So I'm checking the mail on my other email account and I start reading this message from Chris Bowers asking me to donate to Elizabeth Warren's Senate campaign. I don't know what came over me, but for the first time since I was eligible to vote I gave money to a political campaign.
I don't even live in Massachusetts. Look at my user name up there. FresnoBill314. I joined Daily Kos and was in a completely unimaginative mood that day, so I used my city, my name, and my I.Q. (I wish :-)) Anyway, I live in a very red city in a very blue state, and I spend way too much time talking to myself about all sorts of shit and cranky that I'm stuck in CA-19 with that asshole Denham representing me (he's a Big Oil stooge). I digress. Chris must have gotten me at a moment where I had a few bucks in my pocket and he was asking me to help a lady I like very much. I don't know why, but Elizabeth Warren reminds me of a favorite aunt who passed when I was a college student for the first time. I've seen her on the television and I always feel calmer after seeing her or hearing her speak or whatever, and I don't have a crush on her because I'm an old gay man who is always tired and my feet hurt but what the hell she broke my cherry and I made a donation to her Senate campaign. Whew, I need a cigarette. I just gave money to an old-fashioned died-in-the-wool liberal Democrat. And it's about damn time.
Allow me to explain. The first election I was eligible to vote in was 1972. I managed to get the shit beat out of me in Miami during the Republican Convention, and a few months later voted for Gus Hall and Angela Davis in the Auburndale section of Flushing, NY on a cold November night. McGovern lost my vote when he dumped Eagleton and went through the entire list of Democrat eligibles until he pulled Shriver out of his ass. I did not donate to McGovern.
In '76, which was the last great year to be living in New York City with the Bicentennial and the Democratic Convention going on, the mayor of Buffalo, NY (I shit you not) told me that Humphrey had cancer and wasn't running and you should really take a look at this Jimmy guy from Georgia. Yadda yadda yadda. I did not donate to Carter.
You'll excuse me, but I must jump over to 1988. Those were dark times for me, 1980 to 1988. I was weak. I drank the kool aid. I fucking went and voted twice for that horrible old man. Even now today, before I go to sleep, I get on my knees and beg God to forgive me for voting for Reagan twice. I did not donate to his campaign.
I did penance in 1988. I joined the Rainbow Coalition and the Democratic Party and worked on Jesse Jackson's campaign in Honolulu. I knocked on doors. I handed out pamphlets. I attended meetings. I held signs. I held my nose and voted for Dukakis.
He got my vote, but no money.
I was pretty much numb in '92, but still supported Clinton and he won, but again no cash. I don't even want to talk about the rest. I voted D all the way blah blah blah. Whatever Senate races there were, like Franken's, I followed as much as my stamina would allow, but felt no need to donate.
I'm telling you right now, I'm not a big fan of Diane Feinstein. If she runs next year, I'll vote for her but my heart won't be in it. She won't get my money.
So here I am, a little lighter in the wallet and feeling pretty good about it. I live on a fixed income. Every month my food bill gets smaller because I've been bargain hunting for necessities since the "too big to fail" banks gave us all a good fucking with no reach around and I'd rather eat less and keep my lights on. I'm not complaining. I'm still in fairly good shape. I have an apartment and (so far) a steady income to pay the rent. I can still ride the bus to get to the places I need to be. I can still see my doctor and fill my prescriptions. I can still afford to feed my pain-in-the-ass cat and get him the better litter for his shitbox. I can still budget my finances (as miniscule as they are) and still have a couple of bucks left in my checking account at the end of the month. So, when I read Chris Bower's email about how the banks are panicking about Elizabeth Warren and could I send $6 to help out, I said, "What the hell, I'll send more," and I did.
Elizabeth Warren broke my cherry. Somebody tell Chris Bowers that he's not getting a tip!
