Political Pearls: Mohammed The Pizza Slinger and Republican and Democratic Headquarters

This is a true story about American demoocracy(little "d") in action just two weeks ago or so. Unabashed Left decided to campaign for the Democratic(big "D") party late in this year's campaign. Wallingford, CT[sometimes affectionately and sometimes not-so-affectionately referred to as "Wallyworld"] has a "center"[small "c"] of town. One of the main drags in the center[small "c"] of Wallyworld is ingeniously entitled Center[big "C"] Street. In the center of town on Center street in late October democracy was in gear at Democratic Party headquarters at the bottom end of Center Street; not so much so at the Republican Party headquarters in the middle of Center Street, and even more so at the pizza joint just above [the also ingeniously named]"Main Street" on Center Street owned by an Arab pizza slinger named Mohammed. :)  Melting pot. <3 - democracy(little "d"). Warm fuzzy feeling. :)

Anyhow, in the middle of a busy campaign day 8 days before the election, I was hungry.  I stopped off at a take-out pizza joint to grab a couple of quick slices[being new to Wallyworld, this was a bit risky, not knowing the quality of the take out pie slices <) I was about to receive]. Feeling hungry but not greedy[I am most definitely a Democrat] after hopping out of my 1996 Ford Windstar Minivan with the dents, scratches, stickers and magnets(stickers and magnets featuring Congresswoman Rosa Delauro, Pink Ribbons, a Chiropractic magnet, 12 step logos, and more--all layered in thick dust--joyously festoon the back of my hurricane-chasing minivan, a definite Democrat-mobile] it's already well-known for around Wallyworld, I parked across the street and walked in to a previously unvisited pizza <) take-out store front. Through the door to the kitchen I saw a cook slinging pizza <) dough into a round flat object which would eventually be the crust of a crispy/tender pizza. The cook stopped what he was doing and came out. I was not certain, but he appeared to be other than Italian in ethnic or national origin.

I am from the New Haven area where a district known as "Wooster Square" features the best pizza and the best Italian cuisine restaurants on the planet, that are not in the shadows of Mount Vesuvius or the Coliseum in Rome, for example. IE: A pie at Pepe's restaurant on Wooster Street is a near orgasmic experience. Therefor, the ethnic or national origin of the man slinging pie crusts in Wallyworld center[little "c"] that day was pertinent to me. So I introduced myself as Steve, and he introduced himself at the owner, Mohammed.

I thought for a second. Acting on my own behalf, not as a Democratic[big "D"] party representative, I inquired of Mohammed's ethnicity. Arab, was his reply. I decided to order slices of pizza. <)  But I purchased the drinks \-/ elsewhere at a bargain. I cut a deal with Mohammed. People back at Democratic Headquarters might be hungry as well, so eating slices <3 on my own, in front of others, did not appeal to me. So I purchased his entire slice pie and had him heat it up. He gave me a discount for buying so many slices. I told him that I was a Democrat, not representing the Democratic Party, only myself at the moment, but that Republican Headquarters was also on Center Street.

I asked Mohamed for some extra menus and informed him that I'd bring them to Democratic Headquarters at the bottom of Center Street and place them conspicuously in the store front and do the same at the Republican Headquarters in the middle of Center Street if they were agreeable to doing so.  I told him I'd order another whole pie <) later in the day and more during the week. He gave me a discount on my next order of pizza <). I was happy. Mohamed the pizza slinger was happy. Democracy[little "d"] in action. Warm and fuzzy feeling. <3 Melting pot. American flag.

I joyously trotted in to Democratic Headquarters and deposited the hot pizza <) conspicuously on a table at a little beehive of activity at the bottom of Center Street and deposited Mohammed's menus there for all to see and from which they might order more pies. I grabbed a small stack of Mohammed's menus and walked happily to the middle of Center Street in the center of town to Republican Party Headquarters. It was anything but a beehive of activity. The woman on the phone just waved me off-signing for me to wait. That was it. Just the one semi-rude young woman. In the middle of Center Street in the Center of Wallyworld where a Republican Mayor named Dickinson has been mayor way too long, and the Town Council is dominated by way too many Republicans[7 to 3 is the current count on Town Council].

When she finally finished her conversation as I stood waiting with Mohammed's bright green and happy menus she asked "What do you want?" I told her the story of Mohammed's pizza <) joint just a walk away. She was unaware of Mohammed's pizza <) joint. I shook her hand and gave her my Unabashed business card and the stack of menus and suggested that they order good pizza <) [as it turned out, the slices that afternoon were excellent as take-out goes] from Mohammed and support local small business and feed the army of volunteers at Republican Headquarters that wasn't there at the Headquarters on Center Street in the center of Wallyworld which was NOT a beehive of activity. Republican Party Headquarters in the middle of Center Street.

I happily trotted back to Democratic Headquarters, once again a volunteer for the Democratic Party. I told my friends the story. They laughed and laughed. In fact they L'ed OL. :D  We went about our campaign and Tuesday November 2nd finally arrived. THE BIG DAY. :) Democracy[little "d"]. Warm fuzzies. Melting pot. American flag.

In the middle of the day I was briefly at the bottom of Center St. at the Dem Headquarters and decided to take a walk to the middle of Center St. to GOP Headquarters and offer an olive branch. Peace. Warm fuzzy feeling. Melting pot. Democracy[little "d"] in action. Pink hearts. American flag. <3 Arab-American pizza. <)

Once again, in the middle of this busy election day, Republican Headquarters wasn't all that busy. A different woman was out front on the phone just waving me away semi-rudely and several well-dressed businessmen and women-looking people were mingling behind her. Mohammed's menus were still on the desk unmoved from over a week ago. My Unabashed business card was not. No food was evident at all. When I approached the business types they wanted me to go, they were in a hurry, that was clear. But I was prepared. I had several Unabashed business cards at the ready to hand out, shook some hands and offered my own personal olive branch. Feeling unwelcomed, I left with their permission.

Back out in the bright midday sun I once again cheerily trotted back to the beehive of activity that was the Democratic Party headquarters on the bottom of Center St., convinced now more than ever that the Dickinson administration in Wallyworld must go and the numbers at least reversed on the Town Council in November a year from now--and Wallyworld returned to it's honorable Wallingford, CT Revolutionary War/Colonial roots, INDEED.

We Democrats were busy, busy, busy all day till polls closed at 8pm. In one city in CT the polls closed at 10 due to irregularities, so the numbers coming in to the Congresswoman Rosa Delauro victory party in New Haven that my lovely wife, Sally, and I attended were slow and one race was tight. But in the end: Democratic Governor-Elect apparent Dan Malloy, U.S. Senator-elect Dick Blumenthal and the entire Democratic state ticket had won; all 5  Congressional seats had been retaken(the number had been 4 Dems and one Republican previously); every Democrat in Wallingford who ran won, minus one state rep candidate. IT WAS A CLEAN SWEEP FOR THE DEMOCRATS IN WALLINFORD CONNECTICUT PRETTY MUCH--WHAT'S KNOWN IN POLITICS AS A LANDSLIDE VICTORY.

We are organizing now to retake Wallingford for the Democrats next year from the Wallyworld Republican Party and finally end the endless and solidly mediocre-to-downright poor Dickinson administration. Those Republican "Dicks" get us every time. "Dick" Nixon. "Dick" Cheney. Mayor "Dick"inson's administration will end in approximately 14 months following the election the first Tuesday in November, 2011 in Wallyworld which will once again be transformed into respected, loved and admired Wallingford, CT. Thanks for the pizza <) , Mohammed!