Okay, I’m playing with some new ideas (as you can probably tell). Would love a little help.
What are your memories (maybe hopes, but I’m most interested today in memories) of past Democratic politicians, programs, ideas, events, and so on? I’d love to hear about any level: federal, state, local, personal. And, for that matter, I’d love to hear about backlashes against Democrats, too.
Once again, please do make a note if you don’t want this used in a public writing in the future.
I’ll be in and out of this discussion, not just today, but over the next year…. :)
Inauguration Day - January of 2009. I was lucky enough to be an invited guest to the Nation's Capitol and the inauguration of Barack Obama. That in itself is a good reason to be called a memorable experience. However, what will always be indelibly etched in my mind is the bringing together of hundreds of thousands who trudged through packed DC Metro cars, all jammed with people who never met each other before, and having to get off the Metro system because of an unfortunate fatality, and all of us having to walk and run through streets that most of us never had been through before. All of us jammed into crowded streets, heading to the mall for the ceremony that was installing the first Black American as our President. We were all warmly dressed against the chill of the winter morning. Some in nice garb with furs and beautiful cloth, and others in not so fashionable attire. Black people, White people, Brown people, and all shades of skin in between. All People, talking with each other, and where we came from, and all with the same reason of being there. We had happy faces, and some with tears in the eyes, and all experiencing the same feeling as One Nation on this Day, and wanting to reach out to our new neighbors in the sharing of this day. I will never forget this experience, and I have been through all the experiences one can absorb in 79 years of a lifetime.
I remember talking with Stacey Abrams at a meet-and-greet in 2006 when she running for political office for the first time and going home and emailing my friends and neighbors to tell them to vote for her because one day she would be president of the United States.
The first one that comes to mind is Elizabeth Warren reading every single word of the Mueller Report, and then immediately coming out for impeachment. The combination of moral clarity, courage, and taking her job (and the needs of the country) seriously. Among other things, that clinched my support of her as a presidential candidate, when initially I'd thought her MVP position was in the Senate.
Well, I'm 74 years old today, so I have a LOT of memories, but, aside from hearing Joseph McCarthy's name on the TV when I was really young, most of the political discussions I heard before age 13 hit my ears pretty much like the adult voices in 'Peanuts' videos ... "mrahw-mrahw-mrahw-mrahw ...".
We got our first television set in 1952, just before I turned 6 years old, but about all we got at that time were test patterns and wrestling matches with 'Gorgeous George'. There may have been news programs, but I never paid much attention until 'The Mickey Mouse Club' debuted in 1955. By 1956, when I was 10, I would sometimes hide behind my bedroom door after I was supposed to be asleep, and look through the crack and watch while Mama and Daddy watched programs in the den, which was next to my bedroom. An image that's seared into my mind to this day was a program showing the effects of an atomic bomb blast, as the wave of energy slammed buildings into rubble and then ignited fires. There was an animation of two deer in a forest, watching as cataclysm approached, and that was branded on my soul.
In 1957, when I was in 6th grade, the integration of Central High School in Little Rock was brought home to me because a high school student from there was sent to live here, and stayed with my friend Nancy’s grandmother. I thought that was pretty weird, and from then on, I was much more attuned to the issue of integration, from James Meredith at Ol’ Miss in ‘62 to George Wallace’s shenanigans in Tuscaloosa in ’63. What a year THAT was! In a town this size, I was supposed to keep my mouth shut and my thoughts to myself, while Mama and Daddy funded an “Americanism” prize for the high school student who could deliver the most stirring pro-America speech. Hang down your head, Dr. Tom Dooley, and "Deliver Us From Evil".
I turned 14 while at camp in the Texas Hill Country the summer of '60, and some of the girls were buzzing about how Lucy Johnson's daddy was going to be JFK's vice-president, and how she was going to be unbearable! Typical t'ween-age girl talk, I thought, but it was another reason to pay attention. Lucy usually went to Camp Mystic 2nd term, while I went 1st term, so we never ran into one another, but other girls either went both terms or switched from year to year. At any rate, after I found out my parents were supporting Nixon, (of all people!), my inborn "maverick" tendencies were accelerated, and from then on, I was a full-fledged Democrat, if only at first for the rebellion factor. This has been a recurring theme in my life, by the way. <sigh>
Strangely, I was barely aware of the whole Bay of Pigs Megillah until if was in the rear-view mirror. It's possible that news coverage in our area was manipulated to some extent, or it may be that boys were taking up more of my band width, attention-wise.
I was in typing class in high school when the principal announced that the president had been shot, and when I went home for lunch, I learned that he had died. Mama made me go back for afternoon classes, and I was sickened by the number of kids who were acting as though it was a party. The population of the small, north Louisiana town in which I was raised, and to which I've moved back, is over 2,000 now ... back then it was around 3,000. Solidly ultra-conservative Republican (so, doubly "red"-necked, if you'll pardon the expression), and Protestant. When I was growing up here, Catholics were deeply suspect, and racial epithets were pretty much the common tongue. I couldn't wait to leave.
By the time I got to college, in '64, change was afoot, and (still in Louisiana) there was a lot of grumbling about the programs LBJ was trying to initiate. It was the first time I was in racially mixed classes, and I felt like an explorer who couldn't wait to see what was around the next bend. And then, by '65, I lost my first friend in Vietnam, and man, did the mood ever shift. I watched as LBJ's presidency was consumed by that "dirty little war", and over the next 3 years, my own life shifted from student, to wife, to mother, to hippie.
In 1968, pregnant with my first child, I watched in horror as, first, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and then Bobby Kennedy were assassinated. All I could think was, “What kind of world am I bringing my child into?
By '69, "Everybody" (by which I mean everybody I knew in Houston at the time) understood that "Tricky Dicky" was going to be a disaster for every hope we'd ever had. I remember when, in 1970, Tricia Nixon invited fellow Finch attendees to a tea at the White House, and Grace Slick got an invitation. She showed up with Abbie Hoffman, who was, unsurprisingly, turned away. So Grace left, too, before she had a chance to carry out her plan to slip LSD into Nixon's tea. Ah, the times, the times!
I was pissed when Ford pardoned Nixon, and pleased when Carter got elected in ‘76, but my lord, the MESS he inherited. That era, Nixon/Ford/Carter was so fractious. Carter was a smart, decent man who just never got his footing in the earthquake zone of American politics at that time, and that set the stage for the staged sunniness of Ronald Reagan. By then, I was becoming so disillusioned, and my life was undergoing a further series of metamorphoses. When George H.W. Bush barfed into the lap of Prime Minister Miyazawa, it almost perfectly mirrored my opinion of Republicans in general and the entire “know-nothing” Bush family, in particular.
My enthusiasm was at pretty low ebb until Al Gore ran. I volunteered in Victoria, TX, and was elated until … Freaking FLORIDA! If I was an enthusiastic Democrat before that, I became a rabidly enthusiastic Democrat afterwards.
One of the truly great disappointments of my life has been the realization that so many of our fellow citizens are intentionally ignorant. A few (possibly 12 to 14) years back, my central a/c unit (now deceased) was being serviced, and the young helper was parroting something he’d heard on Fox. I told him, “Do you know that’s not true? Fox isn’t “news”, it’s OPINION!” He said, “Yes, but it’s what I like to hear.” At least the guy was honest about that.
The absolute disdain that so many here in the U.S. have for facts that don’t support their personal world view makes my head feel like exploding, and damned if I can figure out how to begin to change that.
I figure the period from Gore to the present will be heavily represented by a lot of folks who can elucidate that period more adequately than I, so I’ll leave it to them.
When people ask me why, after living in St. Louis, Houston (twice), New Orleans, the San Antonio region, and Victoria, TX, I moved back to this tiny, über-conservative town, I've been known to reply that I moved back here to screw with the demographics. ;)
I remember breakfast and lunch. Specifically reduced-price breakfast and lunch at my public elementary school in the mid- to late-1970's, where I was one of maybe 10% of the students in my school who qualified. And I remember it being no big deal among my peers, or the teachers, or the school staff, or our neighbors. There was no shaming that my family and I needed help and accepted it. Was that small part of the social safety net a component of the partisan divide in the 1970's? A political historian will have to comment on that. But the steady erosion of funding for school lunches since then is very certainly partisan.
My immediate response, which would not vary after reflection, is the inaugural address of President John F Kennedy. I was 18 years old. His campaign and the words of his inaugural inspired me and a great many of my generation. After college and law school I devoted the next eleven years of my career to working full time in public interest law. I have remained a dedicated Democrat and worker for a more just society. I am 77 years old. I attribute much of my motivation throughout my life to the example of President Kennedy.
I was a pediatrician, and can still remember when Reagan won by a landslide in 1980; I was in a mother's room examining her newborn, and her TV was on. I just could not believe that he had won against Jimmy Carter, who was decent and ethical and competent. To me, Reagan's victory marked the beginning of our long, sad slide into the massive accumulation of disproportionate wealth and power by a very few, further militarism, and disparagement of Blacks as worthless for political gain, and the sacrificing of essential long-term national and global goals just for that personal accumulation of wealth and power. I feel a heaviness in my heart, often and now, thinking about it.
Oh this is the best memory! I was teaching at Colorado College in the Feminist and Gender Studies program during the 2008 Presidential Election. CC students were on FIRE! They were canvassing, calling, writing, etc. And, you must know, that Colorado Springs is not the most liberal city in Colorado. It is ringed by five military installations including the Air Force Academy. It is a tax haven/home for numerous evangelical Christian organizations, including Focus on the Family and The World Prayer Center. And these students were out there knocking on doors, making phone calls. The energy for Obama was electric. And when it was announced he was coming to Pueblo for a rally - we were determined to get there. Me and another professor rented a van (maybe 2 I can't remember) and we all packed in for the drive south - only about 45 minutes. When we arrived it was like a party. Stilt walkers and tumblers with painted faces entertaining the crowd that snaked around the outdoor rodeo complex (talk about paradox!). And all of us were laughing and smiling in anticipation - strangers sharing the excitement and happiness. We all knew we were witnessing and participating in something historical. And when he came on stage - his crisp white dress shirt rolled up to the elbows and bright red tie - we went crazy! I felt like a Beatles groupie. He inspired us all to do better, to want more, to have hope. Months later - we gathered in the little house that served as our campus offices and classrooms, watching the numbers come through, knowing that he won. Our students, our children, our partners - we witnessed history and the beginning of what we hoped would be a new America. Everything seemed possible - we believed we could participate in creating a country that would be more equal, more empathetic, more ethical, just MORE. Days have been really dark since Nov 2016 - and I still hold on to that night.
