90 year
oldster considers the three most critical elections of his lifetime!
This is a
rant I had planned to send several weeks ago, however I felt that it
missed the mark! After a most enjoyable two weeks away from election
news while on a cruise of the Mediterranean Sea and reading (most of)
the book, The Age of Genius: The Seventeenth
Century & The Birth of the Modern Mind,
by A.C. Grayling, I've now recalled two other elections which cause
me see the election from a different perspective – one VERY
pertinent for the current election. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ THE
FOLLOWING BRIEF CHANGE IN MY PERSPECTIVE. And, of course, if you
find it interesting and would like more of my thoughts – KEEP going
and read the rest!
MONEY,
POWER AND (MOSTLY) MEN
1968
I
truly regret that in 1968 I was too involved with my family and
working in a racially divided and tense school to pay much attention
to the election. For those non-historians and/or those too young to
remember, it was the election most noted for the contentiousness and
hostility between Chicago's Mayor Richard J. Daley's police force and
the idealistic young people – and others – opposing the war in
Vietnam. Of course the stage was set earlier by the assassination of
Dr. King and frustration was already at the boiling point when
favored candidate for change Robert Kennedy was murdered in
California shortly before the convention. Neither of the other
candidates favored by those seeking dramatic change, Eugene McCarthy
or George McGovern, had a chance against the establishments preferred
candidate Hubert Humphrey.
Result:
A lack of enthusiasm in the Democratic Party to unite behind the one
candidate (other than the South's George Wallace) who had a chance
against Richard M. Nixon, the Republican "law and order"
nominee.
LESSON
TO BE LEARNED FROM 1968 – How different the world might be today
had there been a willingness to get behind the best choice available
and THEN CONTINUE TO WORK FOR THE BELIEFS AND PRINCIPLES ONE HOLDS
DEAR.
2000
Occasionally
one is tempted to become cynical about elections and ask "Does
it really matter?" From my perspective I would point to the
contest between George W. Bush and Al Gore. There's little doubt in
my mind that an administration with people more knowledgeable about
the complexity of the problems of the Middle East would have used
better judgment before again initiating war against Iraq.
How
different our world might be today.
Putting
aside all of the questions about emails and judgment in the
separation of personal and public positions or gathering money for
the benefit of (mostly) humankind, I have little doubt that my 90
years of experience shows this to be – given the choices we have –
the most critical election of my lifetime. The choice must be
Hillary over Donald!
And
if you still want further thoughts:
NINETY YEAR OLDSTER CONSIDERS THE THREE MOST CRITICAL ELECTIONS OF HIS
LIFETIME
Since
1925 when "Silent Cal" was
president, I have seen 14 men
elected since Mr. Coolidge. Without a doubt I consider the present
election to be the most critical of my lifetime. But first a brief
look at the other two.
The first
one I remember distinctly was in 1936 when first-term president
Franklin Delano Roosevelt ran against Alfred M. Landon, the governor
of Kansas. Although the pork-pie hat I wore was festooned with
sunflowers from the Sunflower State, I quickly learned that my
campaigning efforts were in vain. Landon carried but two states,
Maine and Vermont. Despite my biases, I've since realized that we
not only needed Roosevelt to see us through the depression and WWII,
but Roosevelt's “New Deal” set the tone for having the government
play a much greater role in making society better for the more of the
citizenry.
Fast-forward
to 1964 and the campaign pitting Sen. Barry Goldwater against Pres.
Lyndon Baines Johnson. What a classic struggle between conservative
principles and a liberal president. Although Johnson was fettered by
the morass of Vietnam, he both furthered civil rights and raised our
consciousness to work toward a "Great Society".
But nothing
for me has matched the vitriol and the divisiveness (but yet the
promise) of the current campaign. It could have hardly started on a
worse note with the personal attacks by fellow Republicans in a party
that I was once a member of through the election of Richard Nixon.
(Yes, I admit it, I favored Nixon over Kennedy.) And while many in
the Republican Party felt proud of having 14 “outstanding”
candidates, the debate and events surrounding the nominating process
soon became a national embarrassment. Not only did members of the
Republican Party express shock at the final selection of the party,
but most of the entire world was dismayed by the pronouncements,
divisiveness and repudiation of American values and actions of the
past by Trump's ranting as a candidate.
