“Blue State Blues.” David R. Slavitt. ( Wesleyan University Press.) Middleton,CT 06459) $25
I met David Slavitt when he ran for office against State Rep. Tim Toomey, in the Cambridge/Somerville area, back in Jan. 2004. Slavitt, at age 69, was a political novice. For the past 40 years he made his reputation as a poet, novelist, translator, academic, and Newsweek movie critic. Slavitt, was interviewed by The Somerville News reporters at our usual Friday morning meeting and I thought that this Republican/Poet/Politician would make a good subject for my Somerville Cable Access TV show: “ Poet to Poet: Writer to Writer.” Slavitt, who is a product of Yale University, is a fascinating study; with his caustic wit, his erudite intelligence, and, as he described it to me his “Built-in shit detector,” a much needed tool in the shoals of politics. Slavitt decided to run, with the help of his son Evan, to address the “problem” of the Democratic-dominated House and Senate, and politics in general. Slavitt doesn’t fit the profile of your typical Republican. He supports gay marriage, and abortion, but he is decidedly conservative when it comes to fiscal and public service matters.
In “Blue State Blues” Slavitt recounts his “guerilla” campaign conducted with little money, a paucity of volunteers, and a lot of chutzpah. It was exciting to read about so many of the players in the Somerville media and political world; particularly all the guys and gals covering the campaign for The Somerville News. Slavitt uses a diary-like format to map his losing-battle campaign.
What I like most is his on-the-money descriptions of local pols and personalities, and his unique take on the milieu of Cambridge and Somerville. Slavitt, writes honestly about his fears running for office: after all he is no spring chicken, he has an ongoing flirtation with prostrate cancer, and like anyone who has lived any length of time he has a few skeletons in his closet. Slavitt ruminates;
“ What if Toomey or Green goes to the library and looks into my literary career. The “Exhibitionist,” my pseudonymous potboiler of 1967, was widely attacked as a “dirty book,”…. Worse than that….there’s an elegant little joke that poet and small press publisher Robert Wallace put out in 1987: “ The Cock Book: A Child’s First Book of Pornography…” None of this puts me in the same league with Paris Hilton, but she is not running for office.” (23)
Slavitt, with his usual dose of levity, speculates on Toomey and the various political players he will encounter:
“Toomey, I am reliably informed is gay.( He is what at least what polite people used to call a “confirmed bachelor.) Not that I particularly care, one way or the other,…He is unlikely to march to the bishops’ drumbeat , or…or is he? He’s still pretty much in the closet, although everyone knows ( or everyone but me). Barrios is openly gay. And Avi Green, who worked on his campaign, and is the other Democrat who will be fighting Toomey? Is he gay too? Am I the “straight” candidate? “Straight talk from Slavitt” is a tempting but unattractive slogan.”
And of course there are generous references to The Somerville News (mostly favorable!) and I was flattered to be included. Here is a description of our former editor Neil McCabe as he lectures the troops, or his young reporters at an editorial meeting:
“The editor, Neil McCabe I had already met. He spent about half an hour talking to the young writers and photographers about the next issue and spoke about the different kinds of photographs, from long establishing shots to tight close-ups, what they were for, how to compose and crop them, and there use in layout and design. It was all clear and very professional and I rather liked it. It was like being back in Newsweek.” (100)
The book is liberally (pardon the choice of words), peppered with interesting anecdotes and insights. At times reading through the extensive emails and political position papers can be tiresome. But overall, when it seems to bog down, Slavitt infuses new life into the proceedings. It is also great to see in this book articles from and about many people I have worked with over the years. I told Slavitt during his campaign that even if he loses he will get a good book out of it. Well…I guess he did.
Doug Holder/ Ibbetson Update/ March 2006/ Somerville, Mass.
