At the risk of being labeled pathetic and irrelevant, I admit that for most of my life, I have been politically ambivalent. I slept through social studies. What I knew about history came from the movies.
I have lived through some amazing albeit traumatic times. I was 11 when JFK was elected. My parents were both Republican, so there wasn’t much talk about it in my house. I have vague memories of the Adolf Eichmann trials, which dominated the media (probably preempted my favorite TV show). I remember the Bay of Pigs, because we were preparing to be bombed to oblivion (remember duck & cover? Yeah, that’s going to protect me.). And I remember vividly when Kennedy was shot... although at the time, I didn’t comprehend the true breadth of the tragedy.
Once, my dad took me to lunch at Old Ebbitts Grill. U Thant (who?) was sitting at the next table. I passed Richard Nixon in an elevator of the US Capitol. Such were my brushes with "greatness".
Just out of high school, I was working in a predominantly black neighborhood, when Martin Luther King Jr. was killed. They sent us all home. Later, we saw the shambles that used to be 14th Street. Still, I didn’t get it.
At the time, I didn’t know anyone who went to Viet Nam. My biggest concern was that my boyfriend get a high lottery number (he did). The university I attended was a party school. There was a clear delineation between the sorority girls, who ran drunkenly up and down the dorm halls, and the freaks, who holed up in their rooms with towels stuffed under their doors. The SDS had a short-lived uneventful presence on our campus. There were no marches. It was my first time away from the totalitarian regime that was my parents’ home. I had other priorities.
Men landed on the moon. As I walked past the common room, it was on TV. I didn’t get it then either.
I did attend one march on Washington... more out of curiosity than for the politics. I heard Joan Baez’s voice, although I was too far away to see her. There were shouts "Free Bobby Seale". People swam naked in the Reflecting Pool. It was the first time I ever saw anyone naked. That made an impression. People were dying on the other side of the world. My future husband was on a riverboat, living experiences that haunt him to this day. I had no clue.
Watergate happened around the same time my first marriage was crumbling... Again, other priorities...
Flash forward a few years. It seems I had an "in" during the Reagan years (not that I wanted one). I attended the White House employees Christmas party with my boyfriend. Ronnie & Nancy were there. I was suitably impressed. After all, he was the President.
Somewhere along the way, I decided I was a Democrat. Why? I’m guessing that by process of osmosis, events (Watergate, Iran Contra, trickle-down economics, read my lips, etc.) informed me. My first vote in a presidential election was cast for the beleaguered Michael Dukakis. I got a lot of shit for that from my mostly Republican co-workers.
In 1998, I moved to Canada with my new husband. From that remote location, I awoke from my political slumbers. I watched in agony as GWB stole the 2000 election. My absentee vote for Al Gore seemed like too little too late. Never mind that I convinced my VN vet husband to switch party allegiance and vote with me. Then there was 2004. Another travesty. As my best political buddy says... it was the lowest common denominator in the American electorate in action. Cold comfort. I don’t need to elaborate the horrors of this administration. You all know. And finally, I know. Finally, I get it. I’ve watched it all, helplessly, 600 miles from my hometown...
I voted for Al Gore, although I confess now that I can’t remember exactly why. Democrats in lock-step, I suppose. I know why I admire and respect him now. Can I claim retroactively that these were the reasons? ;) On the other hand, I do remember well why I voted for John Kerry. I thought he was smart and principled, if a bit too verbose for the general voting public. I still think he should have won in 2004...
Then again, maybe things had to get REALLY bad. Maybe these last 7 years have laid the necessary emotional framework. Because here we are, presented with this remarkable man, who is so much more than I could have ever hoped for. It scares me to think that we might come this close to getting someone smart and moral and true, only to have it snatched away right at the end. We’ve always been told, no one really good wants the job of President. And so, we must settle for the lesser evil. This concept was so ingrained that it took a while for me to realize the incredible opportunity facing us.
How can America, when given a choice between four more years of Bush policies, a ruthlessly ambitious woman (who might make an adequate President), and a true visionary, choose anyone but the latter? It boggles my mind.
And this brings me back to the original reason I began this diary. After watching that inspiring and historic speech yesterday, I was reminded of another speech... yes, it’s from a movie. To quote Jefferson Smith:
Get up there with that lady that's up on top of this Capitol dome, that lady that stands for liberty. Take a look at this country through her eyes if you really want to see something. And you won't just see scenery; you'll see the whole parade of what Man's carved out for himself, after centuries of fighting. Fighting for something better than just jungle law, fighting so's he can stand on his own two feet, free and decent, like he was created, no matter what his race, color, or creed. That's what you'd see. There's no place out there for graft, or greed, or lies, or compromise with human liberties.Link
And finally...
You all think I'm licked! Well, I'm not licked. And I'm going to stay right here and fight for this lost cause, even if this room gets filled with lies like these; and the Taylors and all their armies come marching into this place. Somebody will listen to me.Link
Readers, be kind. I'm new at this...