Charles Bird King: The Vanity of the Artist's Dream
Former Titles: The Anatomy of Art Appreciation
Poor Artist's Study
Still Life, The Vanity of An Artist's Dream
(1830)

"I deserve a Humbling cup filled with a bitter brew."

The scandal had broken the Friday before the Candidate Forum. The incumbent County Commissioner had been investigated for some incidents of incivility at the prior year's fair, where she'd pushed around some underlings and humiliated herself for no good purpose. Those of us supporting her opponent quietly cheered inside to see that she had decisively stumbled. There might be no way Jenny Mayberry could be reelected with this black mark on her record. She'd already conclusively proven herself to be an inept commissioner. She'd proposed raises for first responders and hired some more without considering how the county might pay for those changes. Then, she'd steadfastly refused to vote to increase taxes, saying she'd sworn not to raise taxes when running for office. The adult commissioners voted in favor of paying for her increases, and she'd set about blanketing the county with reelection signs, insisting she really cares about the county and its people.

The morning of the Candidate Forum, Jenny called in sick. This news hit the streets with about the same intensity as her scandal had, and we all whispered that she must be a coward, too. The Muse had been helping to organize the Candidate Forum, involved in creating questions the candidates would answer. The organizers had already gone into a bit of a swirl when the scandal broke because they wanted to be able to ask questions about those details. Still, the news had broken after the agreed date for submitting questions to the candidates. They could only be current if they broke their own agreement.

Further, with the controversial candidate withdrawing with little advanced notice, the whole premise of the Forum was threatened. They offered to allow someone Jenny selected to read her responses with Jenny present but mute since she'd reportedly lost her voice. The situation almost seemed ironic, with the candidate whose voice had gotten her into so much trouble struck mute. Jenny declined the offer to have a surrogate read her responses.

So, the Forum was decidedly one-sided. Our candidate performed spectacularly, and the moderator spoke generously about the absent one. Several opined that it couldn't have gone better. Without an opposition present, questions and answers flowed reasonably well in the absence of competition. The only controversy was whispered by those who couldn't quite believe the story. How could it be that Jenny so conveniently lost her voice? How could it be, indeed? I learned when speaking with her fellow commissioner that she was, indeed, gravely ill, that she'd indeed lost her voice without apparent reason, and that her doctor had referred her to a specialist to determine cause and treatment. Jenny was reportedly scared spitless.

I felt the breeze leaving my sails when I learned this news. The certainty I'd felt in the righteousness of my perspective took no prisoners. I'd been an ass of an observer, confident that I understood a context I couldn't possibly have comprehended. Mayberry was always a lousy candidate, and she had been a poor commissioner, too, but she wasn't ever more than inadvertently evil. She had been trying her best even though her best wouldn't prove quite good enough in many instances. Still, she's a member of my community. I'd submitted a scathing letter to the editor a few weeks ago, critical of Jenny and supportive of her opponent. However, the newspaper held the letter and asked me some qualifying questions. The editor had been unable to fact-check one of my assertions. I asked a friend who'd kept better records if she could verify my assertions, and she could not. I had made an error in my characterizations and included some projections with my reasonable accusations. I'm grateful for that editor's intervention. A Humbling form of Grace took me down a peg or two, thank heavens.

Now, I wish Commissioner Mayberry a speedy recovery. I still believe she's been a lousy commissioner, and I strongly support her opponent, who performed masterfully in her appearance at the forum. Jenny still has her signs on almost every verticle surface around town, and she's probably going down to defeat in November if she manages to hold out through what will undoubtedly become even greater scrutiny between now and then. I hope almost the best for her. I pray for her speedy recovery and that her reelection prayers go unanswered. I imagine whatever God's listening to be a tad too distracted to perform that intervention and that Jenny will return to running her right-wing coffee shop where she hands out cinnamon candy with every cup. Me, I deserve a Humbling cup filled with a bitter brew. May my vanity not overwhelm my humanity as I work my way through this election season.

©2024 by David A. Schmaltz - all rights reserved

Tags: #Grace, #PureSchmaltz