Meanwhile
the Democrats limited its conflict to just two major contenders. One
was a neophyte to the party, had as his major constituency many young
people who had never before been actively involved in party politics
and had the "dreaded" word to many Americans "socialist"
in his pedigree. The other candidate has had so much exposure in the
political arena, had taken a number of questionable actions of either
poor judgment or legal misfeasance that a majority of Americans seem
to have no confidence in her judgment. And, of course, the fact that
her spouse had been involved in behavior that caused him to be
impeached by Congress was held against
her.
Thus the
country seems to be faced not with selecting a preferred candidate,
but the one least disliked by a majority of the voters. How
then can one feel that this is an election with great promise? For
me it rests in a personal look at the appeal and foibles of the three
most viable candidates.
Trump –
there's hardly anything negative I can say about the man than has
already stated even more strongly than I might utter by his fellow
Republicans. To me he represents everything that can go awry in an
egalitarian democratic society from his inherited head start in life
to a lifestyle centered on himself and the use of any technique to
push his agenda – gaining notoriety and wealth. It has been seen
most clearly in the divisive campaign he has run and the staff he has
chosen to assist him. I see his candidacy as a total embarrassment to
a country I love. Looking for silver linings, however, I can cite 2
benefits from his campaign:
- He has spotlighted the travail of so many Americans who have been left behind in a country where wage inequality has grown at a furious pace, and
- he provides an opportunity for the voters to show that they cannot be duped by a Huey Long or Father Coughlin type figure, a fascist, who proclaims he has all the answers and pits one group of citizens against the another.
Sanders -
was a populist addition to the campaign who obviously struck a major
chord in youth along with their idealism. Knowing something of the
powerful organization of political parties, I felt he had little
chance as the campaign began. But I underestimated the zeal of youth
and the commitment of elders seeking a better opportunity for all
Americans. One could feel the shock of his supporters as they
reluctantly realized that party elders and lifelong volunteers
prevailed by nominating a candidate long associated with what they
perceived as the status quo. It is however exciting to think of the
possible lasting results from the involvement of the Bernies:
- That since their enthusiasm almost achieved its desired effect, it is imperative that they learn from their experience and become a continuing strong voice on the American scene, and
- that since their cries for greater equality and opportunity for all had resonance throughout the country, they can join forces with the establishment and with continuing involvement, they can convert many who too easily fell prey to a fascist type leader.
Clinton –
throughout her life she has brought to the national scene the liberal
causes espoused by her opponent. What a remarkable story of the
American dream has been hers! Coming from a conservative middle-class
Midwest home, she followed tradition throughout her youth yet by dint
of effort and intelligence, found her own voice for liberal causes
from civil rights to advocacy for children and healthcare. Along the
way she of course made mistakes from being a zealot for certain
causes to errors of judgment shared by virtually all the men
who preceded her. History is replete with honored males whose
missteps have been forgotten as they made contributions to society –
and for themselves. And what other presidential candidate has borne
the same prejudice against them because of negative publicity given
to their spouse. Just as the presidency of our first African
American president has shown the continued racism of society, a large
segment of our nation refuses to acknowledge the ability of women.
From the
the two candidates who have a chance to be elected for president,
there is but one who can continue to uphold that office with dignity
and respect. There is only one candidate whose life shows a
commitment to the causes I believe in. One candidate who works as a
team member supported by a party platform that endorses the American
values that I believe in. One candidate who feels that American
exceptionalism is built upon the values espoused in our political
documents and symbolisms of freedom and justice and a welcoming for
all who come to our shores. One candidate who continues the equal
opportunity for all as evidenced by the election of the current
incumbent Barack Obama.
It was a
thrill for me to see the election of our first African-American
president. I feel he has nobly led us through difficult times. I will
be equally thrilled to see a woman elected president in her own right
who, if given a chance, will work to unite our nation.
I have too
long been silent and basked in the accolades of being a part of the
"Greatest Generation". That "greatness" stems
primarily from our unity in facing three malignant dictatorial powers
as we were joined by an almost unified world. However I find it
impossible to accept generalized greatness for a generation that
perpetuated bigotry, did little to stem lynchings, failed to open its
doors to refugees even as they languished on ships within sight of
our shores who were persecuted by demons and we placed our own
patriotic citizens in concentration (that is what they were called)
camps because of their ethnicity. Yet the sons of many of those
patriotic parents died defending the freedom of the rest of us.
We now have
a generation who because of their zeal and support of the true
American dream can become an even greater generation by continuing to
be involved in making better FOR ALL the best governmental system
devised by humans.
