Thursday, December 6, 2012

Partisan Review



image borrowed from bing


Partisan Review

“ I urge the enactment of a civil service law so explicit,
so strong, that no partisan official will dare evade it--
basing all rewards, promotions, & salaries solely on merit,
on loyalty & industry in the public service.”--Arthur Capper

Abe Lincoln was Republican.
Washington was Independent.
John Adams was Federalist.
Jefferson: Democrat-Repub.

A Jackson, the first Democrat.
Abe Lincoln was Republican.
T Roosevelt, Republican.
W Wilson was Democrat.

FDR, yes, a Democrat.
J F Kennedy, Democrat.
Abe Lincoln was Republican.
Dick Nixon was Republican.

Reagan, both Bushs, Republicans.
Bill Clinton was a Democrat.
Barack Obama a Democrat.
Abe Lincoln was Republican.


Glenn Buttkus

December 2012

Posted over on dVerse Poets FFA

Would you like to hear the author read this Quatern to you?

17 comments:

Claudia said...

smiles...if all the presidents knew how they co-exist peacefully in your quatern...smiles
how was the lincoln movie glenn...? would love to see it..

Beachanny said...

Great job letting Lincoln be the anchor refrain here. A few liberties with line length (I so totally get that as you know from my last one) but you found the "spirit" in both form and context! Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Susan Daniels said...

Glenn, really liked what you did here.

Laurie Kolp said...

Interesting, Glenn... great approach to the quatern.

http://lkkolp.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/a-found-quatern-christmas-jubilee/

Brian Miller said...

ha ok so you are right up my alley...i just got out of government class....smiles...if only we could get them to play together as well as you have spun then...smiles...

Anonymous said...

very interesting what you did here - truly enjoyed what you did with the form and how you used Lincoln as your refrain.

henry clemmons said...

Lots of Lincoln movies the last couple of years. A very interesting President. All of the different political views read nicely together. Maybe the different parties in all free countries could get along as nicely.

Jeff said...

Interesting--Lincoln, issuer of the Emancipation Proclamation, Obama, first black president, members of different parties. Great quatern!

Glenn Buttkus said...

Claudia, the Spielberg LINCOLN is brilliant. Daniel Day-Lewis has triumphed yet again. Film focuses on the human drama & politics, not the battles. Def see it.

Anonymous said...

I am impressed at how you put these names (and politics and history) together.

Unknown said...

It was like a mini history lesson, but more cool and in the form of a poem. Very nice.

kelvin s.m. said...

..cool..cool one... ok i read this and for a moment i think of Wole Soyinka... the voice of your Quatern rings 1 or 2 of his poems that i read before... smiles..

Tashtoo said...

To try to trap such a brilliant mind, to be defined by such a word...an amazing man was he...I have the liberty of not having the "baggage" that comes with party definitions from your side of the fence ;) Thought this a very clever and well spun take...again...nothing new :)

franza said...

cool take, i marched with the rhyme while reading...
franza

Kathy Reed said...

Had no idea those all added up to 3 liners...fun to read with the anchor being one with so much wisdom and forethought..nice

Sabio Lantz said...



A quote by the Governor of Kansas -- wonder how that fit in. Unless you feel all these presidents fulfilled the quote -- a strange mix, if so.

Ironic that you quote Capper who wanted a law that "no partisan official will dare evade" but so many of our poets here evaded Gay's challenge --
yet done very creatively, of course.

Yvonne Osborne said...

Lincoln was a Republican who would be condemned by the current party.