything there about walking bare-ass naked " The bystanders seemed to favor the First Amendment, but my challenger continued "It cheapens a day like this when politicians are out here trying to get you to vote for them " Before moving on, I replied in my most agreeable tone, "Well, sir, if we can't celebrate our democratic system today, it doesn' t seem that there's much to celebrate...

...One such station advertised its "magic" format by featunng a magician and a fairy Another played rap music and sported boogie-mg dancers Plenty of diversity of choices on the dial, but despite such diversity, I sensed that the churches and radio stations were not seen by the parade-goers as public institutions that belong to and serve the whole community My afternoon at the parade revealed a rather startling set of messages about what is "public" and what is "private" in Amenca today From some voices in the crowd, it seemed that running for office had come to be understood primarily as a matter of pnvate gam, whereas dumpster companies and jewelry firms were treated as public institutions...

...A float sponsored by one of the local Evangelical churches was covered with scriptural passages about salvation "What do you make of that7" one woman nearby asked a friend "Do you think they should allow that7" To my regret, the friend didn' t respond...

...This year, Jim decided to make his own run against a freshman incumbent So this summer when Jim asked me, I was more than willing to spend a few hours campaigning for him at a Fourth of July parade in Attleboro, Massachusetts, a small city at the edge of Jim's home district which was celebrating its 3OOth birthday...

...The veterans were at the head of the parade As I watched them pass, I couldn't help thinking about the sincerity of my three cntics whom I might otherwise have dismissed as cranks What was odd was not only what they believed, but that they seemed to believe that their views were patriotic and true to what's best about America My thoughts hearkened back to courses I had taught on foreign policy and international relations at the time of the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the Soviet Union I learned then how many of my students thought that capitalism, not democracy, was the greatest good America could export to those lands Given the charge about pursuing "private gains" at a public event, I was startled when, not far behind the veterans, a small float passed that advertised a wholesale gold jewelry outfit Actually, a lot of businesses followed the local carting company showed off a shiny new truck and dumpsters draped in garlands...

...Religion was best kept private, presumably for the sake of the common good...

...Weary of the failure of the constitutional tack, I responded that lots of people were selling things up and down the route...