The race is finally on. This could turn out to be one of the best experiences of your life. First, why I can make this claim:
In 1968, my dad rented a mobile home to travel cross country emblazoned with a banner splayed across both sides, "Nixon's the One." (Akin to Lucille Ball's movie, "The Longest Trailer.)" As we traveled, I looked at pop campaign literature of the Nixon daughters, Trish and Julie, conservative-style 60s; and I wondered who the Nixon girls might marry, ala modern-day Bachlorette. (Julie married Dwight David Eisenhower II, grandson of the former president on December 22, 1968, a month after Nixon won the presidency.)
The midwest rolled by beneath our mobile trailer wheels; and Iowa cornfields, here we come!
Just prior to our fabled cross-country trip, I, a child, asked my father, "Why is the flag at half mast?" The American flag was prominently displayed at half mast on the small village green. My father told me it was for the passing of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Walter Cronkite reports on the CBS Nightly News on April 4, 1968: http://www.youtube.com/...
And Robert Kennedy's moving plea on that day for a country of love and compassion: http://www.youtube.com/... This video is amazing and still thrusts brings me back to that day. An excerpt:
In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it is perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in.....
We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times; we've had difficult times in the past; we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; it is not the end of disorder.
But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings who abide in our land.
A short time later, on his quest for the presidency, RFK was shot and killed. (If they're going to shoot, they'll shoot. - Candidate Robert F. Kennedy to aide Fred Dutton, April 11, 1968.)
Nixon won the Presidency in 1968. Don't tell me you're not going to vote.
By 1972, the Viet Nam war was ongoing headlines. And Nixon prevailed again, winning the Presidency.
Watergate hits. Gerald Ford steps in and the power balance begins to re-align.
By 1976, I am not quite old enough to vote yet, although I am deep into on-the-ground politics. My uncle is running for State Senate. He's a republican. And I am emeshed in primary Republicans battles. Many t-shirts, buttons, lawn signs and chalkboards later, my uncle wins, and Carter wins the Presidency. I like Carter -- given my conservative upbringing -- a humble man before the Lord. Here begins my subsequent shift from the right.
By 1980, adulthood, and much has happened. My college roommate is Marjolaine, a vietnemes refugee from the war. Meanwhile, my family has signed me up to be a part of Ronald Regan's motorcade. My girlfriend, TM, dubiously signs up with me and, next thing she knows, she's gunning down the expressway in a faux motorcade -- a decoy motorcade (no Regan) for security purposes; citizens saluting along the motorcade route to an empty limosine as she speeds past; surrounded by police cars with sirens blaring. She arrives at the event; we are both greeted by "Rawhide," the Secret Service nickname for Reagan that day. And into the event we go. Once inside, citizens protesting events in Nicaragua disrupt the event. Being an uninformed Republican at the time, little did I know of the Contra war or of Iran-Contra looming at the time.
Par for politics preying on the youth, I had been distracted from the real issues. And confused. My first electoral vote for President was one of dissent (John Anderson.) Regan won the presidency. Another step towards corporste rule was taken. Another step away from democracy.
Mr. Karl Rove, you will not distract us by a charming and ignorant Sarah Palin. I think we are better minded, more focused, and have bigger fish to fry.
Iran Contra
You never know what is going to change a person's mind -- switching from a lifetime of voting Republican to becoming a Democrat. My moment came in 1992. Each person is an individual and the key to how we vote is unique to each person. My "aha" moment came during the 1992 Republican convention. You see, I'm a devout Christian, and raised on libertarian vslues: less government is more. So, when I tuned into the Republican convention, I wasn't expecting it change to my voting habits of a generation. But there it was -- a Republican convention that felt more like a Christian revival movement than a political event, and I HATED it. The last thing I wanted was for "government" to preach to me. The last thing I wanted was somebody telling me how I should or should not worship. And for the first time, I took a serious look at a Democrat candidate, Bill Clinton, and I (albeit with reservations), liked what I saw.
