Thursday, September 30, 2004
In fall 1976, I was seven and steeped by politics. My parents and their friends, all of whom were very politically active in the infant state of Alaska, would gather together weekly to eat spaghetti, drink cheap Chianti and bitch about Nixon, Ford and the general state of the "fascist" American regime. I provided the entertainment when the conversation would lag, reciting beat poetry and singing Simon and Garfunkle songs. A not atypical upbringing for the only child of aging, unrepentant hippies.
Despite performing like a trained monkey, I enjoyed those nights because I'd get to stay up late and be with the grown ups. However, I hated all the "mean" things my parents and their friends would say about Ford. After all, he was the President and he took care of all of us. How could they call him an idiot and a crook? To me, it was like calling America bad names. I didn't care about Watergate or pardons. What Ford did before was irrelevant. He now wore a suit and protected us. He spoke plainly and simply about beating up the dirty Russians. No guy from Georgia (wherever that was) was going to change my mind with his big words and wishy washy talk.
Those memories came back to me today when I was reading about the debates and pondering how, after all the bullshit of the past three years, Bush can still be up in the polls. By 13 points, if you can believe Gallup (and there is considerable reason not to.)
I want to believe in the American people, I really do. But I have to conclude that, at least collectively, we're seven years old. We just want someone to stand up there in a suit and tell us everything is okay, details be damned. We need an iconic protector, and the Bush campaign has done a masterful job of providing us that.
And before anyone e-mails me about it, yes, I know Ford lost the '76 election. We're a lot dumber now.
Despite performing like a trained monkey, I enjoyed those nights because I'd get to stay up late and be with the grown ups. However, I hated all the "mean" things my parents and their friends would say about Ford. After all, he was the President and he took care of all of us. How could they call him an idiot and a crook? To me, it was like calling America bad names. I didn't care about Watergate or pardons. What Ford did before was irrelevant. He now wore a suit and protected us. He spoke plainly and simply about beating up the dirty Russians. No guy from Georgia (wherever that was) was going to change my mind with his big words and wishy washy talk.
Those memories came back to me today when I was reading about the debates and pondering how, after all the bullshit of the past three years, Bush can still be up in the polls. By 13 points, if you can believe Gallup (and there is considerable reason not to.)
I want to believe in the American people, I really do. But I have to conclude that, at least collectively, we're seven years old. We just want someone to stand up there in a suit and tell us everything is okay, details be damned. We need an iconic protector, and the Bush campaign has done a masterful job of providing us that.
And before anyone e-mails me about it, yes, I know Ford lost the '76 election. We're a lot dumber now.
Comments:
Post a Comment