I came of political age in the 1970s on Long Island. It was, and is still, chock-a-block with Republicans, which always appalled me. The self-congratulatory attitude, the easy racism, the possessive individualism and money-and comfort-worship among white working-through-middle class suburbanites always appalled me, and depressed me then as it depresses me now. I remember Nassau County Democrats as pretty complacent, but far, far better than the self-satisfied Republican politicians who were all over the place.
A few Democrats stick out in my mind:
Mario Cuomo, the last of the true New Dealers. Would that his son be so noble.
Eugene Nickerson, a Democratic Nassau County Executive. His election and re-election were rare events indeed.
Allard Lowenstein, one of the first Democrats to come out strongly against the Vietnam war, an act of conscience that cost him his seat to a Republican jingoist. That's a pretty rare event now too.
Bill Clinton. For me, his most quotable quote, directed against Newt Gingrich and his Republican beer-hall putch-ers, "They are the Reagan Republicans, we are the Eisenhower Republicans." He said this without the slightest hint of embarrassment. And, knowing full well that the Republicans would nail him to the wall at the slightest provocation, he abused the power of his office and not only betrayed the good faith of an intern, and his wife, he betrayed his party as well. Which mattered little, because he pretty much corrupted it to the core. I hold him in the same political contempt that I hold George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan. I do not care if he was a "Democrat". Scare-quotes intentional.
And finally, Elizabeth Warren. She was wonkier than Bernie Sanders, and a smidgen to his Right. But she understood better than he the fact that the tech and finance sectors are completely out of control, and has the personality to rein them in. The Sanders/Warren/"Squad" wing of the party strikes me as its best hope in four decades.
Historically, Democrats have been champions for education in our country, and our schools have played a vital role in the success of our nation. But the Democratic Party needs to bring more focus to the issues that really matter. We are no longer preparing our kids for life as an adult, and our education system is tilting an already-tilted playing field. Priorities need to be comprehensive early childhood care and education, reversing the horrid impact of the Supreme Court Rodriguez v San Antonio Unified decision (which says it's ok to shortchange schools in low-income communities, and shower resources on kids in affluent communities), and revitalize our community colleges with short-term immersive offerings. And too often the Democratic Party sends a message that you have to have a four-year degree to be a first-class citizen in America (highly offensive to many, and just not the case). And this college-ready obsession has shaped what our kids study in high schools, as we've driven out any hands-on learning opportunities, replacing them with sprints through vast swaths of 'college-ready content.' The net result is that we're not preparing kids for career, citizenship, or life -- only for high-stakes standardized tests that tell us very little about a person's competencies or ability to be a productive member of society. There's much more on this at www.teddintersmith.com for more on this. tdintersmith@gmail.com.
I remember the tiny hope that grew as the 2008 Primary season went on, that maybe Barack Obama could be president. I remember the fabulous convention where he and Joe Biden stood on stage together. The inauguration was amazing, and having Beyonce sing "At Last" at one of the balls made me cry. That was the first year I really got involved with the Democratic Party. I went to meetings and became a Poll Marshal - I was in a neighborhood I had never been to, and people were out on the streets, knocking on doors to get people to come out and vote. More families than I could count came in as 3 generations, with the oldest ones shining with pride. After the polls closed, I went home to join a watch party. We made sure that we got the news from a special Daily Show which aired live - Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert were the hosts and it was triumphant.
-The speech by the then new Senator from Illinois Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention when Al Gore received the Democratic nomination for President. I sat there with my father (bless his memory), as I predicted that we would see Senator Obama would run for President day. He did not believe that we would see a person of color in the White House in our lifetime. He was correct regarding his lifetime, however gratefully I was correct as well.
--Listening to Senator Chris Murphy speak in front of a synagogue to a group of CT citizens from a multitude of cultural, religious, and racial backgrounds. He spoke with great passion, and compassion regarding the rights of our Muslim neighbors and those from 'Muslim countries' who were being harmed by the religious divisiveness and discrimination encouraged by our new President, #45.
JFK’s assassination. I was 5, not yet in school. Burned in my memory is my mother taking me by the hand and having me kneel with her in front of the TV and pray. Kneeling and praying to the TV sounds ridiculous, but I understand her emotions on that day.
There are two from the 1960s that have had a great impression on my political views. The first was LBJ who would have been remembered as a great President if not for Vietnam. His accomplishments in civil rights, voting rights, and social welfare were extraordinary and lasting. He understood that to get things done you need a powerful vision and the ability to secure cooperation from Congress. The second was his great nemesis Bobby Kennedy who taught all of us that one's politics can and must be connected to one's values. He had come a long way from his service with McCarthy in the 1950s and as AG under JFK by 1968 and forged a very heartfelt and compassionate approach in his too-short 1968 campaign. I firmly believe we would love in a much different world today had he not been cut down in LA and had gone on to be elected.
When Jimmy Carter took office, it felt as if the obstacles were finally out of the way and we were on our way to realize the hopes of the 1960-70s. It felt a bit that way when Bill Clinton came in except that, after Reagan, it felt that we had lost ground. That a person of color was elected, and that we again had a president who could string together complete sentences made Obama's election a sense of relief and elation. With Obama, it felt as if we were poised to address race, climate change, and other key issues with an eye toward sustainability.
No one has mentioned Ann Richards yet. I think it’s hard now to understand how isolated state politics were back then (“national” news in the papers were generally limited to weather, protests, and the president’s latest policy), but even I in California heard about Governor Richards and her witty, fiery comebacks. She took no nonsense from men (and they still voted for her in a sexist state), She got things done and she was respected as a women politician that I’m not sure we’ve seen before or since.
President Carter Brokering the Camp David Peace accords between Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat. That was such an amazing breakthrough at the time.
Meeting VP Al Gore in person and watching him moderate a conference. I realized just how smart he is and that he actually does have a personality. I couldn't understand why it took him so long to stop being the wooden man in public and start letting that show through. This also plays into a backlash. I still feel like the 2000 election should have been a slam dunk. I think Gore and the DNC took way too much for granted and that much of the last 20 years stems from those mistakes.
The palpable feeling of relief when I heard in 2008 that Obama had carried Ohio. It may have been naive, but in my mind, that meant the election was over.
Jimmy Carter as an Ex-President. I still hope that history will remember him as the most effective and successful ex-president in history. I think his intelligence, integrity, compassion, and plain decency are or should be, an ongoing beacon of hope.
Any one of a number of times hearing President Obama speak. Basking in the glow of articulate intelligence after 8 years in the intellectual desert of W.
Backlash:
This is less about specific politicians and more about the DNC and the Democratic party and voters in general. Democrats are their own worst enemies. The tendency to refuse to back a candidate who is not their first choice or with whom they disagree on specific issues or details is self-defeating. Dems who claimed that there was no difference between Gore and Bush in 2000 and so they didn't vote. Dems who were so butt-hurt about the 2016 primary that they didn't vote in the general election. Numerically the only reason Democrats lose national elections (and in many places even state and local) is that they can't align behind a candidate.
When in Sept. 2013 my only son, SFC Liam Nevins, was killed by "Green on Blue" enemy fire on his Forward Operating Base in Paktia Province, Afghanistan (on the Pakistan border), both Democratic US Congressional Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham and Democratic US Senator Martin Heinrich, both of New Mexico, made extraordinary personal efforts to assist and comfort me--Congresswoman (now NM Governor) Lujan Grisham gave me her personal reserved seat on a Southwest Airlines flight from Albuquerque to the east coast so I could attend a family memorial ad grieving gathering; Senator Heinrich phoned me personally to talk at length. Both also initiated investigative action concerning the poor performance of the New Mexico National Guard and US Army in this matter--I was never given the respectful in person notification of my son's death by the Army/Guard and eventually, at the behest of our Democratic Congresswoman and Senator, the Commanding General of the NM National Guard (himself an adherent of our then-GOP NM governor) came to me in full uniform to apologize. This personal attention at a time of the greatest stress for a "gold star" parent will also stay with me. Vote Blue.
Experienced the sixties in D.C. working for Government. RFK crystallized our politics and hope. The last politician who rallied both the minority and white working class population with his message of unity! Wonder how different we might be as a nation rather than the politics of division and racial
Mine is a very old and idealistic memory. I remember as a young girl hearing Kennedy say "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." I found that a very inspirational message.
The excitement around JFK’s candidacy and then the reality of having a young president with his family in the WH. I remember so much hope for the future. I was in my HS study hall when they announced his death and it was burned into my memory as one of life’s most memorable moments. It also was a loss of hope for the future.
I also was very excited for Obama’s election and presidency and thought that we could finally get so much accomplished. I had no idea how racist this country still was. I was naive enough to believe that because Obama was half white that he would be a great person to pull us all together. I am appalled at how much was blocked by the Republicans!
I live in MT and have been so impressed by what Governor Bullock has been able to accomplish. I actually got to meet him at a friend’s house and he is such a down to earth man. I never thought I would ever be sitting down visiting with our Governor. Very fond memory!
The ACA is the most recent, critical sweeping change that the Democrats made that has been under attack since its inception. The GOP has of course stopped at nothing to destroy it, and yet it was the first, best change toward fixing our current healthcare system. I hope that the Democrats can build on the foundation that the ACA created to eventually bring the US in line with the rest of the developed world.
