The American Spectator : November Song

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November Song

By Lisa Fabrizio on 9.29.10 @ 6:07AM

Oh, the Dems' days dwindle down to a precious few.

Many of you may be familiar with the haunting American pop standard, "September Song." It was written by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson as a vehicle for the limited vocal range of Walter Huston in the 1938 Broadway production of Knickerbocker Holiday. Though it dealt with the story of Peter Stuyvesant in New Amsterdam in 1647, the show was, by all accounts, a biting satire on the then-current political goings-on, and even had the temerity to equate FDR's New Deal with Fascism. Anderson, the noted playwright and forerunner of what today would be called a libertarian, had this to say to critics of his play (emphasis mine):

[T]here has been a good deal of critical bewilderment over the political opinions expressed in the play, and not a little resentment at my definitions of government and democracy. I should like to explain that it was not my intention to say anything new or shocking on either subject, but only to remind the audience of the attitude toward government which was current in this country at the time of the revolution of 1776 and throughout the early years of the Republic. At that time it was generally believed, as I believe now, that the gravest and most constant danger to a man's life, liberty and happiness is the government under which he lives.

An amazing statement, especially when considered in light of the virulent big-government liberalism that chokes nearly all of the entertainment industry today. But I digress. As written for the stage, the song is sung by an older, powerful politician (Stuyvesant) to a sweet young thing he seeks to make his own. He wants her love but knows that she views him as a tired old man with little to offer. He plaintively laments that his days are dwindling down "to a precious few" and promises to spend "these golden days" with her if she'll only choose him. A future scenario, I think as November approaches America to woo her away from the tired thrall of Democratic "hope and change."

And so I see the song, a bittersweet yet wistful ditty, again being sung by an older man to a reluctant maid, albeit in this case one who has been around the block yet seeks to make a kind of a virginal comeback nonetheless. An older man, one who is slowly slipping into the twilight of life, who dreamily refers to one colleague as "the hottest member in the Senate" and another as his "pet."

When I was a young man counting the votes
We played the race-baiting game.
If a group opposed us with sour notes
It wasn't too hard to get at their goats;
We'd play fast and loose with a couple of quotes;
And as Fall came around they changed their ways,
As Fall came, it found them lame.

Oh, it's a long, long race from May to November
And the cash grows short when you reach September.
When the Oval Office runs out of folks to blame
You haven't got time to defame and shame.

Oh, the TARPs dwindle down to a precious few
September, November!
But these few billions left, we'd spend on you;
These surplus bucks, we'd spend on you!

When we met with the Congress early in the Spring
We put forth the healthcare bill.
We knew that our fortunes in the Fall could swing
If the voters examined all the harm it'd bring,
When they found that it sprouted from our far left wing;
That the people have had their fill of us,
The people have had their fill.

Yes, it's a long, long slog to that day in November,
And our days grow short when the folks remember.
When the moving finger marks eleventh frame;
One hasn't got time for the blaming game.

As the states dwindle down to a shrinking blue;
November! Dismembered!
I'll have some precious days, though they'll be few;
When all my gaveling days are through.

About the Author

Lisa Fabrizio is a columnist who hails from Connecticut (mailbox@lisafab.com).

Letter to the Editor View all comments (33) | Leave a comment

Sky Is Falling| 9.29.10 @ 8:42AM

Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.

ggoblue| 9.29.10 @ 9:08AM

count chickens?....we cannot even count the mountain of eggs....yet we know they will mostly hatch!

34 days

Chickens Dont Count| 9.29.10 @ 9:14AM

I've crossed the road and I'm coming home and roost.

Oldefarte| 9.29.10 @ 4:13PM

Remember why Bill Clinton CROSSED THE ROAD?.............BECAUSE HE WANTED TO LOOK FOR CHICKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Curtis Rasmussen| 9.29.10 @ 6:05PM

No, because he wanted to straighten his bent pecker.

Oldefarte| 9.30.10 @ 10:50AM

It was a JOKE!!!!!!!!

Curtis Rasmussen| 9.30.10 @ 10:56AM

No disrespect intended, my line was meant to be a joke as well.

Dan Hirsch| 9.29.10 @ 9:30AM

Or taxed!

