I guess it’s
because there is now a global audience for everyone who has a thought to
express it (including me) but it is downright alarming how many folks seem
perfectly ready to jump off the nearest bridge over the latest election
returns. Some of the things that people say make me wonder if human beings have
lost their collective minds or just want to rant because they suddenly have a
big microphone.
You people who
have lived a little bit have no excuse. But for the sake of you youngsters…
I was born in
the ‘50s when Eisenhower was president. He was a Republican who was, generally,
well thought of. He had the distinction of being an ex-general war hero and the
US was at war with Korea. All in all, he is ranked as a good president but a
sharp recession before the election of 1960 probably hurt his popularity and
Democrat John Kennedy was elected.
You may have
heard something about JFK other than the fact that he was assassinated. There
was turmoil brewing in the US. Anti-communism sentiment was at a fever pitch
after McCarthy’s witch trials and much of the time we were afraid Russia would
attack us through bases setup at Cuba. This lead to something called the Bay of
Pigs you should read up on. The Civil Rights Movement was building rapidly. The
Berlin Wall was built and the space race was big news. Ultimately, someone
hated his politics enough to shoot him in the head. It is still widely
speculated that it may have been a conspiracy and not just a lone gunner.
He was replaced
by his vice president, Lyndon Johnson. Johnson was a domineering guy who was
known to squash those who were his political adversaries by whatever means
necessary. His term brought the upholding of some “social government” that was
widely condemned by Republicans at the time, including laws to guarantee
Medicare, Medicaid, civil rights and public broadcasting. He also escalated US
involvement in the unpopular Viet Nam War from 16,000 troops to 550,000 by
1968. By the end of his terms, anti-war sentiment was so high he was doomed.
The answer was to
elect Republican Richard Nixon. Initially, he increased American involvement in
the war. But then he began to de-escalate our presence there after massive
pressure, particularly from young people. After his first term he was re-elected
in a landslide. This was due to popular actions such as making a trip to “Red”
China to begin to open lines of diplomacy, starting the Environmental
Protection Agency and initiating wars on cancer and drugs.
After his
re-election, bi-partisan politics was rampant, with Democrats and Republicans
fighting in ways that people had never imagined possible in the good old USA.
When it was determined that Nixon had authorized the covert breaking into
the Democratic Headquarters in the Watergate Building in Washington and that he
had attempted to lie and cover up his involvement he was pressured into
resigning as president. He left the office of president in disgrace and the
country disillusioned about our commander in chiefs.
His successor was
Republican Gerald Ford. During his term our economy was at an all time
sustained level of weakness with recession deeper than the US had seen since
the Great Depression. Honestly, I don’t remember much about him other than he
did take steps to end the Cold War with the Soviet Union and he pardoned
Richard Nixon.
He was replaced
by a southern Democrat named Jimmy Carter. Carter is remembered as a
humanitarian who received the Nobel Peace prize years after his presidency. His
popularity eroded gradually through his term due to a hostage crisis with Iran
that lasted a year and a half, the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island and
growing unrest due to Soviet aggression towards Afghanistan. Ironically, the 52
American hostages in Iran that had hurt Carter’s popularity were released just
minutes after his term in office ended.
Next was two
terms with Republican Ronald Reagan. His economic philosophies (called
Reaganomics at the time) had the effect of reducing taxes and government
spending. He did spend a lot of tax money on the arms race against the Soviets
(who he openly called the Evil Empire). All in all, he was a very popular
president other than being criticized for being old and unable to focus in
meetings. It was revealed after his presidency that he had been in the
beginning stages of Alzheimer’s disease while president.
He was succeeded
by Republican George Bush, Sr. Bush pushed hard for progress with foreign
policy. He reneged on his classic 1988 campaign promise “Read my lips- I will
NOT increase taxes.” This proved to play a prominent part in his losing a
re-election bid to Democrat Bill Clinton.
You are probably
old enough to remember the scandal surrounding Clinton and sex with a White
House intern named Monica Lewinsky. But during his two terms he got high
numbers of approval from all but the conservatives in the US. He is credited
with instigating welfare and health care reform and the congress even reported
a surplus during his last three years of office.
He was impeached for perjury but acquitted by congress
and has the distinction of serving during the longest period of sustained
peacetime prosperity in the US in my lifetime.
Republican George
Bush, Jr. was next in line. Only 8 months into his first term on September 11,
2001, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 occurred. This lead to the war in Iraq
which pretty much dominated his first term. Beginning in the 2nd
term of his presidency, we slid into the longest, post World War 2 period of
economic recession. Events like the Financial Crisis of 2008 and his apparent
mishandling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina lead to a fall in favor with
Americans and the election of Democrat Barack Obama.
If you are
reading this in the US, it’s a safe bet you woke up this morning to something
other than the sound of tanks rolling down the street, goose stepping troops
outside or screaming and pandemonium as folks lit themselves on fire in
despair. Life goes on and the apocalypse has not come and gone with the
re-election of Obama.
It is good to
have opinions when they are rooted in fact and reasonable arguments, as opposed
to parroting something you read somewhere. Read your history. Engage in
meaningful political discussion- not incessant ranting or regurgitating
something you heard. History will likely judge President Obama as a pretty good
president who did not grow up in Kenya and is not a Muslim. To me, he’s just
another one in a growing line of guys who got it a little right and a little
wrong.
Think, people. And
most importantly…vote. You may not always like the results but the pendulum
swings and the will of the people is enacted. My guess is we will have 4 more
years of Obama and then somebody else will get a crack at it. Life will go on.
Through it all, try your best to understand the views of those who do not agree
with you. They are not stupid, necessarily wrong or to be scorned just because
they do not share your ideology. You only show your ignorance if you believe
your party, religion or traditions enlighten you in some way that others are
not privy to. Those are the same misguided beliefs that lead someone to crash
airplanes into buildings and kill thousands of innocent people who have the
misfortune of not believing what they do.
Our nation was
founded on the principle of compromise. It is the purpose of term limits, two
parties and having both a House and Senate. It’s up to you how you want to
proceed. We can bicker and rant or we can sit down and try to find solutions.
Either way, God bless America.
