The Real America

HERE"S A LIST of The 10 Most Powerful Female Book Characters. I really don't know why they left off Ma Joad; bitch kept a full family fed with piano wire and skillet grease while riding a tuna can across the goddam country. Oh well. A woman's work is never enough, I suppose. - XMASTIME

Today's right-wing culture tries to tell us that "we need to give more $$ to the uber-wealthy and let all the poor people hurry up and just fucking die already" is the real virtue of America, but one man thinks there's a perfect choice for our next president: Ma Joad:

President Ma Joad wouldn’t cut food stamps. She wouldn’t deny education to immigrant children. She wouldn’t trim funds for the homeless. She would remind each American that lending a hand to those at the bottom is a quality of the species, Homo sapiens.

She would fire up the country with collective energy, too. “Maybe if we was all mad in the same way,” Ma offers to Tom when he first comes home. Ma’s notion of the American spirit would hardly be inherited privilege or wealth or capitalist fervor; as she puts it: “If you’re in trouble or hurt or need — go to poor people. They’re the only ones that’ll help — the only ones.” Pulling together is the Joad way, pure American democracy.

"Sean Hannity said what? Get that little shit on the blower. Now."