WIRED (A Cappy Political Reach)
There is a film clip often used when sports broadcasters, or historians present a flashback of legendary Green Bay Packer coach; Vince Lombardi. In heavy overcoat on the sidelines after something he did not like occurred on the field, he is heard to exclaim; “what the hell is going on out there?” Those words echo in my mind when trying to make sense of the current national political turmoil – specifically this primary season!
Do you experience confusion, or are we all wired to be all right with the mayhem occurring regardless of position?
One thing that should be stated up front; I am a Liberal Democrat. Have I been wired from birth to be a Democrat, or is my present political philosophy the result of a series of personal experiences? Let us examine that, and perhaps we may arrive at some definite conclusion, or perhaps none of what I have to say will matter! Hopefully there is an answer to the question “what the hell?” Let us try.
In 1948 I turned twenty one, just in time to vote in the Presidential election between Harry Truman, the incumbent Democratic President and Thomas Dewey, Republican and the Governor of the State of New York. I must confess my knowledge of politics was nada, nada. I did however follow current events but not in a concentrated or studious manner. My interests leaned toward pop culture - you know; the celebrities of the day, be-bop, dancing, and girls were of course high on the priority list.
Most of us were aware that Truman’s predecessor Franklin Delano Roosevelt was loved by the majority of Americans, including me. But for some reason I was in awe of Thomas Dewey! I guess it was because he came close to being identified as a celebrity.
Add to this unreasonable leaning toward Dewey, my older brother had a good argument to persuade me to register Republican and vote for Dewey. I am sorry to say his job depended on satisfying some local Republican city officials. That was the way it was in city politics, and for certain the case today. My dear brother recruited me, and the result is history. My first vote for a President of the United States was for naught!
Did that change my political leanings? Certainly not! During WWII one of my heroes besides General Patton was Dwight D. Eisenhower. I voted for Dwight, a Republican and happily so. His speech when he uttered those lines about the “military industrial complex” still rings in my ears!
If one is not tuned in to political beliefs at birth then it must be those life experiences an individual encounters throughout their whole life. Most important perhaps much of it is formed during early impressionable and adult growth years. I do not pretend to know anything of the human psyche. What I offer here, is in essence the result only of my personal experiences.
While working at a TV station in Phoenix Arizona in the late 50s I had the pleasure of shaking hands with Barry Goldwater. He impressed me with his statesman like persona and I did not mind his ultra conservative views. But then along came the Presidential election of 1960. The Nation and yours truly were introduced to John F. Kennedy. All of my political leanings toward the right faded; like scaffolding at the end of a construction project. It was at this time, politics became serious thought in my life. It did not consume me, but it ceased to exist at the bottom of the totem pole.
Vividly I recall the first TV debates between JFK and Richard Nixon. Kennedy with his cool demeanor and Nixon sweating profusely under the glaring lights. I cannot forget the newly elected President’s “ask not” inaugural speech. Also recalled; the moments when the president called Khrushchev’s bluff during the Cuban missile crises. Were these the impressions that nudged me?
Civil rights legislation during Johnson’s term looms large in my memory. The unfortunate events of Carter’s time in office, i.e.; double digit inflation, and the Iranian hostage situation, failed to dim my ideological fervor. After all, the oil embargos were not of his doing and he did win a Nobel Peace prize for helping to arrange peace between Israel and Egypt. The die was cast. I guess you might say I became a Liberal somewhere during that time. Unless there is an earth shattering negative experience caused by the Democrats, or I fall deeply in love with a Republican lady, that mindset will remain!
Was my becoming a liberal, innate, all the while? Was it dormant within my consciousness and just required some outside prodding? Is my personality, one that tends to be restrained and non-aggressive have something to do with it? I do not have the answers and do not know if anyone does.
There are some obvious conditions that can be discussed. The percentages I may quote are purely my guess and not based on any scientific research. It may be fair to say that somewhere between twenty to thirty five percent of the electorate ideologically lies on either side of the political spectrum. This for simplicity strictly within this blog is defined as the base of each political party. The individuals belonging in this group, of which I am one, will probably never change their opinions.
From personal experience I have found that those individuals that lean right think the current group of Republican candidates is of the highest order. Whereas those on the left regard the current Republican primary process and debates a joke. For further proof give a listen, as I have to the talking heads on MSNBC and those on FOX. The difference in respect and belief is alarming!
That brings us to the question raised at the onset; “what the hell is going on out there?”
This query is reference to the ongoing Presidential electoral process of the year 2012. After watching the Republican political debates have you been asking the same question? Are you as perplexed as I?
As you have surmised by the historical accounts in this piece, which by the way is much longer than ever anticipated, I am an aged man, eighty four years aged. Notice I refrained from saying the three letter word usually reserved for one that is beyond seventy. Well through all those years, and I am sure others my age would repeat; “never, ever witnessed a Presidential election progression as bizarre as this! One element; it is being performed on the Republican stage. The Democrats in most part have been the spectators and primarily the subject, or in this case the sub plot.
Before I go any further, if I may, let us look at your perspective. Do you identify with what I am uttering? Do you align yourself with my experiences? Are you reading this and exclaiming; “Cappy has gone totally overboard?’ What the hell is he drinking?’ The answer; “none of the above” OK enough with the quotes.
If you are still with me, then you perhaps agree with this presentation, anxious to hear more, do not agree, and are curious enough to continue, or angry enough to find it necessary to accumulate a foundation in order to retort, or change channels!
My thoughts are merely assumptions, very subjective, and offered to perhaps provide some humor to what up to now has been a parade of Presidential candidates that do not rise to the high standards of their own Party. My intent is not to evaluate each of the candidate’s capabilities, nor to comment on performance. Those assessments will be up to the electorate.