I've been a reporter/editor with a weekly newspaper for 40 years. I will never forget in my earliest days meeting our State Senator Richard Luft and hearing him describe how things worked in Springfield Illinois in those days. "It's I'll scratch your back, and you scratch mine," he said. I was appalled at the time. What about ideals? Beliefs? As our political parties have become more partisan and politics more divisive, it became clear that what Dick was talking about was cooperation, negotiation, and compromise. Wouldn't we all just give our eyeteeth to have that political system back again?
The first time I felt invested in a particular Democratic candidate was Mo Udall who lost the nomination to Carter in 1976. He was a strong environmentalist from Arizona and an experienced Congressman. As things turned out, it seems to me that he would have been a more effective president too.
BSRC and RFK. RFK had a true left point of view of any mainstream politician in my lifetime. His work on race and poverty would still be advant-garde today, even to Sanders supporters. The New Frontier eclipsed the vision of The Great Society. His assassination was the end of liberalism, social democracy and the rise of the centrist right in the Democratic Party.
I remember how inspirational JFK was. Even though he was a scion of a powerful family his egalitarian philosophy is sorely missed. After him LBJ and the Great society programs went a long way to fostering social justice. Truly remarkable for a Southern Democrat. It's too bad he blew it with Vietnam. I remember Tip O'Neil, the consummate politician who managed to get things done even with Ronnie Ray Gun! It's tragic that his skill died with him.
I remember Carter's presidency as uneventful, perhaps a good thing. But he is by far our best Ex-president. And then the Democrats sold out to Neoliberalism with it's acolyte Slick Willie. The Clintons have done more to destroy the soul of the party than anyone in a "Century". They did more to foster income inequality than just about any Republican. Bill started dismantling the Great Society and his work has continued apace ever since.
Three memories: The protests in Selma, Alabama for a voting rights act had gotten more and more serious and deadly. Profoundly affected by those events, President Lyndon B. Johnson scheduled an address to the joint houses of Congress on March 15, 1965. I was 13 years old and remember the televised speech to this day: "I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of democracy. I urge every member of both parties, Americans of all religions and of all colors, from every section of this country, to join me in that cause," Johnson said. He went on: “Rarely in any time does an issue lay bare the secret heart of America itself. The issue of equal rights for American Negroes is such an issue.” He closed his speech by reciting the protester's call" “And…we… shall… overcome." Repeating that one phrase was a stunning recognition, and adoption, of the protesters' demands. It was a stunning moment in American political and cultural history.
The second memory is of Presiden Johnson's phone call to Senator Richard Russell in 1965. While we did not have access to the recording of the phone call at that time, what we know now is that Russell warned Johnson that if Johnson pushed the Voting Rights Bill [or was it the Civil Rights Act?] the Democratic Party would lose the Southern vote forever. Johnson told Russell that he knew that and that he wanted it anyway. I remember this whenever I despair of political leadership in the United States - where a political leader knew the costs of doing the right thing and did it anyway.
The third memory is of turning on the 2004 Democratic Convention and seeing the keynote speech by Barack Obama, someone no one had heard of. His speech was magnetic. I called my husband to come over: "Quick, listen to this amazing speech." It was moving, heart-breaking, and unforgetable.
Because I am philosophically inclined, I have been most impressed by Mario Cuomo and Jerry Brown, two leaders who had very disciplined minds and were always inclined to think very deeply, and intelligently, about their world views and how to put them into play in the public sphere. In his first run as Governor, when he and I were young, Jerry Brown responded to a reporter's forgettable question with a statement that stays with me as I think about my place in the social contract, "1400 calories a day and a moderate climate and everything else in your life is expectation." He was given to asking hard, sometimes-unpleasant questions that too many of us Democrats shy away from. I'm thinking, for example, of the time at a UC regents meeting, he asked if it was really necessary of Berkeley to pay more than $400,000 to get a competent chancellor, why doesn't the UC faculty teach more, why not get rid of inessential research? Good questions for which he did not get meaningful responses.
In terms of ‘backlash’, the situation here in NM comes immediately to mind. We are situated between two states (AZ & TX) whose past policies with respect to COVID have turned them into present hotspots. The NM Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham (you might recall her recent write-ups in NYT and Rolling Stone), is constantly under attack by an extremely vocal minority. Such attacks have progressed from bashing and threats in social media (check out her Twitter and FB threads) to outright refusal to follow health directives (currently in opposition to her re-closing down indoor dining at restaurants) and lawsuits alleging abuse of power. It makes for an interesting study of social dynamics working to politicize a non-politically ‘motivated’ pandemic.
Two things: This is from my partner, Thomas Benson: All the democratic policies of the 1960’s led to the south becoming solidly republican. The Voting Rights Act, Civil Rights Act led to latent and covert racism that has developed within the Republican Party. I am wondering about “The Family” and how that originated primarily to fight organized labor and seems to have turned into a conservative work horse in DC. The use the “words of Jesus” rather than the Bible as a tool, which is truly troubling. But I guess that’s not democrats, is it? I can’t help my tendency to get distracted by something shiny.
SO many memories! As many others have stated: JFK (I was in 4th grade and his assassination was probably my first politically related memory), MLK and RFK assassinations, Johnson saying he would not run for a second term in March 1968, etc.
My late father was what he called a "Yellow Dog Democrat" and when I asked him what that meant, he told me he would vote for a yellow dog walking down the street before he would vote for a Republican. He was a huge influence on my political views and in 1972 I proudly cast my first ever vote for president for George McGovern. (When George W. Bush was president, he frequently wore a button that said, "He lied, they died.")
Some other observations/memories:
I've always loved watching the Democratic conventions every four years and have always been proud that the people attending are truly that melting pot we all learned about in school: many races/ethnicities, people of different religions, LGBTQ people, etc. The contrast between our conventions and the GOP, all white people, convention is astonishing.
My sister, who lives in Illinois, started telling me about Barack Obama prior to his speech at the 2004 (I think that was the year) Democratic National Convention. I was totally blown away when I heard him speak and happily voted for him twice. I was so hopeful in 2008 that our country really was progressing and moving forward and I didn't wake up every morning worrying about what awful thing he had done overnight. I didn't always agree with him but he was a person of decency and intellect who believed in science and expert advice.
I was literally sick when Donald Trump was elected. I could not believe it. Our daughter called me sobbing the night of the election and asked what kind of a world she would be raising her daughter in. I thought about it and the next day told her she would keep doing exactly what she had been doing: teaching our granddaughter to love and respect and be kind to all, that all people (no matter race, creed, religion, sexual orientation, etc.) were valued and worthy, and that love eventually would overcome hate.
I knew Trump would be bad but never in a million years did I think he would be as horrific as he has been. One positive for me out of his election is that I have become much more politically active: giving lots of money to candidates, attending candidate forums, becoming active in local progressive groups, etc. I have always voted and paid attention but I am hyper aware now of so many heinous things going on in our country.
Heather, you have been one bright spot in our otherwise dreary landscape. I read you first thing every morning and have learned so much. Thank you for your voice.
JFK’s excellence in government initiatives which accelerated growing a higher-quality Federal workforce, all-the-way through the Carter Administration.
Not a memory, but a realization……modern day Democratic Presidents do far more to make this world a better place than Republican Presidents, both during, and even after they serve as President. All past Presidents continue to serve as advisors to their parties and give speeches, etc. However, what they do with the rest of their time is very telling. A very quick check shows the following.
From Nixon on back, every President pretty much retired to their home towns following their presidency.
Ford (R) retired to Palm Springs to play golf
Carter (D) set up the Carter Presidential Center that worked on curing River Blindness throughout the world, among its many accomplishments to help the poor. He also has worked tirelessly for Habitat for Humanity, and has participated in various peace negotiations around the world.
Reagan (R) retired to his home and his ranch.
H W Bush (R) retired to his home.
Clinton (D) set up a foundation that, among other things, works to stop HIV/AIDS throughout the world
W Bush (R) retired to his ranch to paint
Obama (D) started a foundation to help young Black men in America and young leaders throughout the world, and he and Michelle are also beginning to produce films and docu-series on race and class.
I grew up in Northfield MN, and also raised my kids there. Paul Wellstone was a Carleton professor with a fiery spirit, and can-do attitude. He traveled the state in an old green bus when campaigning for his US senate seat, reaching all who would listen with his message of: We all do better when we all do better. That has been inspiration in leading my life and all that I do.
1960 election, my Mom was Chairperson of Republican Town committee & campaigning vehemently for Goldwater. My Dad WW 2 Navy veteran (Mom also WW2 exMarine Tech Sgt) he told her Election Day he voted JFK & canceled out her vote. Coming home 11/22/63 from 2nd grade to my Mom crying over his death. Btw her sister needed $ and poll checked for Democrats (=friction!). My Aunt eventually became a MA State Representative! Both women WAY ahead of their times!
In the summer of 1984 I was approached by a coalition -teachers, environmentalists, seniors-- to be a candidate in the Democratic primary for then Florida Congressional District 4 against a long time incumbent. ( Granstrom vs Chappell). I had been in TV News in part of the District so already had name recognition and my background --ex-Nun, MA in Education, Florida grown--was hard to attack. I had had no political aspirations but I answered the call. We ran a true grassroots campaign--low on money big on volunteers.
It was the time of Mondale and Ferraro. As a young woman I got caught in some of the same flak Ferrarro got-- Catholic women and abortion, attacked not on our own experience but on our husbands' presumed business aspirations. I had to remind viewers on a PBS Candidate program that it was my name on the ballot not my husband's.
I was 38 years old. My 74 yr old opponent said of himself, "If this were a beauty contest I would lose,"-- a comment meant to get a laugh but our audiences did not laugh, bless them. When I spoke they realized I had a brain and this was not simply a vanity run.
My opponent was a Boll Weevil, a Southern Conservative Democrat (more Republican than Democrat) and, being an ex-Navy guy brought big money into the defense industry in northeast Florida. I had an Army Doctor brother who was that very summer training in desert sands in computerized tanks that did not work so I was pushing for less big armament spending but better R&D defense, clean energy and term limits, etc.
