“Are you optimistic ’bout the way that things are going?
No, I never, ever think of it at all
Don’t you ever worry when you see what’s going down?
Well, I try to mind my business, that is no business at all
When it’s time to function as a feeling, human being
Will your bachelor of arts help you get by?
I hope to study further, a few more years or so
I also hope to keep a steady high
Will you try to change things, use the power that you have?
The power of a million new ideas?
What is this power you speak of and the need for things to change?
I always thought that everything was fine
Don’t you feel repression just closing in around?
No, the campus here is very, very free
Don’t it make you angry the way war is dragging on?
Well, I hope the president knows what he’s into, I don’t know
Don’t you see starvation in the city where you live?
All the needless hunger, all the needless pain?
Ooh, I haven’t been there lately, the country is so fine
My neighbors don’t seem hungry ’cause they haven’t got the time
Thank you for the talk, you know you really eased my mind
I was troubled by the shapes of things to come
Well, if you had my outlook, your feelings would be numb
You’d always think that everything was fine”
“Dialogue” – Robert Lamm (Chicago) – 1972
My previous blog post was about religion, so I might as well continue with the taboo subjects and talk about politics. (By the time I’m done, I may not have any followers left…) “Dialogue” is probably my favorite song on my favorite Chicago album, because I can relate so well to the characters who are singing. When I was young, I had the views of character portrayed by Peter Cetera – I thought everything was fine, minded my own business, and hoped the President knew what he was doing. It wasn’t until later in life that I started having the views of the character portrayed by Terry Kath- being troubled by the shapes of things to come, worrying about what’s going down, being angry about wars dragging on, seeing all the needless hunger and pain. In today’s post, I’ll provide a look back at my changing political views over my life.
My earliest memory of presidential elections was in 1968, when I remember some kids in school talking about Hubert Humphrey. I was only 11 at the time and didn’t really follow what was going on. I started taking a little more notice in 1972, when Richard Nixon defeated George McGovern. As I recall, my dad was an Independent when it came to politics- I believe he frequently switched parties back and forth depending on who was running and the issues of the day. His father, on the other hand, was a staunch Republican, as I remember my dad and his dad arguing about Richard Nixon around the time of the Watergate scandal. I still had no real opinions as I didn’t follow world events that closely as a child, but I was beginning to take note of how politics influenced those around me.
When I became old enough, I would usually vote in the presidential elections. But I honestly don’t recall who I voted for- I would generally like one candidate over another, but like a lot of Americans, I didn’t really follow the issues or participate in the process, other than casting my vote. More often than not, like my mom, I would follow along with who my dad wanted. As I got older, I would tend to follow the candidates most of my friends seemed to like. I didn’t really put that much thought into it. I remember things changed when I started working for Merck. “Big PhRMA” tended to side with the Republicans, who were more friendly to the drug Industry. As employees, we were encouraged to donate to their Political Action Committee, which gave money to PhRMA-friendly candidates. My view was that as a young man starting a family with my career ahead of me, what was good for Merck was good for our family, so I got in line and usually voted for the Republicans. It took me a while to get my head out of the sand and look at the bigger picture- what was good for the country and not just me as an individual. I stopped donating to the PAC, as I began to see it wasn’t right to blindly follow what my company was telling me. It was time I made up my own mine as to what issues were important and who best represented my ideals.
I started paying a little closer attention to politics in the early 90s- the Clinton vs Bush and Clinton vs Gore years. Like my dad, I was an independent thinker. But to be honest, I truly don’t remember who I voted for in those elections, either. But then came the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11. That woke me up, and I started watching the news more frequently and getting more educated about current events and world affairs. In 2004, Michael Moore released the controversial documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11”, about the presidency of George W. Bush, the Iraq War, and the media’s coverage of the war. In the film, Moore stated that American corporate media were cheerleaders for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and did not provide an accurate or objective analysis of the rationale for the war and the resulting casualties there. Regardless of what you think of the film, it did open my eyes to the shady side of politics, and was the beginning of my taking a bigger interest in who was representing me.
The first presidential election that I took a major interest in was in 2008- Obama vs McCain. While John McCain was a Republican I respected and would have voted for over many other candidates, I felt his selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate was a crazy desperate attempt to get more votes. Had he selected someone with more experience I might have given him some consideration, but the lady who could “See Russia from her house” made him a hard no, particularly since Barack Obama was such a dynamic speaker who was exciting the entire nation. And the thought that we could elect the first President of color made me proud to be an American. Growing up in the 60s, I saw plenty of racial discrimination (even within my own family), so I felt that an Obama victory would be a big step forward for our country. Even my more conservative father was on board, and one day we both went to see Obama speak. But I also heard my share of derogatory comments about Obama- including a business colleague who once said “Anyone who works at Merck and votes for Obama should be shot (metaphorically).” I would even hear derogatory comments at Church, of all places, about the black guy running for president. When it was announced that Obama won, it brought a tear to my eye. I felt that it was a great day for our nation.
