Count on politicians, flight attendants to provide laughs

It happens every summer right about this time.

Stories circulate in the press during the annual August break in Congress that, at least for me, act as a pressure-release valve from the dogfight of politics and the Kafkaesque state of the economy. They are tales so absurd they capture the public's attention and keep us from going over the wall or out the window. The best part is, they're actually true.

I'm not talking about the race for U.S. Senate in Nevada, where lately the battle between Majority Leader Harry Reid and Republican challenger Sharron Angle has raised this question: Who loves Social Security more?

Reid should be the hands-down winner. But this past week he once again reminded us how capable he is of helping his critics change the subject. He actually uttered the words, "Hispanics would be fools to be Republicans."

Ay carumba.

Open boca, insert el pie.

Fortunately for Reid, his opponent can make him seem as suave as Ricardo Montalban. On the issue of Social Security reform, Angle is trying to salvage her campaign by rewriting her vocabulary in a manner that would have made Orwell blush. In recent months, Angle has morphed from calling for "phasing out" and "eliminating" Social Security to "privatizing" it and now "personalizing" it. At this point I half expect her to finally admit, "I love the elderly. They taste like chicken."

On it goes.

Reid and Angle can take comfort in the fact that at least Nevadans are watching them. Voters continue to consistently ignore the race for governor between front-running Republican Brian Sandoval and Democrat Rory Reid. As Reid-the-younger's rhetoric gets louder, Sandoval hits the mute button, works friendly rooms, and enjoys a 16-point lead, according to the latest Review-Journal/8NewsNow survey.

Perhaps the gubernatorial hopefuls' only solace is they aren't involved in the Congressional District 3 race between Democratic incumbent Dina Titus and Republican challenger Joe Heck. The race is close statistically -- 43 percent for Titus and 42 percent for Heck -- but thus far it has produced little light and less heat. If Titus-Heck were a television show, it would be canceled.

Just when the swelter of the season gets too great and you're about to suffer from a case of political heatstroke, some fed-up flight attendant takes a wrench to the fire hydrant and cools us down.

You've doubtless heard about former JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater, who recently encountered one obnoxious passenger too many. After being cursed out, Slater wigged, returning an epithet over the P.A. system. He then grabbed two cans of beer and exited by sliding down the emergency chute.

Moments after Slater hit the tarmac, he became a national news story. After he was arrested, his story had begun to entertain the mass of recession-strapped Americans who won't be flying friendly skies any time soon. Before he posted bail, Slater the Slider was providing grist for humor writers.

Hand-wringers in the press fretted the incident illustrated our collective loss of civility and madness in general. Others attempted to make the oddball flight attendant into a folk hero. But Slater's act wasn't a sign of the Apocalypse. Neither was he some Woody Guthrie with a tray of watered-down drinks.

The incident reminds many that commercial flights weren't always colonoscopies at 20,000 feet. Slater was a clown, but at least he made us laugh.

The comic relief was only temporary, of course. For most, life is more a street-corner mugging than a stroll down a country lane.

But in his way, Steven Slater did something many working stiffs have dreamed of doing.

After a hard day's work, who can't relate to an easy exit and a couple of beers?

John L. Smith's column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. E-mail him at Smith@reviewjournal.com or call (702) 383-0295. He also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/smith.