RICHARD: It’s like I stuck a pin in a voodoo doll.
MARIAN: For Christ sake, Richard. What is there to say? What can you say?
RICHARD: Tim, I’ll talk to you because I don’t think my sisters will even listen.
JANE: Why drag Tim in?
RICHARD: Palin—is the creation of people like them.
MARIAN: I’m not listening to this.
RICHARD: Run away. Go ahead. (Continues) The creation of people—like us. Me too at the time. We remember all those outrageous things. “Drill, baby, drill.” Writing on her hand. Not knowing anything. But—if we go back to the weekend when McCain chose her? I think he chose her on a Friday. By that night, and I don’t think she’d really actually said anything yet—but by that night, we’d made her the devil. Demonized. Ridiculed. Lied about. Ripped apart. Rumor-mongering about her Down syndrome child not being hers. Soon the feeding frenzy about her daughter’s pregnancy? Attacks on her accent. For her hair, her clothes. Her state? For being a woman?? Didn’t that bother any of you women at the time? There seemed to be such a rush of hatred—this need to crush her. It was beyond ugly. And, eventually, made me sick to my stomach.
(Then) Of course the irony was that this particular woman pretty much thrives on that, on attacks like that—and so, she became, in front of our eyes—Sarah Palin. Because on the other side, they’re thinking anyone that hated, anyone who bothers them—us—that much, must be pretty darn good. Pretty darn great. She must be a star!
There was that “progressive” reporter renting the house next to her—to what? Spy on her in the shower? Imagine if someone had done that to Obama? Think what we’d say. Think what we’d believe.
What I’m saying is—how come we cut off—turn off—our sense of right and wrong, fair and unfair, just and unjust—just in order to win. Or under the banner of: winning.
What have we become?
MARIAN: Sarah Palin was not ready to be Vice President of the United States.
RICHARD: No, she wasn’t.
MARIAN: That was the point being made.
RICHARD: No, it wasn’t. That day wasn’t about her competence. Or her knowledge. Of course that came into it later, eventually. But no—this was about crushing someone. Destroying someone. And relishing that. That’s what I saw. This is something different.
And this is about various groups and organizations with nice-sounding names which feed upon our insecurities and frustrations, so we will give them money. (Short pause) “They’re racists.” “They’re bigots.” “But you”—they tell us—“we—are good.”
MARIAN (To her sisters): Am I the only one upset?
(No response.)
(To Richard) Have you ever even bothered to look at a conservative website? And see what they’re saying, how they’re raising money?
RICHARD: Why is it that every time I question what we’ve become—with my friends, people at work—I’m met with the same: “But they’re worse.” Since when has not being worse become what we are?
MARIAN: I don’t believe I’m hearing this.
BARBARA: If we don’t win elections, Richard, what can we get done? You want to be Ralph Nader?
MARIAN: Good thing no one’s listening to this.
RICHARD: I am not defending Sarah Palin. I am criticizing us.
MARIAN: I don’t see the distinction.
BARBARA: And their side doesn’t do the same thing?
RICHARD: I’ve said—“they” do.
BARBARA: So what’s your point?
RICHARD (Quietly): Our elections are a mess. I think that’s obvious.
JANE: And—thanks to the Court—even worse now.
(Her sisters look at her.)
(Explains) Richard and I agree about this. We talk about this. He’s been good to talk to. I suppose one big reason I came today was maybe to talk about this. It builds up and then what happens? You feel like you can’t even question . . . That that’s some sort of heresy. I figured, maybe as a family, we could talk . . .
(Then) I didn’t vote. I didn’t want to.
RICHARD: I didn’t vote either.
BENJAMIN: I did. Didn’t I?
BARBARA: Yes.
JANE: We want to win. But what are we winning?
(Then:)
MARIAN: What do you want to say? What do you need to say? We’re family . . .
JANE (After a look at Richard, very quietly): When Obama got to the Senate, do you remember what he tried to make his signature issue?
(No response.)
(Answering) Campaign finance. Others thought he was muscling in on their territory, but he pushed forward. It’s what he believed in. He understood its importance.
BARBARA: And then he abandoned—in his election. I know. I know.
MARIAN (Shrugs): So he broke a promise. (Shrugs) He changed his mind. He was raising a shitful of money.
RICHARD: That’s right. A shitful. Well said.
MARIAN: And the Republicans were trying to do the same—
JANE: No they weren’t, Marian. At least not the one and maybe only Republican who believes in campaign finance reform. He took public financing. And then we outspent him five to one or something. We swamped him.
BARBARA: But Obama won.
JANE: Yes.
(Then:)
(To Marian and Barbara) Should we stop?
(Short pause. They shake their heads.)
RICHARD: When I went up to Albany those few times for Eliot—a friend up there took me aside one day and said—there are three types of politicians here. About a third want to do some good. They usually don’t last long. A third are here to have sex. They last a little longer. And a third are here—to get rich. And they’re the ones in control. Everyone knows this. Look at any piece of legislation and you see the fingerprints of money.
TIM: I agree with that.
(The others look at him.)
BARBARA: You do?
(He looks around the room. Then, to Jane:)
TIM: Can I . . .?
(She nods.)
I wonder if we got together, say, in a year. How many Wall Street boards the soon-to-be retired senator from Connecticut will be on? Or how many Wall Street clients his consulting firm that he’s sure to start up will have.
JANE (To Barbara): He’s the head of the finance committee—
BARBARA: I know.
JANE (To Marian): He’s written the new rules for Wall Street. (Smiles)
MARIAN: Obama was getting money from normal people. Five dollars, ten dollars . . .
RICHARD: True.
MARIAN: How is that corrupting? It was sort of like a kind of election—
JANE: What kind of election? Where your vote counts only if you give money?
MARIAN: Normal people giving him money.
JANE: And getting money from Goldman, Bank