As we got closer to the vote he pulled out all the stops. He threatened local media if they interviewed me. He upheld a long tradition of paying the African American community for votes and found multiple ways to diminish and demean me and our campaign. His handlers even viciously, verbally attacked my Mom who was working for my campaign. I knew personal derogatory things about him that I refused to use because it would have hurt his family. I remember with some amusement the time a young man came up to me during a nightime, lightning laced outdoor rally to say that if he were not the son of my opponent he would vote for me!
I lost the Democratic Primary but we managed to get somewhere near 39% of the vote. A Democratic operative who had been tracking us said if we had had a few more weeks we would have gotten even closer. But we accomplished one goal which was to force the incumbent to campaign in a Congressional Primary he thought he would win without having to appear or campaign in the district. And our campaign kept some issues alive that he would have ignored. For me, it was one of the best educations of my life. As a woman I felt proud to be there in 1984, a year that saw a woman, Gerardine Ferraro, on the Democratic ticket. I also was reminded, once again, thanks to my opponent, that the Democratic party is not a monolith but a spectrum.
That was 36 years ago, some things have not changed, some have. In retrospect I would have done some things differently but given the moment, the time frame and the context I am proud of what we all accomplished together. It was a Congressional Democratic Primary but a democratic exercise on the local level of what coalitions of active citizens can do together. I hope that exercise can be activated even during a pandemic.
I love driving on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut where the bridges and overpasses are all different Art Deco designs. It was built as part of the WPA and I love that in the New Deal attention was paid to supporting art and artists in our public infrastructure. That detail is sorely lacking in our infrastructure today.
At 12, JFK, Irish heritage AND CATHOLIC LIKE ME , YOUNG, smart, handsome with a beautiful wife and family and was elected President if the United States‼️
At 20, the draft of men that were my age.
At 21, spending a summer studying in France, and realizing for the first time how young America was and how many non-Americans regarded it as a “grand experiment for which the jury was still out.” America-democracy- could FAIL??!
At 22, a senior in a small college, the bombing of Hai Phong harbor. That was the day I became more politically active.
At 42, seeing Governor Bill Clinton at Portland Head Light Campaigning in August 1990 and thinking: “He doesn’t have a chance in 1992!”
At 43, meeting him in a small group before he did a “town hall” at Portland High (one of the oldest continuing public schools in America!). He Took the time to greet the small group Gathered and then walked across the large hall to introduce himself to a friend and me. I thought “Man, does he know how to work a crowd or what?! If he loses, it won’t be for lack of trying! He looked right into our eyes to talk to us. Then going upstairs to conduct The Town Hall in a relaxed, intelligent , non-defensive way...even when a heckler would not end his rant. Bill let him speak, then answered all his points.
At 32, in 1980, applying for heading up the U S Census work in Maine and learning that I was not considered for the job because I supported Teddy Kennedy instead of Jimmy Carter. ‼️
“Oh, that is how it works!”
1971-89: a Republican ACTOR was President??!!‼️
OBAMA-2008-16: FABULOUS!
November 8-10,2016. Unable to get out of bed for two days. PRESIDENT Donald Trump ??‼️😂😂😂😂
As a trained political scientist, I have been extremely concerned by the behavior and tendencies of Trump since early 2017. That year I testified before and submitted language to the Massachusetts Democrats’ platform committee regarding the “authoritarian tendencies” of the president for inclusion in the party platform that would be voted on at the state Democratic Convention in June. Unfortunately, my language was not added to the party platform, so I followed the alternative route available to me and submitted the following amendment on the floor of the Convention:
A healthy democracy is a precursor to achieving all elements of the Massachusetts Democratic Platform, yet the Executive Branch of our national government is exhibiting authoritarian tendencies. Massachusetts Democrats will resist these tendencies and support and protect our democratic institutions to prevent the erosion of our democracy.
We will:
• Stand with our immigrant, refugee, and minority communities
• Protect journalists from intimidation and resist efforts by the administration to marginalize mainstream media
• Protect judges from intimidation and resist efforts by the administration to marginalize the judiciary
• Work with the Democratic Party at the national level to resist the current administration’s efforts to erode the fundamental institutions of our democracy
The proposed amendment was met with resounding applause from the Convention attendees and ultimately added to the first page of the party platform. I originally developed this language because I know it is too easy for all of us to sit back and let awful things happen as our country slides into fascism. This is part of the model that fascists depend on as they grab a foothold.
So I wrote this language as a reminder to our politicians and activists that a slide into fascism is a real possibility (look around – it has happened already). It was meant as a reminder that we have to resist it every day with every fiber of our beings.
And that is the source of my disappointment with our Democratic leaders. Not one of our Democratic leaders has called it what it is, and Elizabeth Warren is the only one to prescribe remedies to what is in effect the take over of our political and economic systems. The Democratic leadership has been too passive, too interested in maintaining the neoliberal status quo, and unwilling to fight hard.
Barbara Jordan's address at the Democratic National Convention. Wow. I was in high school at the time. She struck every chord of hope and determination we needed. I remember thinking, "a woman could be president someday--an African American could be president." And then when Obama did his keynote address, I thought, "that's our first African American president." But back to Jordan. She is in the pantheon of great Texas women who have inspired me and continue to inspire: Ladybird Johnson, Sissy Farenthold, Barbara Jordan, Ann Richards, Molly Ivins. . . I know they're all long gone, but I have hope that more will rise.
I think I first became aware of politics at the age of 9 in the run-up to the 1972 presidential election. While Watergate would make its impression on me 2 years later, in '72 I was aware of the Democratic candidates. I don't remember if my parents were pro-Nixon or if just the events of personalities of George Wallace and George McGovern stood out to me. I distinctly remember Wallace getting shot that year and of McGovern becoming the Democratic candidate and losing terribly. My parents must have been pro-Nixon, because I have this vague impression that McGovern was not well liked in my house or by my mother's parents (this is all in Texas). At the time I wasn't aware of Wallace's notorious history as the Arkansas Governor and standing in doorways to stop black children going to school. Years later I wondered how Wallace & McGovern could have been in the same party. My family being Catholic, JFK was a (martyred?) saint for my grandparents and mother; the same for RFK later when he was killed. However, Teddy Kennedy's name was almost mentioned in whispers.
I remember voting for Lyndon Johnson because he promised to get us out of the Vietnam War. He lied. I remember realizing that they all say whatever they think will get them elected, so what's the point? I didn't vote again until 2016.
After July 15th I'll share more as I have a deadline. Meeting JFK in Lincoln Park as an 8 year old, a lot of Maine political stories. Nice stories about Joe Brennan, George Mitchell, Libby Mitchell and some tough stories about a ballot tampering case. Oh, a lunch with Bill Richardson at Middlebury. Later.
This is a little anecdotal, but here goes: in my high school there were several classmates who were very interested in politics and actually became politicians. One of them is now in jail (guess what - he was a Republican), another got involved in NY State politics as a Democrat, but left politics a few years ago and now teaches courses in ... ethics!
Southerners were universally Democrats until 1964. LBJ was a tragic character: Vietnam destroyed his presidency and his legacy which was otherwise one of historic transformation of the Party and the country
I was born in 1958 and the political events of the 60s and 70s seeped into my brain even at that young age and shaped my politics - the Kennedys, especially RFK, reading his speeches in recent months makes me mourn his loss anew and inspires me to believe we can turn this country around. Martin Luther King motivates me too in these days of BLM gathering strength, giving me hope that we can finally make real steps forward on police violence. I have been both hopeful, enthusiastic, cynical and depressed over the decades by all the presidents between JFK and trump (I cannot bring myself to capitalize his name) but the greatest moment for me was standing in the voting booth in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary with my choices being the first woman candidate and the first black candidate of a major political party. I knew the day would come for both but I had begun to believe it would not happen in my lifetime and certainly not in the same election! It was also the last primary in Texas where we had to return for the caucus after the polls closed to actually determine the selection for party candidate - I had caucused in previous presidential primaries but this one was a particularly proud moment, to stand up and be counted publicly for my choice in such a historic election.
After watching all the hate and open racism against Obama during his terms, I knew that we'd take a step backwards, I hoped against hope that Hilary really could win like the polls said but to end up with so huge a leap backwards with the election of a man who embodies nearly every fault and vice there is has been soul crushing. Both this president and the current version of the Republican party sicken me to the core, especially McConnell and his perversion of our government. The president is destroying our government as well by loading it with toadying syncophants who disdain true public service and seek only to please him and the wealthy and to benefit themselves from their time in government employment. Nowhere is this more evident and more disgusting than the desecration of the Department of Justice which no longer lives up to that title. Barr is a disgrace to his profession and should be disbarred for his work in turning the DOJ into a tool for trump, deliberately ignoring the law and even guilty pleas to please trump and help secure his reelection. Not since Hoover has federal law enforcement been perverted for personal gain at the level that Barr has done.
In the past I have considered both candidates in elections on all levels, federal, state, local, but the Republican party has so twisted itself into using any means, no matter how low or degrading, to retain power, I have reached the point where I can no longer consider voting for any Republican at any level - the Republicans running for local office will be the ones in state and federal elections in the future and my goal is to remove them from power, both federal and state - the current state of politics here in Texas is horrendous, the white, male, heterosexual, "Christian" Republicans in control of the state government work to increase divisions and racism and restrict voting to only those who will support their party, catering to the wealthy and working to kick out or kill off anyone who might oppose them.
So I hold my breath, I ignore the polls (didn't we all learn how untrustworthy polls are in 2016???) and I vote in every single election for all Democratic candidates and especially for women and people of color and I wait for November when I'll check that box for a straight Democratic party vote and pray to whatever deity may exist that our country will have found a smidgen of compassion for one another and voted out the current monstrosity in the White House.