We have become victims. Regardless of beliefs, our vulnerabilities and sensitivities are under attack! What follows is my opinion of; “what the hell is going on out there!”
Is it possible we are witnessing a “reality show”? It sure seems so. We have had contestants eliminated one by one, unable to remember their lines, or who they really are. Unfortunately the cast has dwindled to an un-precious few. Placing it in focus; the Republican Party base may or may not be content with the available selection. So what do we have and what lies in the future?
This show has been supported by all major TV networks. Because it is a reality show it must go on as a hard fought struggle to survive. If you have doubt this is a TV rigged show I would like to recall a little history. When Joe Louis was the heavyweight boxing champion of the world his popularity was starting to wane. His fights which he won with ease were two infrequent. The promoters decided to feed Mr. Louis a victim each month. This became known as the “bum of the month club” because the competition was so thin. Nevertheless his popularity soared even though he dispensed with most of them before the third round. I am familiar with all this because I was one of those entranced with others as we gathered around the radio.
I draw this parallel to the debates primarily because as you now know the phrase “flavor of the month” has been used to describe the on-going parade of candidates where the leading candidate seems to change with each state’s primary. Romney, then Gingrich, then Santorum and even Paul getting in there for a few punches.
However, the TV ratings for the debates are in jeopardy because we have had nineteen or so and the specter of a “brokered convention” looms on the horizon. The absence of any brokered talk has been noticeable. It would take away the competitive angle of this wonderful intense production! The media will have none of that chatter through the summer and are doing their hardest to shut the threat of that commotion down!
There are two reasons why a brokered convention is only whispered 1) the aforementioned TV attraction of competitiveness for interest and survival, and 2) the negative appearance of the Republican Party because there is no clear-cut candidate!
Stranger things have happened. Perhaps the media, the GOP claims is liberal, is in essence making the GOP look good in its’ quest to nominate a viable nominee?
Oh, before I forget; there is a supporting cast in this drama. In the wings we have; Sarah Palin and Donald Trump. This entire production would be a colossal failure if their voices were not injected. If there are doubts as to my assumptions that this is a reality show then one must ponder the question, why are they featured so often?
Many Republicans, not of the base, are dissatisfied with the current collection of candidates, and I do not blame them. If there is a brokered convention, do not be surprised if one or two additional hats will be tossed into the ring! These would be individuals that did not care to appear on any reality show, and could not afford to do so. Have you noticed during the CPAC; Marco Rubio auditioning? Perhaps looking forward to 2016, or just maybe, just maybe?
In summary, as noted the title of this piece is “Wired”. Without doubt, one would conclude I am a wired liberal. That is OK, whether at birth or by influence. Can you identify the origin of your political leanings? It could have been a teacher, a friend, family member, spouse, talk show host or a celebrity. Myriad influences exist out there especially now in this age of rapid and accessible information. In the end it all comes down to your ability to sift through fact and fiction. Normally we all are open to influence, and the media has taken advantage of all their weapons. We do, however have the ability to reason and use common sense. In a way these mental attributes rely on a Wi-Fi probability. So there is hope - for all of us!
At the core of it all, the final judge is you. Soon!
Unc, well thought out and very nicely worded. The upcoming election has me chanting one phrase "God help us all"
ReplyDelete"I identify with your utterances."
ReplyDeleteYou had almost a 17 year head start on me and experienced, first hand, probably some of the most formidable happenings in our history. Depression, WWII, The Marshall Plan, etc. Sometime during that span you became impressionable about life around you but probably not related to politics.
Just to let you know my ideological position, I am what appears to be on the opposite side of the spectrum. And, up to this time that is why we seldom talked about ideology because it can be consuming and could suppress our communications.
I can tell you that my position today started when I was 18 years old and studying the History of Economic Thought in college. Like you say it may have been a teacher. In my case it was several teachers. But the most impressionable one was a Dr. Senholtz. Dr. Senholtz was an authentic German Luftwaffe fighter pilot and was credited with enough kills of Allied aircraft to be an Ace. Right away you would say "What the hell is going on here"? To make a long story a little shorter I will not go into his migratory history but he ended up learning and following the teaching of the Austrian School of Economic Thought. The center of this economic philosophy was a Dr. Von Mises, who at the time, was the head of the Economics department at NYU. The principles of which taught Free Trade and the Open Market, a conservative approach to limited government. One quick story here that chimes in with Congress' struggle to try and fix Social Security. Remember now that this was in the very early 1960's. He predicted then that Social Security would go broke and that was before the Government raided the Trust Fund. If Americans were given the opportunity to invest the same amount of money the Government taxed us each pay day, we would amass a small fortune to insure our retirement. So, it wasn't George W. Bush's idea.
Okay, let's get back on track. I have never voted along party lines. I Stop, Look, and Listen like when I was a crossing guard in West Park. Today the media can influence those in the middle you speak of because those voters don't know S_ _T. It is a popularity contest to them. Another Bachelor or DWS or Survivor. The Republican debates make for good theater but I believe that it is hurting the Republican hopefuls rather than separating them from the rest of the pack. Hell, the guy I really like was Herman Cain and his 9-9-9 plan. Also, the "Vetting" process in today's political arena is absolutely mind boggling. I don't think that happened in the last Presidential Election. I personally think that we have not heard the last of the Truth about President Obama and I am not a Birther.
I am hoping for a Brokered Convention. I can see a star rising in Rubio and, if he can lose 50 lbs. before the convention, Christie. Although I like her it mustn't be a Palin and I don't think that Trump is a serious option and the GOP knows that.
To close, I will support whomever runs against Obama. From the beginning I have been a skeptic of how his candidacy and eventual election was brokered and by whom? I already told you that if it were Hillary in 2008, I would have voted for her and not McCain. Amen.....................LF