Oldefarte| 9.29.10 @ 4:08PM

Sky, Not only have the chickens hatched, but they are already in the frying pan and practically burnt to a crisp!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alan Brooks| 9.29.10 @ 11:58PM

"the gravest and most constant danger to a man's life, liberty and happiness is the government under which he lives."

No, this is imbecilic: existential threats are the gravest and most constant danger.
Sounds like something from the '40s.

Alan Brooks| 9.29.10 @ 11:59PM

or perhaps the '30s?

Cylar| 10.3.10 @ 5:42AM

Would your statement also hold true for the citizens of Germany back in those same 1930s and 40s?

Nations are not murdered. They commit suicide.

Idiot.

Norman Conquest| 9.29.10 @ 8:42AM

Excellent column with one caveat: it's Walter Huston, with only one "o".

Redstateboy| 9.29.10 @ 9:26AM

I read some of these contributors and I think... sheeszz... I could do this and a hell of lot better.

Tom| 9.29.10 @ 12:53PM

Redstateboy,
Then why not do it? I am not being sarcastic; there are plenty of venues where you could get noticed if you have something fresh to say.
Tom

vtwin| 9.29.10 @ 11:06AM

http://farm1.static.flickr.com.....e17626.jpg

Dave Williams| 9.29.10 @ 12:56PM

Don't feed the trolls.
Don't feed the trolls.
Don't feed the trolls!

Proud Mormon| 9.29.10 @ 1:26PM

Who cares about this election cycle let us prepare for the 2013 coronation of Willard Milton Romney. Go Mitt!

RCV| 9.29.10 @ 6:30PM

Given the ineptness of the last presidential campaign he ran, I wouldn't make my Salt Lake to DC plane reservations quite yet.

Alan Brooks| 9.30.10 @ 12:01AM

"Who cares about this election cycle let us prepare for the 2013 coronation of Willard Milton Romney. Go Mitt!"

HAIL HOOTLER!

Cylar| 10.3.10 @ 5:45AM

Mittens? (snicker, guffaw, chuckle). Funny. I was thinking more like DeMint or Palin or Thompson or Jindal. You know....actual conservatives?

Yeah. Mittens. Snort. Let's replace Chairman Zero with the only Republican governor to preside over socialized medicine in his state.

Or, let's not. Because that is exactly the kind of thinking that got our asses handed to us back in '08.

Oldefarte| 9.29.10 @ 4:11PM

ROSES ARE RED
VIOLETS ARE BLUE
DEMOCRATS WILL LOSE
AND RINOS WILL TOO!!!!!!!

Alan Brooks| 9.30.10 @ 12:03AM

"AND RINOS WILL TOO!!!!!!!"

No, not RINOs; they will not lose, and if you weren't senile you would know it.

Oldefarte| 9.30.10 @ 10:47AM

Think MIKE CASTLE, dumbars [oh and AH, I'll gladly match IQ and educational accompolishments with your sorry ars anyday, anytime]!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mark James| 10.2.10 @ 2:50PM

I'm with you, Oldefarte. A pox on them all.

Cylar| 10.3.10 @ 5:46AM

They're ALREADY losing, dimwit...and the election isn't even here yet. Put down the bong and try reading the newspapers.

TR| 9.29.10 @ 5:38PM

Booger, Mad Hatter and Eric Cartman could write a better song than this article.

BackToBasics| 9.29.10 @ 10:08PM

In every election cycle, the Dems always manage to steal some seats and almost the presidency in 2000 with fraudulent voting. In every election the Republicans ignore the fraud and take the losses; like gentlemen." In the close elections this November, I wonder if the Repubs will have the courage to contest vote fraud perpetrted by the Democrats? I seriously doubt it.

This is the type of thing that causes voters to lose faith in Repubblicans. They always underplay their hands and seem wobbly at the knees.

BackToBasics| 9.29.10 @ 10:29PM

Ah November, November,
In 2010 we remember,
Coulda been 102,
But alas 'tis only 52,
'Cause when votes were counted,
We let ourselves be mounted,
On the House wall,
After all, it's Fall,
And by this skinny margin,
Congress votes will come 'chargin,
Saving the Republic, Amen,
As Republican gentlemen,
But alas, though it was not enough,
We really showed our gentle stuff!!!