Inauguration Day - January of 2009. I was lucky enough to be an invited guest to the Nation's Capitol and the inauguration of Barack Obama. That in itself is a good reason to be called a memorable experience. However, what will always be indelibly etched in my mind is the bringing together of hundreds of thousands who trudged through packed DC Metro cars, all jammed with people who never met each other before, and having to get off the Metro system because of an unfortunate fatality, and all of us having to walk and run through streets that most of us never had been through before. All of us jammed into crowded streets, heading to the mall for the ceremony that was installing the first Black American as our President. We were all warmly dressed against the chill of the winter morning. Some in nice garb with furs and beautiful cloth, and others in not so fashionable attire. Black people, White people, Brown people, and all shades of skin in between. All People, talking with each other, and where we came from, and all with the same reason of being there. We had happy faces, and some with tears in the eyes, and all experiencing the same feeling as One Nation on this Day, and wanting to reach out to our new neighbors in the sharing of this day. I will never forget this experience, and I have been through all the experiences one can absorb in 79 years of a lifetime.
I remember talking with Stacey Abrams at a meet-and-greet in 2006 when she running for political office for the first time and going home and emailing my friends and neighbors to tell them to vote for her because one day she would be president of the United States.
The first one that comes to mind is Elizabeth Warren reading every single word of the Mueller Report, and then immediately coming out for impeachment. The combination of moral clarity, courage, and taking her job (and the needs of the country) seriously. Among other things, that clinched my support of her as a presidential candidate, when initially I'd thought her MVP position was in the Senate.
These comments are very powerful, making me weep...but in a warm joyous way, rather than my distressful, garment-tearing grief at 45 and his admin.
Well, I'm 74 years old today, so I have a LOT of memories, but, aside from hearing Joseph McCarthy's name on the TV when I was really young, most of the political discussions I heard before age 13 hit my ears pretty much like the adult voices in 'Peanuts' videos ... "mrahw-mrahw-mrahw-mrahw ...".
We got our first television set in 1952, just before I turned 6 years old, but about all we got at that time were test patterns and wrestling matches with 'Gorgeous George'. There may have been news programs, but I never paid much attention until 'The Mickey Mouse Club' debuted in 1955. By 1956, when I was 10, I would sometimes hide behind my bedroom door after I was supposed to be asleep, and look through the crack and watch while Mama and Daddy watched programs in the den, which was next to my bedroom. An image that's seared into my mind to this day was a program showing the effects of an atomic bomb blast, as the wave of energy slammed buildings into rubble and then ignited fires. There was an animation of two deer in a forest, watching as cataclysm approached, and that was branded on my soul.
In 1957, when I was in 6th grade, the integration of Central High School in Little Rock was brought home to me because a high school student from there was sent to live here, and stayed with my friend Nancy’s grandmother. I thought that was pretty weird, and from then on, I was much more attuned to the issue of integration, from James Meredith at Ol’ Miss in ‘62 to George Wallace’s shenanigans in Tuscaloosa in ’63. What a year THAT was! In a town this size, I was supposed to keep my mouth shut and my thoughts to myself, while Mama and Daddy funded an “Americanism” prize for the high school student who could deliver the most stirring pro-America speech. Hang down your head, Dr. Tom Dooley, and "Deliver Us From Evil".
I turned 14 while at camp in the Texas Hill Country the summer of '60, and some of the girls were buzzing about how Lucy Johnson's daddy was going to be JFK's vice-president, and how she was going to be unbearable! Typical t'ween-age girl talk, I thought, but it was another reason to pay attention. Lucy usually went to Camp Mystic 2nd term, while I went 1st term, so we never ran into one another, but other girls either went both terms or switched from year to year. At any rate, after I found out my parents were supporting Nixon, (of all people!), my inborn "maverick" tendencies were accelerated, and from then on, I was a full-fledged Democrat, if only at first for the rebellion factor. This has been a recurring theme in my life, by the way. <sigh>
Strangely, I was barely aware of the whole Bay of Pigs Megillah until if was in the rear-view mirror. It's possible that news coverage in our area was manipulated to some extent, or it may be that boys were taking up more of my band width, attention-wise.
I was in typing class in high school when the principal announced that the president had been shot, and when I went home for lunch, I learned that he had died. Mama made me go back for afternoon classes, and I was sickened by the number of kids who were acting as though it was a party. The population of the small, north Louisiana town in which I was raised, and to which I've moved back, is over 2,000 now ... back then it was around 3,000. Solidly ultra-conservative Republican (so, doubly "red"-necked, if you'll pardon the expression), and Protestant. When I was growing up here, Catholics were deeply suspect, and racial epithets were pretty much the common tongue. I couldn't wait to leave.
By the time I got to college, in '64, change was afoot, and (still in Louisiana) there was a lot of grumbling about the programs LBJ was trying to initiate. It was the first time I was in racially mixed classes, and I felt like an explorer who couldn't wait to see what was around the next bend. And then, by '65, I lost my first friend in Vietnam, and man, did the mood ever shift. I watched as LBJ's presidency was consumed by that "dirty little war", and over the next 3 years, my own life shifted from student, to wife, to mother, to hippie.
In 1968, pregnant with my first child, I watched in horror as, first, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and then Bobby Kennedy were assassinated. All I could think was, “What kind of world am I bringing my child into?
By '69, "Everybody" (by which I mean everybody I knew in Houston at the time) understood that "Tricky Dicky" was going to be a disaster for every hope we'd ever had. I remember when, in 1970, Tricia Nixon invited fellow Finch attendees to a tea at the White House, and Grace Slick got an invitation. She showed up with Abbie Hoffman, who was, unsurprisingly, turned away. So Grace left, too, before she had a chance to carry out her plan to slip LSD into Nixon's tea. Ah, the times, the times!
I was pissed when Ford pardoned Nixon, and pleased when Carter got elected in ‘76, but my lord, the MESS he inherited. That era, Nixon/Ford/Carter was so fractious. Carter was a smart, decent man who just never got his footing in the earthquake zone of American politics at that time, and that set the stage for the staged sunniness of Ronald Reagan. By then, I was becoming so disillusioned, and my life was undergoing a further series of metamorphoses. When George H.W. Bush barfed into the lap of Prime Minister Miyazawa, it almost perfectly mirrored my opinion of Republicans in general and the entire “know-nothing” Bush family, in particular.
My enthusiasm was at pretty low ebb until Al Gore ran. I volunteered in Victoria, TX, and was elated until … Freaking FLORIDA! If I was an enthusiastic Democrat before that, I became a rabidly enthusiastic Democrat afterwards.
One of the truly great disappointments of my life has been the realization that so many of our fellow citizens are intentionally ignorant. A few (possibly 12 to 14) years back, my central a/c unit (now deceased) was being serviced, and the young helper was parroting something he’d heard on Fox. I told him, “Do you know that’s not true? Fox isn’t “news”, it’s OPINION!” He said, “Yes, but it’s what I like to hear.” At least the guy was honest about that.
The absolute disdain that so many here in the U.S. have for facts that don’t support their personal world view makes my head feel like exploding, and damned if I can figure out how to begin to change that.
I figure the period from Gore to the present will be heavily represented by a lot of folks who can elucidate that period more adequately than I, so I’ll leave it to them.
When people ask me why, after living in St. Louis, Houston (twice), New Orleans, the San Antonio region, and Victoria, TX, I moved back to this tiny, über-conservative town, I've been known to reply that I moved back here to screw with the demographics. ;)
Aren’t you glad you asked?
I was always proud to be from Massachusetts, the only state that Nixon never carried.......guess we knew he was a crook!
I remember breakfast and lunch. Specifically reduced-price breakfast and lunch at my public elementary school in the mid- to late-1970's, where I was one of maybe 10% of the students in my school who qualified. And I remember it being no big deal among my peers, or the teachers, or the school staff, or our neighbors. There was no shaming that my family and I needed help and accepted it. Was that small part of the social safety net a component of the partisan divide in the 1970's? A political historian will have to comment on that. But the steady erosion of funding for school lunches since then is very certainly partisan.
My immediate response, which would not vary after reflection, is the inaugural address of President John F Kennedy. I was 18 years old. His campaign and the words of his inaugural inspired me and a great many of my generation. After college and law school I devoted the next eleven years of my career to working full time in public interest law. I have remained a dedicated Democrat and worker for a more just society. I am 77 years old. I attribute much of my motivation throughout my life to the example of President Kennedy.
I was a pediatrician, and can still remember when Reagan won by a landslide in 1980; I was in a mother's room examining her newborn, and her TV was on. I just could not believe that he had won against Jimmy Carter, who was decent and ethical and competent. To me, Reagan's victory marked the beginning of our long, sad slide into the massive accumulation of disproportionate wealth and power by a very few, further militarism, and disparagement of Blacks as worthless for political gain, and the sacrificing of essential long-term national and global goals just for that personal accumulation of wealth and power. I feel a heaviness in my heart, often and now, thinking about it.
Oh this is the best memory! I was teaching at Colorado College in the Feminist and Gender Studies program during the 2008 Presidential Election. CC students were on FIRE! They were canvassing, calling, writing, etc. And, you must know, that Colorado Springs is not the most liberal city in Colorado. It is ringed by five military installations including the Air Force Academy. It is a tax haven/home for numerous evangelical Christian organizations, including Focus on the Family and The World Prayer Center. And these students were out there knocking on doors, making phone calls. The energy for Obama was electric. And when it was announced he was coming to Pueblo for a rally - we were determined to get there. Me and another professor rented a van (maybe 2 I can't remember) and we all packed in for the drive south - only about 45 minutes. When we arrived it was like a party. Stilt walkers and tumblers with painted faces entertaining the crowd that snaked around the outdoor rodeo complex (talk about paradox!). And all of us were laughing and smiling in anticipation - strangers sharing the excitement and happiness. We all knew we were witnessing and participating in something historical. And when he came on stage - his crisp white dress shirt rolled up to the elbows and bright red tie - we went crazy! I felt like a Beatles groupie. He inspired us all to do better, to want more, to have hope. Months later - we gathered in the little house that served as our campus offices and classrooms, watching the numbers come through, knowing that he won. Our students, our children, our partners - we witnessed history and the beginning of what we hoped would be a new America. Everything seemed possible - we believed we could participate in creating a country that would be more equal, more empathetic, more ethical, just MORE. Days have been really dark since Nov 2016 - and I still hold on to that night.
