Baloney On Being Bombastic

I wonder if one or two of Rush Limbaugh’s sponsors are looking for a place to dump some money now that they’ve dumped Limbaugh?

Sam and I could use a few extra bucks. Even though this blog is basically a labor of love, we wouldn’t mind receiving a million bucks or two. I suppose those sponsors would want a larger audience than Sam and I have though - too bad. The kind if money Limbaugh gets could catapult Sam and I into the 1%. Trouble with that is we’d probably struggle to stay humble. We wouldn’t want to turn into greedy bombastic fools just to attract sponsors and jump over the 99%, but it seems like you kind of have to be like that these days to attract an audience.

Years ago I wrote a newspaper column in a weekly paper and the publisher urged me to be bombastic because he liked a good fight. Only problem was, I succeeded so well, even though we had pretty good readership, a bunch of our advertisers pulled out on us and the paper folded. Lesson learned.

I hope I am not bombastic anymore, just merely opinionated. There is a distinct difference. If I were bombastic I would be pompous, have an inflated ego and talk a lot about myself. Since I am only opinionated I may tend to hold obstinately to my opinion and be somewhat dogmatic about what I believe, but I’m not pompous about it. And I do not have an inflated ego, ask my wife, she’ll tell you.

These days I try to pattern myself after two of the most non-bombastic people I’ve ever known, one named Lloyd and one named Paul. I knew Lloyd in California. He owned a donut shop where I hung out when I was a Chippie. Paul was my real estate broker here in Washington State. Both men, though very confident and outgoing, were definitely not bombastic. They both displayed way more interest in encouraging other people rather than in tearing them down. They loved their families and their communities. They were both very competitive, especially in sports, and did very well, but they never chortled about their victories or accomplishments.

Being in the limelight seems to make people bombastic. If you don’t believe me just look at how bombastic some of the GOP presidential candidates have become. The worst of them might be Rick Santorum (especially now that Rick Perry has gone). Newt Gingrich is hard on Santorum’s heels. Romney seems to hide his bombasity pretty well. He tries to act humble anyway, especially when he turns up at a rally in blue jeans and tieless shirt - just one of the little people, you know? Ron Paul seems the least bombastic of the GOP lot. But who knows?

Is President Obama bombastic? Um -m-m. No, not really. He does display a Harvard cockiness that is not especially endearing. If he just wouldn’t jaunt up to the podium when he speaks, like he’s showing us how optimistic and in command he is. I for one wouldn’t mind seeing him slump up to the podium occasionally, obviously in a bit of a funk because his mind is troubled. I mean, the reality of life is that we all become discouraged sometimes. I wish our political leaders didn’t have to be so bombastic as to pretend they don’t.

Sam and I say two bags of poop on bombast.