Dancing with DeLay (or Tango Argentino Part II)

Who got peanut butter in my chocolate? When the worlds of conservative politics and popular culture become enmeshed, humor is an obvious result. I couldn't even dream up a story resulting in more guffaws than this! Tom DeLay, Dancing Machine? The possibility of The Hammer appearing in pink spandex with "false chest hair." I could not resist signing up for updates on Mr. DeLay's website. Here's hoping it isn't some vast right wing conspiracy to get me to change sides!

If you haven't heard, Tom DeLay, former House Majority Leader, will be two-stepping, disco-ing, and performing all sorts of nifty dance moves on the upcoming season of ABC-TV's Dancing With The Stars. Apparently, Mr. DeLay has some pretty impressive moves on the dance floor.

Let's take a peak at the backstory before moving on. Mr. De Lay, aka The Hammer, developed a reputation for his enforcement of party discipline in close votes and for taking political retribution on opponents. He rose up the ranks of Republican politics rather swiftly until 2005 when a Texas grand jury indicted him on criminal charges for conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws, a charge he denies. Under pressure from his party, he stepped down as Majority Leader in 2006. Despite the conviction of two of his former aides in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, he ran for re-election and won the primary. He decided to withdraw from the race and resigned from his seat.

That is the general consensus of things went down. However, Mr. DeLay has a different spin on the events.

According to his Dancing With DeLay website, "When former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay decided to leave Congress in 2006, he immediately went to work researching how the Democrats have built their outside operations and massive political coalitions, and rebuilding the conservative movement by identifying and filling the voids so conservatives could better compete in this new political paradigm. Despite repeated Democrat attempts to drive him out of politics, DeLay has thrived in a new arena, with the sole goal to help conservatives, whether through new or previously existing organizations, work together to drive their message. "

Wondering if that message includes the Hustle!

According to his wife, DeLay has been busy practicing his moves and even dropped 12 pounds! He told Chris Cuomo on GMA, "I love dancin'! You got to love dancin' if you're from Texas, I haven't danced in about 20 years. But, um, I love dancin'." Guess he was too busy aggressively pushing through the Conservative agenda or being chased out by liberals, depending on whose position you take.

While I was without a doubt no fan of DeLay's politics, I am anxious to see him boogie. In fact, I am delighted to note that he has links to Twitter, his Facebook page, and even plans to upload videos to You Tube! I could always use a good laugh and plan to start following him on Twitter today!

In the meantime, I strongly encourage you to visit Mr. DeLay's website, www.tomdelay.com. Sometimes, reality trumps fiction and I am assuming this is the case!

More, More....

Ah, the pleasures of summer. Blueberries, corn on the cob, that juicy peach. And bad reality television which constantly reinvents itself. (Of course, some credit must be given to the creators of reality tv.)

Mike Fleiss, creator of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, has given us a new dating competition show. According to the Fox-TV website, More to Love follows "one regular guy's search for love among a group of real women determined to prove that love comes in all shapes and sizes." Well, bachelor Luke Conley is a 6'3" and over 300 pounds. Casting calls for these "voluptuous" and "full figured" ladies were held at national Lane Bryant plus sized boutiques. But, the point is well-taken.

I watched the premiere with some hesitation, especially when I read each girl's weight would be printed below their names. Yikes! I wondered if this was their "driver's license" weight or whether they stepped on a scale off camera. Really. Do they display the IQ's of the model/actress types as they emerge from the limo on The Bachelor? Okay, that was mean. But, why the constant focus on how much these folks weigh? Luke is described as a "former college football offensive lineman..." Is that code word for "What's your excuse?"

More than a handful of these curvy women cried about their lack of dates. I have watched enough reality shows and know enough single women to know this is a common complaint. However, some of these women have never even been on a first date, let alone made it to "round two." I wonder, in real life, if their desperation and lack of self esteem were more of a turn off than their appearance. The fairly constant stream of tears and "pity party" atmosphere at first engendered empathy. However, this could quickly turn the corner to annoying, especially peppered with discernible self-deprecation, as when Danielle referenced looking like a "beached whale" after jumping into the pool in her evening gown.

In lieu of the rose ceremony, these women are asked if they would "do the honour" of wearing Luke's "promise" ring. When he sends five girls packing at episode end, they are asked to return the ring. Pretty harsh. And all that talk about the "Luke" sandwich. Gag! Luke reminds me of nursery rhyme's Georgie Porgie, pudding and pie, kissed the girls and made them cry. In a smarmy pick up line approach, Luke asked one girl, Malissa, how to say "kiss" in Spanish. When she responded, he said, "Why don't you show me?" Pretty creepy but she complied. He asked for another "beso" after telling her about the elimination round. Is that a threat of a promise? She ended up in the final 15.

As I watched the women competing and hoping for a chance to make it to the next episode, I thought about junior high P.E. class. Remember the nonathletic kids who were left praying someone would pick them for the kickball team? I am sure some of these girls are athletic. There is even a personal trainer in the bunch. But, the whole scenario of seemingly desperate, needy women pining for a real estate developer from Santa Maria is a hard pill to swallow.

I think I will stick with "NYC Prep!"