Our memories of a recent visit to the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta gives us hope that decency can prevail!
I came of political age in the 1970s on Long Island. It was, and is still, chock-a-block with Republicans, which always appalled me. The self-congratulatory attitude, the easy racism, the possessive individualism and money-and comfort-worship among white working-through-middle class suburbanites always appalled me, and depressed me then as it depresses me now. I remember Nassau County Democrats as pretty complacent, but far, far better than the self-satisfied Republican politicians who were all over the place.
A few Democrats stick out in my mind:
Mario Cuomo, the last of the true New Dealers. Would that his son be so noble.
Eugene Nickerson, a Democratic Nassau County Executive. His election and re-election were rare events indeed.
Allard Lowenstein, one of the first Democrats to come out strongly against the Vietnam war, an act of conscience that cost him his seat to a Republican jingoist. That's a pretty rare event now too.
Bill Clinton. For me, his most quotable quote, directed against Newt Gingrich and his Republican beer-hall putch-ers, "They are the Reagan Republicans, we are the Eisenhower Republicans." He said this without the slightest hint of embarrassment. And, knowing full well that the Republicans would nail him to the wall at the slightest provocation, he abused the power of his office and not only betrayed the good faith of an intern, and his wife, he betrayed his party as well. Which mattered little, because he pretty much corrupted it to the core. I hold him in the same political contempt that I hold George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan. I do not care if he was a "Democrat". Scare-quotes intentional.
And finally, Elizabeth Warren. She was wonkier than Bernie Sanders, and a smidgen to his Right. But she understood better than he the fact that the tech and finance sectors are completely out of control, and has the personality to rein them in. The Sanders/Warren/"Squad" wing of the party strikes me as its best hope in four decades.
Historically, Democrats have been champions for education in our country, and our schools have played a vital role in the success of our nation. But the Democratic Party needs to bring more focus to the issues that really matter. We are no longer preparing our kids for life as an adult, and our education system is tilting an already-tilted playing field. Priorities need to be comprehensive early childhood care and education, reversing the horrid impact of the Supreme Court Rodriguez v San Antonio Unified decision (which says it's ok to shortchange schools in low-income communities, and shower resources on kids in affluent communities), and revitalize our community colleges with short-term immersive offerings. And too often the Democratic Party sends a message that you have to have a four-year degree to be a first-class citizen in America (highly offensive to many, and just not the case). And this college-ready obsession has shaped what our kids study in high schools, as we've driven out any hands-on learning opportunities, replacing them with sprints through vast swaths of 'college-ready content.' The net result is that we're not preparing kids for career, citizenship, or life -- only for high-stakes standardized tests that tell us very little about a person's competencies or ability to be a productive member of society. There's much more on this at www.teddintersmith.com for more on this. tdintersmith@gmail.com.
I remember the tiny hope that grew as the 2008 Primary season went on, that maybe Barack Obama could be president. I remember the fabulous convention where he and Joe Biden stood on stage together. The inauguration was amazing, and having Beyonce sing "At Last" at one of the balls made me cry. That was the first year I really got involved with the Democratic Party. I went to meetings and became a Poll Marshal - I was in a neighborhood I had never been to, and people were out on the streets, knocking on doors to get people to come out and vote. More families than I could count came in as 3 generations, with the oldest ones shining with pride. After the polls closed, I went home to join a watch party. We made sure that we got the news from a special Daily Show which aired live - Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert were the hosts and it was triumphant.
-The speech by the then new Senator from Illinois Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention when Al Gore received the Democratic nomination for President. I sat there with my father (bless his memory), as I predicted that we would see Senator Obama would run for President day. He did not believe that we would see a person of color in the White House in our lifetime. He was correct regarding his lifetime, however gratefully I was correct as well.
--Listening to Senator Chris Murphy speak in front of a synagogue to a group of CT citizens from a multitude of cultural, religious, and racial backgrounds. He spoke with great passion, and compassion regarding the rights of our Muslim neighbors and those from 'Muslim countries' who were being harmed by the religious divisiveness and discrimination encouraged by our new President, #45.
JFK’s assassination. I was 5, not yet in school. Burned in my memory is my mother taking me by the hand and having me kneel with her in front of the TV and pray. Kneeling and praying to the TV sounds ridiculous, but I understand her emotions on that day.
There are two from the 1960s that have had a great impression on my political views. The first was LBJ who would have been remembered as a great President if not for Vietnam. His accomplishments in civil rights, voting rights, and social welfare were extraordinary and lasting. He understood that to get things done you need a powerful vision and the ability to secure cooperation from Congress. The second was his great nemesis Bobby Kennedy who taught all of us that one's politics can and must be connected to one's values. He had come a long way from his service with McCarthy in the 1950s and as AG under JFK by 1968 and forged a very heartfelt and compassionate approach in his too-short 1968 campaign. I firmly believe we would love in a much different world today had he not been cut down in LA and had gone on to be elected.
When Jimmy Carter took office, it felt as if the obstacles were finally out of the way and we were on our way to realize the hopes of the 1960-70s. It felt a bit that way when Bill Clinton came in except that, after Reagan, it felt that we had lost ground. That a person of color was elected, and that we again had a president who could string together complete sentences made Obama's election a sense of relief and elation. With Obama, it felt as if we were poised to address race, climate change, and other key issues with an eye toward sustainability.
No one has mentioned Ann Richards yet. I think it’s hard now to understand how isolated state politics were back then (“national” news in the papers were generally limited to weather, protests, and the president’s latest policy), but even I in California heard about Governor Richards and her witty, fiery comebacks. She took no nonsense from men (and they still voted for her in a sexist state), She got things done and she was respected as a women politician that I’m not sure we’ve seen before or since.
Memories:
President Carter Brokering the Camp David Peace accords between Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat. That was such an amazing breakthrough at the time.
Meeting VP Al Gore in person and watching him moderate a conference. I realized just how smart he is and that he actually does have a personality. I couldn't understand why it took him so long to stop being the wooden man in public and start letting that show through. This also plays into a backlash. I still feel like the 2000 election should have been a slam dunk. I think Gore and the DNC took way too much for granted and that much of the last 20 years stems from those mistakes.
The palpable feeling of relief when I heard in 2008 that Obama had carried Ohio. It may have been naive, but in my mind, that meant the election was over.
Jimmy Carter as an Ex-President. I still hope that history will remember him as the most effective and successful ex-president in history. I think his intelligence, integrity, compassion, and plain decency are or should be, an ongoing beacon of hope.
Any one of a number of times hearing President Obama speak. Basking in the glow of articulate intelligence after 8 years in the intellectual desert of W.
Backlash:
This is less about specific politicians and more about the DNC and the Democratic party and voters in general. Democrats are their own worst enemies. The tendency to refuse to back a candidate who is not their first choice or with whom they disagree on specific issues or details is self-defeating. Dems who claimed that there was no difference between Gore and Bush in 2000 and so they didn't vote. Dems who were so butt-hurt about the 2016 primary that they didn't vote in the general election. Numerically the only reason Democrats lose national elections (and in many places even state and local) is that they can't align behind a candidate.
When in Sept. 2013 my only son, SFC Liam Nevins, was killed by "Green on Blue" enemy fire on his Forward Operating Base in Paktia Province, Afghanistan (on the Pakistan border), both Democratic US Congressional Representative Michelle Lujan Grisham and Democratic US Senator Martin Heinrich, both of New Mexico, made extraordinary personal efforts to assist and comfort me--Congresswoman (now NM Governor) Lujan Grisham gave me her personal reserved seat on a Southwest Airlines flight from Albuquerque to the east coast so I could attend a family memorial ad grieving gathering; Senator Heinrich phoned me personally to talk at length. Both also initiated investigative action concerning the poor performance of the New Mexico National Guard and US Army in this matter--I was never given the respectful in person notification of my son's death by the Army/Guard and eventually, at the behest of our Democratic Congresswoman and Senator, the Commanding General of the NM National Guard (himself an adherent of our then-GOP NM governor) came to me in full uniform to apologize. This personal attention at a time of the greatest stress for a "gold star" parent will also stay with me. Vote Blue.
Experienced the sixties in D.C. working for Government. RFK crystallized our politics and hope. The last politician who rallied both the minority and white working class population with his message of unity! Wonder how different we might be as a nation rather than the politics of division and racial
animosity for the last half century!
Mine is a very old and idealistic memory. I remember as a young girl hearing Kennedy say "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." I found that a very inspirational message.
The excitement around JFK’s candidacy and then the reality of having a young president with his family in the WH. I remember so much hope for the future. I was in my HS study hall when they announced his death and it was burned into my memory as one of life’s most memorable moments. It also was a loss of hope for the future.
I also was very excited for Obama’s election and presidency and thought that we could finally get so much accomplished. I had no idea how racist this country still was. I was naive enough to believe that because Obama was half white that he would be a great person to pull us all together. I am appalled at how much was blocked by the Republicans!
I live in MT and have been so impressed by what Governor Bullock has been able to accomplish. I actually got to meet him at a friend’s house and he is such a down to earth man. I never thought I would ever be sitting down visiting with our Governor. Very fond memory!
I am 69 if you want age context🤣
The ACA is the most recent, critical sweeping change that the Democrats made that has been under attack since its inception. The GOP has of course stopped at nothing to destroy it, and yet it was the first, best change toward fixing our current healthcare system. I hope that the Democrats can build on the foundation that the ACA created to eventually bring the US in line with the rest of the developed world.
