Were we the only ones watching the State of the Union that were distracted by all the people in the House chamber wearing the color purple? For a delirious moment we thought Oprah was finally President and had organized a promo event for her adaptation of Alice Walker's book.
As the camera panned we saw a sea of people outfitted in purple. Michelle Obama in elegant plum, members of Congress primped and coiffed in lavender and mauve.
On the dais Nancy Pelosi looked so cool and elegant in her soft violet suit, with a collected Joe Biden by her side wearing a deep purple striped tie. Standing in front of them was President Obama, and we found ourselves stunned by his bright red tie. At first we wondered, didn't he get the message it was purple day?
How did they organize this color blending of red and blue to show 'unity?' Was there a memo that went out that said wear purple Wednesday night? Was there a phone chain -- you know, like junior high school -- or a status posting on the President's facebook fan page? Was there a run on department stores for purple ties and purple dresses?
Okay, not everyone got the memo. And that was distracting too. A smattering of bright yellow jackets and dresses were jarring. Those fashionista Supreme Court Justices voted to stay in basic black. The Army folks held the line in always chic navy and olive drab. What about all the dudes in blue ties... were they making a statement: "We're the far left, progressive members of the Democratic party? No compromise for us!" Not to mention, the dudes/dudettes in blood red? Were they screaming: "We Republicans will fight to the death?" And the President in his red tie? We're certain it was not a symbol of the national deficit but his willingness to cross the aisle and work with the Grand Old Party.
Once we got all the color messages straight, we were left wondering how much did everyone spend on all his or her new purple clothes? Then it dawned on us. The purple clothing memo writer was just following the sage advice we offer in our new book "it's your patriotic duty to keep the economy stimulated... it's time to be an American and get spending again."
Wearing purple was just part of the stimulus plan.
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