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.1586482985-Jordan:Layout 1 8/25/08 10:09 AM Page 200200VERNON E.JORDAN, JR.presidency be rotated annually between Democrats and Re-publicans.The central purpose of the Alfalfa Club is not justto enable some members of the high and mighty to rub el-bows with other members of the high and mighty.It is also touse humor to ease the extraordinary tensions of the politicspracticed in a place that is not only the capital of the UnitedStates but still the most important political capital in theworld.The pressures of the political arena there are enormous,and often wrenching, on a daily basis.Elected and appointedofficials must juggle the interests of multiple constituenciesthat often stand in sharp opposition to one another, navigatethe increasing complexity of fund-raising and lobbying, andjoust with each other over proposed legislation and rulesthat are scrutinized by the media.The advent of instanta-neous mass communications and the twenty-four-hournews cycle has served to increase that pressure to a constantfever pitch.The Alfalfa dinners, however, offer a reminder that indi-viduals can be members of opposing political forces on thisor that issue and yet still be part of a broader community.The mechanism for that is humor—sharp sometimes, but al-ways fundamentally good-natured.And precisely because thecompetition out in the public arena can be so fierce, the hu-mor at Alfalfa Club dinners has to be not just good but top-notch.The audiences are so powerful and the stakes forembarrassment so high that if you are to be one of the speak- [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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