Scene In Passing: Loony tunes revisited? Adios to GOP

A septuagenarian in the news trade, one whose parents preceded him in practicing the same craft, still can be startled. Thank God, or quitting ought to beckon.

The startling stuff stemmed from a contrast presented when an area business news contact, a political throwback to a loony toons time nationally, and a less than startling stance by the new chairperson at the Federal Reserve crowded onto my radar screen. Let’s start with the area business contact.

Monday I met with Katy Gay of Reno, who grew up in Carson City. She works at the Reno Sportsman’s Warehouse outlet, but soon will manage the new Carson City Sportsman’s Warehouse set to open in the Carson Mall. This Carson High grad impressed me with her frankness, work ethic and joy at her imminent opportunity.

Gay fishes but releases the trout she catches, goes camping, and has been involved in dutch oven cooking pursuits, In other words, she loves that her work and play are two sides of the same coin. She gives an old reporter/columnist hope for the future.

Gay’s family moved to Carson City in 1993, when she was just 5, which also was the year President Bill Clinton started his first term in office. This week Hillary Clinton is being dissed by folks over comments she made back in the day. They are being dredged up by conservatives/Republicans who fear she is running for president.

In the late 1990s and 2000, Bill Clinton’s presidency was under siege due to the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which marred his second term.

My loony toons reference stems from the same terminology in writings by the late Diane Blair, Hillary’s friend, who said the former first lady, before she was U.S. Senator and Secretary of State, called Lewinsky a “narcissistic loony toons” whose tryst with the president caused angst for her and the nation.

Confession time: my parents were Republicans and I’ve been registered with the GOP much of my life. Though I’m unlikely to vote for Hillary Clinton if she seeks the presidency, this latest lunacy designed to smear her prompts me to become an Independent. Continual lack of civility is ripping the fabric of public dialogue. Neither party deserves support these days, nor do candidates who get so down and dirty.

Finally, new Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen in congressional testimony Tuesday said, basically, it’s steady as she goes regarding incremental slowing of Fed bond purchases and no startling moves to raise interest rates after that quantitative easing program ends. This, by the way, means Katy Gay likely is right to be ebullient about her new opportunity.

So what’s startling? Not women taking over. As a male, however, I am startled to find that I’m sure women will do better than the old boy’s network ever did. Could they do worse?

John Barrette covers Carson City government and business. He can be reached at jbarrette@nevadaappeal.com.