You may not remember much of the U.S. Representative's 12-term tenure representing Louisville in the U.S. House--I sure don't--but just about ALL OF US remember his being the less-celebrated half of the landmark Simpson-Mazzoli immigration-amnesty bill.

Sadly dying yesterday at 89, longtime Democrat former Congressman Mazzoli failed to reach his 90s by but A SINGLE DAY.

As it happens, one night while out at dinner in late 1986 in Los Angeles, I even found occasion to employ the late Mazzoli's--as well as the surviving Senator Alan Simpson's*--surname as part of a conversational gag, one by which my decidedly liberal galpal in those days was HIGHLY embarrassed):

After a wonderful 2:30 am weeknight meal in 1983 at the only upscale Mexican restaurant in L.A.'s Venice district*** which served until 3am, our table was expertly bussed by one of their very-late-toiling, ever-polite employees, after which this 20something busboy-of-color graciously thanked us for dining there that night.

To which I replied, "Don't thank US--thank Simpson and Mazzoli !"

Perhaps needless to add, the young Spanish-speaking fellow didn't get the joke, but I sure got the treatment on the drive home; we remained a loving couple...but it IS a wonder our relationship survived my imprudent, pointed joke.

BRYAN STYBLE/Florida
____________________________________________
* Whom by utter happenstance I would recognize sitting on an aisle and meet just a couple months later, whilst prowling the stands about halfway up in the northwestern sector of The Rose Bowl during the second half of the Giants' rout of the Broncos in Super Bowl XXI in January 1987. As the game was still within Denver's reach at that point, I didn't have long to chat with Simpson, who of course was focussed on the game, not meeting fans, football OR political. But I did have time to tell the Wyoming pol that, having seen numerous interviews of him on This Week with David Brinkley and other programs, I considered him the wittiest sitting member of Congress I'd ever listened to. (And I SERIOUSLY regret not thinking to add that the folksy, funny Senator would be a welcome addition onstage any Tuesday night at The Laugh Factory** over in Hollywood, as I was privileged to serve as the open-mike night MC there in those glorious days.)
** My [self-penned] onstage catch-phrase there: "Where Sunset Blvd. COLLIDES with West Hollywood !"
*** That cozy eatery on the southwest corner of Rose Avenue & Lincoln Blvd., whose cuisine was so terrific that I hope it is still in operation decades hence.
====================================https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romano_Mazzoli

DISC-JOCKEY ERROR:

Sorry, but that late-night dinner was in 1986, NOT back in 1983 [a year during which my infelicitous political joke would not have made a whit of sense).

STYBLE/Florida

radioacti...@gmail.com <radioactiveseattle@gmail.com> wrote:
> You may not remember much of the U.S. Representative's 12-term tenure representing Louisville in the U.S. House--I sure don't--but just about ALL OF US remember his being the less-celebrated half of the landmark Simpson-Mazzoli immigration-amnesty bill.
>
> Sadly dying yesterday at 89, longtime Democrat former Congressman Mazzoli
> failed to reach his 90s by but A SINGLE DAY.

I barely managed to download a copy of Wikipedia's deleted article
"List of the oldest living members of the United States House of
Representatives" before it was gone,and have been noting the deaths
of those on its list since then.

> As it happens, one night while out at dinner in late 1986 in Los Angeles, I even found occasion to employ the late Mazzoli's--as well as the surviving Senator Alan Simpson's*--surname as part of a conversational gag, one by which my decidedly liberal galpal in those days was HIGHLY embarrassed):
>
> After a wonderful 2:30 am weeknight meal in 1983 at the only upscale Mexican restaurant in L.A.'s Venice district*** which served until 3am, our table was expertly bussed by one of their very-late-toiling, ever-polite employees, after which this 20something busboy-of-color graciously thanked us for dining there that night.
>
> To which I replied, "Don't thank US--thank Simpson and Mazzoli !"
>
> Perhaps needless to add, the young Spanish-speaking fellow didn't get the
> joke, but I sure got the treatment on the drive home; we remained a loving
> couple...but it IS a wonder our relationship survived my imprudent, pointed
> joke.
>
> BRYAN STYBLE/Florida
> ____________________________________________
> * Whom by utter happenstance I would recognize sitting on an aisle and meet
> just a couple months later, whilst prowling the stands about halfway up in the
> northwestern sector of The Rose Bowl during the second half of the Giants'
> rout of the Broncos in Super Bowl XXI in January 1987. As the game was still
> within Denver's reach at that point, I didn't have long to chat with Simpson,
> who of course was focussed on the game, not meeting fans, football OR
> political. But I did have time to tell the Wyoming pol that, having seen
> numerous interviews of him on This Week with David Brinkley and other
> programs, I considered him the wittiest sitting member of Congress I'd ever
> listened to. (And I SERIOUSLY regret not thinking to add that the folksy,
> funny Senator would be a welcome addition onstage any Tuesday night at The
> Laugh Factory** over in Hollywood, as I was privileged to serve as the
> open-mike night MC there in those glorious days.)

I have wondered if SNL should recruit Jenna Ellis,since she's a kinda
cute blonde with a knack for saying the most outrageous things with a
straight face,and probably won't be allowed to keep lawyering for much
longer.

> ** My [self-penned] onstage catch-phrase there: "Where Sunset Blvd. COLLIDES with West Hollywood !"
> *** That cozy eatery on the southwest corner of Rose Avenue & Lincoln Blvd.,
> whose cuisine was so terrific that I hope it is still in operation decades
> hence.

Googlemapping...this would be "Casablanca"?
https://casablancarestaurant.net

> =====================================
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romano_Mazzoli

-=-=-
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at least as tall as before...or terror has triumphed.