I've been a reporter/editor with a weekly newspaper for 40 years. I will never forget in my earliest days meeting our State Senator Richard Luft and hearing him describe how things worked in Springfield Illinois in those days. "It's I'll scratch your back, and you scratch mine," he said. I was appalled at the time. What about ideals? Beliefs? As our political parties have become more partisan and politics more divisive, it became clear that what Dick was talking about was cooperation, negotiation, and compromise. Wouldn't we all just give our eyeteeth to have that political system back again?
The first time I felt invested in a particular Democratic candidate was Mo Udall who lost the nomination to Carter in 1976. He was a strong environmentalist from Arizona and an experienced Congressman. As things turned out, it seems to me that he would have been a more effective president too.
BSRC and RFK. RFK had a true left point of view of any mainstream politician in my lifetime. His work on race and poverty would still be advant-garde today, even to Sanders supporters. The New Frontier eclipsed the vision of The Great Society. His assassination was the end of liberalism, social democracy and the rise of the centrist right in the Democratic Party.
I remember how inspirational JFK was. Even though he was a scion of a powerful family his egalitarian philosophy is sorely missed. After him LBJ and the Great society programs went a long way to fostering social justice. Truly remarkable for a Southern Democrat. It's too bad he blew it with Vietnam. I remember Tip O'Neil, the consummate politician who managed to get things done even with Ronnie Ray Gun! It's tragic that his skill died with him.
I remember Carter's presidency as uneventful, perhaps a good thing. But he is by far our best Ex-president. And then the Democrats sold out to Neoliberalism with it's acolyte Slick Willie. The Clintons have done more to destroy the soul of the party than anyone in a "Century". They did more to foster income inequality than just about any Republican. Bill started dismantling the Great Society and his work has continued apace ever since.
Calmness. Empathy. Intelligence: Jimmy Carter.
Three memories: The protests in Selma, Alabama for a voting rights act had gotten more and more serious and deadly. Profoundly affected by those events, President Lyndon B. Johnson scheduled an address to the joint houses of Congress on March 15, 1965. I was 13 years old and remember the televised speech to this day: "I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of democracy. I urge every member of both parties, Americans of all religions and of all colors, from every section of this country, to join me in that cause," Johnson said. He went on: “Rarely in any time does an issue lay bare the secret heart of America itself. The issue of equal rights for American Negroes is such an issue.” He closed his speech by reciting the protester's call" “And…we… shall… overcome." Repeating that one phrase was a stunning recognition, and adoption, of the protesters' demands. It was a stunning moment in American political and cultural history.
The second memory is of Presiden Johnson's phone call to Senator Richard Russell in 1965. While we did not have access to the recording of the phone call at that time, what we know now is that Russell warned Johnson that if Johnson pushed the Voting Rights Bill [or was it the Civil Rights Act?] the Democratic Party would lose the Southern vote forever. Johnson told Russell that he knew that and that he wanted it anyway. I remember this whenever I despair of political leadership in the United States - where a political leader knew the costs of doing the right thing and did it anyway.
The third memory is of turning on the 2004 Democratic Convention and seeing the keynote speech by Barack Obama, someone no one had heard of. His speech was magnetic. I called my husband to come over: "Quick, listen to this amazing speech." It was moving, heart-breaking, and unforgetable.
Because I am philosophically inclined, I have been most impressed by Mario Cuomo and Jerry Brown, two leaders who had very disciplined minds and were always inclined to think very deeply, and intelligently, about their world views and how to put them into play in the public sphere. In his first run as Governor, when he and I were young, Jerry Brown responded to a reporter's forgettable question with a statement that stays with me as I think about my place in the social contract, "1400 calories a day and a moderate climate and everything else in your life is expectation." He was given to asking hard, sometimes-unpleasant questions that too many of us Democrats shy away from. I'm thinking, for example, of the time at a UC regents meeting, he asked if it was really necessary of Berkeley to pay more than $400,000 to get a competent chancellor, why doesn't the UC faculty teach more, why not get rid of inessential research? Good questions for which he did not get meaningful responses.
In terms of ‘backlash’, the situation here in NM comes immediately to mind. We are situated between two states (AZ & TX) whose past policies with respect to COVID have turned them into present hotspots. The NM Governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham (you might recall her recent write-ups in NYT and Rolling Stone), is constantly under attack by an extremely vocal minority. Such attacks have progressed from bashing and threats in social media (check out her Twitter and FB threads) to outright refusal to follow health directives (currently in opposition to her re-closing down indoor dining at restaurants) and lawsuits alleging abuse of power. It makes for an interesting study of social dynamics working to politicize a non-politically ‘motivated’ pandemic.
Two things: This is from my partner, Thomas Benson: All the democratic policies of the 1960’s led to the south becoming solidly republican. The Voting Rights Act, Civil Rights Act led to latent and covert racism that has developed within the Republican Party. I am wondering about “The Family” and how that originated primarily to fight organized labor and seems to have turned into a conservative work horse in DC. The use the “words of Jesus” rather than the Bible as a tool, which is truly troubling. But I guess that’s not democrats, is it? I can’t help my tendency to get distracted by something shiny.
SO many memories! As many others have stated: JFK (I was in 4th grade and his assassination was probably my first politically related memory), MLK and RFK assassinations, Johnson saying he would not run for a second term in March 1968, etc.
My late father was what he called a "Yellow Dog Democrat" and when I asked him what that meant, he told me he would vote for a yellow dog walking down the street before he would vote for a Republican. He was a huge influence on my political views and in 1972 I proudly cast my first ever vote for president for George McGovern. (When George W. Bush was president, he frequently wore a button that said, "He lied, they died.")
Some other observations/memories:
I've always loved watching the Democratic conventions every four years and have always been proud that the people attending are truly that melting pot we all learned about in school: many races/ethnicities, people of different religions, LGBTQ people, etc. The contrast between our conventions and the GOP, all white people, convention is astonishing.
My sister, who lives in Illinois, started telling me about Barack Obama prior to his speech at the 2004 (I think that was the year) Democratic National Convention. I was totally blown away when I heard him speak and happily voted for him twice. I was so hopeful in 2008 that our country really was progressing and moving forward and I didn't wake up every morning worrying about what awful thing he had done overnight. I didn't always agree with him but he was a person of decency and intellect who believed in science and expert advice.
I was literally sick when Donald Trump was elected. I could not believe it. Our daughter called me sobbing the night of the election and asked what kind of a world she would be raising her daughter in. I thought about it and the next day told her she would keep doing exactly what she had been doing: teaching our granddaughter to love and respect and be kind to all, that all people (no matter race, creed, religion, sexual orientation, etc.) were valued and worthy, and that love eventually would overcome hate.
I knew Trump would be bad but never in a million years did I think he would be as horrific as he has been. One positive for me out of his election is that I have become much more politically active: giving lots of money to candidates, attending candidate forums, becoming active in local progressive groups, etc. I have always voted and paid attention but I am hyper aware now of so many heinous things going on in our country.
Heather, you have been one bright spot in our otherwise dreary landscape. I read you first thing every morning and have learned so much. Thank you for your voice.
JFK’s excellence in government initiatives which accelerated growing a higher-quality Federal workforce, all-the-way through the Carter Administration.
Not a memory, but a realization……modern day Democratic Presidents do far more to make this world a better place than Republican Presidents, both during, and even after they serve as President. All past Presidents continue to serve as advisors to their parties and give speeches, etc. However, what they do with the rest of their time is very telling. A very quick check shows the following.
From Nixon on back, every President pretty much retired to their home towns following their presidency.
Ford (R) retired to Palm Springs to play golf
Carter (D) set up the Carter Presidential Center that worked on curing River Blindness throughout the world, among its many accomplishments to help the poor. He also has worked tirelessly for Habitat for Humanity, and has participated in various peace negotiations around the world.
Reagan (R) retired to his home and his ranch.
H W Bush (R) retired to his home.
Clinton (D) set up a foundation that, among other things, works to stop HIV/AIDS throughout the world
W Bush (R) retired to his ranch to paint
Obama (D) started a foundation to help young Black men in America and young leaders throughout the world, and he and Michelle are also beginning to produce films and docu-series on race and class.
I grew up in Northfield MN, and also raised my kids there. Paul Wellstone was a Carleton professor with a fiery spirit, and can-do attitude. He traveled the state in an old green bus when campaigning for his US senate seat, reaching all who would listen with his message of: We all do better when we all do better. That has been inspiration in leading my life and all that I do.
1960 election, my Mom was Chairperson of Republican Town committee & campaigning vehemently for Goldwater. My Dad WW 2 Navy veteran (Mom also WW2 exMarine Tech Sgt) he told her Election Day he voted JFK & canceled out her vote. Coming home 11/22/63 from 2nd grade to my Mom crying over his death. Btw her sister needed $ and poll checked for Democrats (=friction!). My Aunt eventually became a MA State Representative! Both women WAY ahead of their times!
In the summer of 1984 I was approached by a coalition -teachers, environmentalists, seniors-- to be a candidate in the Democratic primary for then Florida Congressional District 4 against a long time incumbent. ( Granstrom vs Chappell). I had been in TV News in part of the District so already had name recognition and my background --ex-Nun, MA in Education, Florida grown--was hard to attack. I had had no political aspirations but I answered the call. We ran a true grassroots campaign--low on money big on volunteers.
It was the time of Mondale and Ferraro. As a young woman I got caught in some of the same flak Ferrarro got-- Catholic women and abortion, attacked not on our own experience but on our husbands' presumed business aspirations. I had to remind viewers on a PBS Candidate program that it was my name on the ballot not my husband's.
I was 38 years old. My 74 yr old opponent said of himself, "If this were a beauty contest I would lose,"-- a comment meant to get a laugh but our audiences did not laugh, bless them. When I spoke they realized I had a brain and this was not simply a vanity run.
My opponent was a Boll Weevil, a Southern Conservative Democrat (more Republican than Democrat) and, being an ex-Navy guy brought big money into the defense industry in northeast Florida. I had an Army Doctor brother who was that very summer training in desert sands in computerized tanks that did not work so I was pushing for less big armament spending but better R&D defense, clean energy and term limits, etc.