Then my father started obsessively watching Fox News. Over the next 4 years, his opinion about Obama changed dramatically. He was scared to death that the “Affordable Care Act” would result in “death panels” deciding who would live and who would die when people were seriously ill. Dad would send angry letters to many politicians- they weren’t threatening but they were pretty blunt- to the point I was almost worried the FBI would come knocking on his door. We would argue about it quite a bit, until we agreed to never discuss politics again. My mom was torn, because she agreed with me but had a hard a time going against my dad. I remained close to my parents, but our differing views made things awkward at times. Dad passed before Obama’s next term. In 2012, Obama’s opponent was Mitt Romney. Like McCain, I thought Romney wasn’t a bad guy, but I aligned more with Obama’s thinking and was happy when he won a second term.
Everything changed for me in 2016- it was Hillary Clinton vs Donald Trump. This was a no-brainer for me. I could not believe Donald Trump got the Republican nomination. I never liked the guy- I didn’t even like his TV show. I saw him for what he was- a self-centered businessman who was constantly declaring bankruptcy due to his numerous failed business ventures. For the first time in my life, who won REALLY mattered to me. I saw Hillary, like Obama, as someone who could move our country forward- this time by electing our first female president. Having been both Secretary of State and a US Senator, she was well-qualified for the position, and she was running against a TV celebrity with zero political experience. I decided to get involved to ensure her victory.
I dove right into the political waters. I heard a local candidate running to be our state representative, Rachel Hendricks, was having a meet-and-greet, so I decided to attend. It was the first of many political fundraisers I have attended. That got me excited. I started learning the political lingo and how we were organized at the local level. I learned about our local candidates and checked out our local Montgomery County Democratic Committee. I started by volunteering to fill out postcards to voters, then making phone calls. I got elected to be a Committee person for Lower Salford 6, and became an active canvasser, door-knocking for our candidates. I then got selected to represent our Area 3 at the Montgomery County Executive Committee meetings. And I became a canvassing lead for the Clinton Campaign in our area, running a staging area from our house with dozens of volunteers coming to our home to get their door-knocking assignments. I was all in.
I found that phone calls were difficult, and door-knocking was even harder. Before Clinton-Trump, it seemed easier to talk to people of both parties about the issues. Now the intensity seemed to be raised. As canvassers gathered at my house to get their assignments, a neighbor driving by gave us all the finger and shouted obscenities at us. One canvasser who came to our house was from New York- he was a personal friend of the Clinton family and had been volunteering for them since the days of Bill Clinton running for governor of Arkansas. He came here to help out in a county that was considered a key area for the campaign. When he came back to my house after knocking on doors, he said he just had the scariest experience he ever had in 30 years of canvassing for the Clintons, at a home in my area where he was chased off the property by a guy with a gun. While thankfully I never had anything like that happen to me, I did find that some people can be very mean. They say talking to voters makes a difference, but it was becoming hard for me to continue- I found it to be very stressful.
When Clinton lost, I was devastated. All that work for nothing. And it wasn’t just Hillary- most of the others I was volunteering for also lost, including candidates for the state Senate and House seats, as well as our local School Board. I gradually backed away from my political activities. I found it was contributing to my anxiety and depression. A bad knee made it difficult for me to canvass any more, although I probably would have quit regardless. While I stepped back from my Democratic Committee responsibilities, I continue to attend marches for causes that are important to me, as well as fundraisers for various candidates representing me and local, state, and federal levels. And I continue to lobby our representatives in Washington for funding for Prostate Cancer education, diagnosis, and treatment.
I long for the days of politics as I remember them years ago- when most politicians seemed honorable and were respected regardless of policy differences. There was no blatant bullying and name-calling and corruption, there was more bipartisan negotiation between the parties, we believed in the Constitution’s separation of powers, there was no such thing as “fake news” (as far as the major new networks were concerned), we believed our elections were fair, we believed in science, and our leaders sided with our world allies and fought against the world’s evil dictators. Depending on the issue of concern, I could comfortably opt to split my ballot and vote for candidates of any party. But sadly those days are gone.
I hope for the sake of future generations we can get back on track with the democratic ideals that the Founding Fathers wanted for our country. And I want to see us get back to supporting medical science, renew alliances with our allies, accept “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”, and get back to doing what we can to combat climate change and save our planet. One of my biggest concerns, although it is unlikely to change given the history of our nation- better gun control policies to reduce the crazy amount of gun violence in our country, particularly related to school shootings. Lastly, I hope to see affordable and available health care for all, particularly women. Those are my biggest concerns; I’m sure you have your own list. Find candidates who will speak for you. Regardless of your views, make your voice heard- please remember to vote!
“We can make it better. We can save the children. We can change the world now. We can make it happen.” – Chicago