Ben Affleck, Changing the World, One 5-Year Old Democrat at a Time

Kathy is out of town on a business trip at the moment, which means:

• I'm doing all sorts of crazy projects around the house and moving things, determined, as always, to reenact an episode of "While You Were Out"
• I'm experiencing constant lower back pain because of the above activities and yet I'm also forgetting to take pain reliever (because my entourage is not here)
• I am getting so caught up on paperwork that I have mentally filed anything that is going to come into the house for the next two weeks
• Our recycle bin is full to bursting and we're not even near pickup day
• I have no idea what is happening in the world of politics because it's just not the same watching Rachel Maddow without Kathy...and so I don't

The last one is interesting because for quite a long time, I never knew what was happening in politics no matter where Kathy was. Sure, I had the many years of waking up to KCBS radio and hearing their version of the news. And then there were the years of listening to NPR for long commutes and finding out so much more about the world than I was led to believe there was to know.

But after a while, it became too depressing. My dreams were filled with gun-fighting in trenches and failed peace negotiations, with planes crashing into the ocean and me never able to save everyone I was supposed to save. So I took a break for eight years, listened to more music, and retreated into my core 5-year old self-the one who believes that everything really should be about being nice and respectful of others. The one who responded to the latest statements of the Bush administration with, "But...but...that's not very nice at all! Why would they be so mean? I don't understand!"

Oh, don't get me wrong; I did not avoid my civic duty. I voted. I smacked the little "I voted" sticker they gave me on my shirt every voting day, proudly announcing my commitment to my community. (Actually, though, I was really hoping it would get me a free slice of pie somewhere. Which it no longer does, because now that's considered "buying votes." Not "The American Way" like it used to be. Which is so silly - who is going to vote if there is no chance at free pie? But I digress.) I gave more money than I had to give to the No on Prop 8 campaign. I watched the debates-or part of them. I cared. I just couldn't tell you who was arguing what on Capitol Hill or what was going on in Gaza or who was considered the hero of the day.

And then along came Rachel Maddow. No, that's not right, first it was Keith Olbermann. No, wait, I better be truthful: my interest in politics is all the fault of Ben Affleck. Yeah, him!

Let me explain. While I hadn't been a fan of Saturday Night Live for many years, I was watching it last fall just so I could see Tina Fey appear as Sarah Palin. Hey, that was worth a slot on my DVR. One night, just before Election Day, Ben Affleck guest hosted. Now, while I admit I thought Ben was the best part of Shakespeare in Love, in general he makes the kind of movies I don't want to watch. That I really don't want to watch. But, watching that episode of SNL, I realized he's pretty smart (as well as funny) and so I kept watching.

Then he did something that would change my world: he did a long parody of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Embarrassingly enough, I'd never heard of Countdown and I didn't know who Keith Olbermann was. But that sketch was hysterical. I could tell that whoever he was impersonating, that had to be a spot-on portrayal, because it was just so nuanced. And as I dissolved into laughter, I wondered, what kind of spastic freak is this Keith Olbermann guy - does he really do a World's Worst Person of the Day? That can't be right!

A week or so later, I stumbled upon Keith's show on MSNBC and, wow, I had no idea that news commentary could be like that. He managed to be as spastic as Ben portrayed and yet not at all insane. He engaged me. He cracked me up. And then, at the top of the hour, he handed over to Rachel Maddow.

Rachel. Maddow.

Smart. Funny. Dorky. And, in my opinion, someone with the secret heart of a five-year old, who also seems to think that everyone should just plain play nice. And says so. Only, she says so in much more educated fashion than I could manage (given that my brain stops at "that's mean!"), perhaps showing how she got to be a Rhodes Scholar. Maybe most endearingly, she has confessed to highlighting some stories just so she can say the cool or weird words involved. What's not to love? Hit the series record button on the DVR already!

I just didn't know how this would change my life until, a few weeks back, Kathy made a remark and I casually responded with, "I'm pretty sure the labor secretary hasn't been confirmed yet." I instantly clamped one hand over my mouth and looked at her in horror. Did I really just say that? That was on the level of realizing I can identify baseball players from the SF Giants - a shocking turn of events! What's next, arguing our position in the Middle East without wanting to break into tears of helplessness? Should I back away now?

But, after months of watching, I'll admit it only takes a couple of days to start missing Rachel. That someone could make me feel simultaneously educated about current political machinations, horrified at world events, and hopeful about our future is a pretty clever feat. That a fellow liberal would introduce me to Republicans who don't suck (Megan McCain) is astonishing. Cool even.

So, thanks, Ben.

And Kathy? Hurry back. I'm starting to forget the name of the Minority Speaker of the House.

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