As we got closer to the vote he pulled out all the stops. He threatened local media if they interviewed me. He upheld a long tradition of paying the African American community for votes and found multiple ways to diminish and demean me and our campaign. His handlers even viciously, verbally attacked my Mom who was working for my campaign. I knew personal derogatory things about him that I refused to use because it would have hurt his family. I remember with some amusement the time a young man came up to me during a nightime, lightning laced outdoor rally to say that if he were not the son of my opponent he would vote for me!
I lost the Democratic Primary but we managed to get somewhere near 39% of the vote. A Democratic operative who had been tracking us said if we had had a few more weeks we would have gotten even closer. But we accomplished one goal which was to force the incumbent to campaign in a Congressional Primary he thought he would win without having to appear or campaign in the district. And our campaign kept some issues alive that he would have ignored. For me, it was one of the best educations of my life. As a woman I felt proud to be there in 1984, a year that saw a woman, Gerardine Ferraro, on the Democratic ticket. I also was reminded, once again, thanks to my opponent, that the Democratic party is not a monolith but a spectrum.
That was 36 years ago, some things have not changed, some have. In retrospect I would have done some things differently but given the moment, the time frame and the context I am proud of what we all accomplished together. It was a Congressional Democratic Primary but a democratic exercise on the local level of what coalitions of active citizens can do together. I hope that exercise can be activated even during a pandemic.
Carol Stanton (Granstrom)
Orlando, Florida
I love driving on the Merritt Parkway in Connecticut where the bridges and overpasses are all different Art Deco designs. It was built as part of the WPA and I love that in the New Deal attention was paid to supporting art and artists in our public infrastructure. That detail is sorely lacking in our infrastructure today.
At 12, JFK, Irish heritage AND CATHOLIC LIKE ME , YOUNG, smart, handsome with a beautiful wife and family and was elected President if the United States‼️
At 20, the draft of men that were my age.
At 21, spending a summer studying in France, and realizing for the first time how young America was and how many non-Americans regarded it as a “grand experiment for which the jury was still out.” America-democracy- could FAIL??!
At 22, a senior in a small college, the bombing of Hai Phong harbor. That was the day I became more politically active.
At 42, seeing Governor Bill Clinton at Portland Head Light Campaigning in August 1990 and thinking: “He doesn’t have a chance in 1992!”
At 43, meeting him in a small group before he did a “town hall” at Portland High (one of the oldest continuing public schools in America!). He Took the time to greet the small group Gathered and then walked across the large hall to introduce himself to a friend and me. I thought “Man, does he know how to work a crowd or what?! If he loses, it won’t be for lack of trying! He looked right into our eyes to talk to us. Then going upstairs to conduct The Town Hall in a relaxed, intelligent , non-defensive way...even when a heckler would not end his rant. Bill let him speak, then answered all his points.
At 32, in 1980, applying for heading up the U S Census work in Maine and learning that I was not considered for the job because I supported Teddy Kennedy instead of Jimmy Carter. ‼️
“Oh, that is how it works!”
1971-89: a Republican ACTOR was President??!!‼️
OBAMA-2008-16: FABULOUS!
November 8-10,2016. Unable to get out of bed for two days. PRESIDENT Donald Trump ??‼️😂😂😂😂
As a trained political scientist, I have been extremely concerned by the behavior and tendencies of Trump since early 2017. That year I testified before and submitted language to the Massachusetts Democrats’ platform committee regarding the “authoritarian tendencies” of the president for inclusion in the party platform that would be voted on at the state Democratic Convention in June. Unfortunately, my language was not added to the party platform, so I followed the alternative route available to me and submitted the following amendment on the floor of the Convention:
A healthy democracy is a precursor to achieving all elements of the Massachusetts Democratic Platform, yet the Executive Branch of our national government is exhibiting authoritarian tendencies. Massachusetts Democrats will resist these tendencies and support and protect our democratic institutions to prevent the erosion of our democracy.
We will:
• Stand with our immigrant, refugee, and minority communities
• Protect journalists from intimidation and resist efforts by the administration to marginalize mainstream media
• Protect judges from intimidation and resist efforts by the administration to marginalize the judiciary
• Work with the Democratic Party at the national level to resist the current administration’s efforts to erode the fundamental institutions of our democracy
The proposed amendment was met with resounding applause from the Convention attendees and ultimately added to the first page of the party platform. I originally developed this language because I know it is too easy for all of us to sit back and let awful things happen as our country slides into fascism. This is part of the model that fascists depend on as they grab a foothold.
So I wrote this language as a reminder to our politicians and activists that a slide into fascism is a real possibility (look around – it has happened already). It was meant as a reminder that we have to resist it every day with every fiber of our beings.
And that is the source of my disappointment with our Democratic leaders. Not one of our Democratic leaders has called it what it is, and Elizabeth Warren is the only one to prescribe remedies to what is in effect the take over of our political and economic systems. The Democratic leadership has been too passive, too interested in maintaining the neoliberal status quo, and unwilling to fight hard.
Soon it will be too late.
Barbara Jordan's address at the Democratic National Convention. Wow. I was in high school at the time. She struck every chord of hope and determination we needed. I remember thinking, "a woman could be president someday--an African American could be president." And then when Obama did his keynote address, I thought, "that's our first African American president." But back to Jordan. She is in the pantheon of great Texas women who have inspired me and continue to inspire: Ladybird Johnson, Sissy Farenthold, Barbara Jordan, Ann Richards, Molly Ivins. . . I know they're all long gone, but I have hope that more will rise.
I think I first became aware of politics at the age of 9 in the run-up to the 1972 presidential election. While Watergate would make its impression on me 2 years later, in '72 I was aware of the Democratic candidates. I don't remember if my parents were pro-Nixon or if just the events of personalities of George Wallace and George McGovern stood out to me. I distinctly remember Wallace getting shot that year and of McGovern becoming the Democratic candidate and losing terribly. My parents must have been pro-Nixon, because I have this vague impression that McGovern was not well liked in my house or by my mother's parents (this is all in Texas). At the time I wasn't aware of Wallace's notorious history as the Arkansas Governor and standing in doorways to stop black children going to school. Years later I wondered how Wallace & McGovern could have been in the same party. My family being Catholic, JFK was a (martyred?) saint for my grandparents and mother; the same for RFK later when he was killed. However, Teddy Kennedy's name was almost mentioned in whispers.
I remember voting for Lyndon Johnson because he promised to get us out of the Vietnam War. He lied. I remember realizing that they all say whatever they think will get them elected, so what's the point? I didn't vote again until 2016.
After July 15th I'll share more as I have a deadline. Meeting JFK in Lincoln Park as an 8 year old, a lot of Maine political stories. Nice stories about Joe Brennan, George Mitchell, Libby Mitchell and some tough stories about a ballot tampering case. Oh, a lunch with Bill Richardson at Middlebury. Later.
This is a little anecdotal, but here goes: in my high school there were several classmates who were very interested in politics and actually became politicians. One of them is now in jail (guess what - he was a Republican), another got involved in NY State politics as a Democrat, but left politics a few years ago and now teaches courses in ... ethics!
Southerners were universally Democrats until 1964. LBJ was a tragic character: Vietnam destroyed his presidency and his legacy which was otherwise one of historic transformation of the Party and the country
I was born in 1958 and the political events of the 60s and 70s seeped into my brain even at that young age and shaped my politics - the Kennedys, especially RFK, reading his speeches in recent months makes me mourn his loss anew and inspires me to believe we can turn this country around. Martin Luther King motivates me too in these days of BLM gathering strength, giving me hope that we can finally make real steps forward on police violence. I have been both hopeful, enthusiastic, cynical and depressed over the decades by all the presidents between JFK and trump (I cannot bring myself to capitalize his name) but the greatest moment for me was standing in the voting booth in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Primary with my choices being the first woman candidate and the first black candidate of a major political party. I knew the day would come for both but I had begun to believe it would not happen in my lifetime and certainly not in the same election! It was also the last primary in Texas where we had to return for the caucus after the polls closed to actually determine the selection for party candidate - I had caucused in previous presidential primaries but this one was a particularly proud moment, to stand up and be counted publicly for my choice in such a historic election.
After watching all the hate and open racism against Obama during his terms, I knew that we'd take a step backwards, I hoped against hope that Hilary really could win like the polls said but to end up with so huge a leap backwards with the election of a man who embodies nearly every fault and vice there is has been soul crushing. Both this president and the current version of the Republican party sicken me to the core, especially McConnell and his perversion of our government. The president is destroying our government as well by loading it with toadying syncophants who disdain true public service and seek only to please him and the wealthy and to benefit themselves from their time in government employment. Nowhere is this more evident and more disgusting than the desecration of the Department of Justice which no longer lives up to that title. Barr is a disgrace to his profession and should be disbarred for his work in turning the DOJ into a tool for trump, deliberately ignoring the law and even guilty pleas to please trump and help secure his reelection. Not since Hoover has federal law enforcement been perverted for personal gain at the level that Barr has done.
In the past I have considered both candidates in elections on all levels, federal, state, local, but the Republican party has so twisted itself into using any means, no matter how low or degrading, to retain power, I have reached the point where I can no longer consider voting for any Republican at any level - the Republicans running for local office will be the ones in state and federal elections in the future and my goal is to remove them from power, both federal and state - the current state of politics here in Texas is horrendous, the white, male, heterosexual, "Christian" Republicans in control of the state government work to increase divisions and racism and restrict voting to only those who will support their party, catering to the wealthy and working to kick out or kill off anyone who might oppose them.
So I hold my breath, I ignore the polls (didn't we all learn how untrustworthy polls are in 2016???) and I vote in every single election for all Democratic candidates and especially for women and people of color and I wait for November when I'll check that box for a straight Democratic party vote and pray to whatever deity may exist that our country will have found a smidgen of compassion for one another and voted out the current monstrosity in the White House.