I obviously wasn't the only one suspecting something was up. Clinton won the presidency. By the time the Gringich revolution was in full swing, I had no regrets and was horrified by the well greased hypocrosy of saying one thing and enacting policy quite different. Our government was quickly being taken out of our hands and handed over lock stock and barrel to corporate interests.
The true friend of property, the true conservative, is he who insists that property shall be the servant and not the master of the commonwealth; who insists that the creature of man’s making shall be the servant and not the master of the man who made it. The citizens of the United States must effectively control the mighty commercial forces which they have called into being.
There can be no effective control of corporations while their political activity remains. To put an end to it will be neither a short nor an easy task, but it can be done.
We must have complete and effective publicity of corporate affairs, so that the people may know beyond peradventure whether the corporations obey the law and whether their management entitles them to the confidence of the public. It is necessary that laws should be passed to prohibit the use of corporate funds directly or indirectly for political purposes; it is still more necessary that such laws should be thoroughly enforced. Corporate expenditures for political purposes, and especially such expenditures by public-service corporations, have supplied one of the principal sources of corruption in our political affairs.
Read the full speech here: Teddy Roosevelt
And impeachment was on. The noise and distractions against our nation's better interests on the environment and healthcare and freedom of religion was deafening. Many of you lived through the daily drumbeat (and I mean daily, like 24/7) of Clinton-trashing and no solutions offered for moving the country to a brighter day. Clinton was acquitted primarily because of the American people rallying to our President's side against a small cadre of the petty minded. Newt will never recover.
The close race in 2000 demonstrated that all the money in the world that the Repoublicans can dump in the system can't fool all the people. During the aughts, messaging and memes, attacks on Gore's environmental concerns were angry and bitter and there was no meaningful discussion.
In 2002, I heard a young State Senator by the name of Barack Obama speak at an anit-war demonstration in Chicago. He later announced his bid for the U.S. Senate, and running on a record of over 900 bills that he had passed in the State legislature, he ran a smart ground campaign and handlily won the seat. (ms. Palin would later say that he passed Zero bills -- although the record clearly shows over 900. Palin's first lie.)
By the time I was volunteering for his Presidential bid years later, the ground campaign sent me to Indiana to a very upscale neighborhood. I began seeing the role of government in a totally new light. How it is about us, and how to communicate with one another. How we push our values forward despite the noise and distractions.
We're in a similar fight now and the fall is our golden opportunity to keep pushing the country in a new and better direction. Remember, there are more registered dems than repubs.
So I stated in my intro that this time could be a great experience for you. How? Find a candidate you can really get behind and go out and meet that person. Not someone you sort-of agree with -- someone ideally who aligns with 65-75% of your values and give this person all you've got. Get out there and it could change your life. Campaigning is a high, even when you loose. These candidates are dying to meet you. There are local, state, and national races. Pick one. That doesn't mean that you stop blogging, or that you abandon other good candidates, or that you don't voice your opinions on the Meta. Campaigns are won with muscle and courage of conviction. I've been a part of so many campaigns. The people you'll meet are much like yourself -- ordinary folks most of them -- some I've found are rather geeky and not glamorous at all.
Local races can be the tough because everyone knows each other and it can get personal. If you've never volunteered for a campaign before, state races are a good entry point. A new State Representatives gunning for blue in a red district may be much much easier than you think. Oftentimes all you need is enough votes to fill your local high school football field -- and I'm not talking margin of victory -- I'm talking that's all you need. If you volunteer to help somebody running for the State Senate, determine the number of votes you need to win. Again, you'll be surprised. And, of course, if you are ready to jump in full steam, the national candidates want to meet you as well.
When campainging, start with the friends and family plan, let them know what you're up to. You don't need to argue. If you've chosen your candidate well, you should be able to explain clearly and with clarity why you're backing that candidate and leave it at that.
Expand out from family and friends to include the neighborhood. Work your way out in concentric circles -- business, churces, nonprofits. And, when working in the campaign office, what can you uniquely offer your candidate? Are you good at organizing events? Are you good with web and message design? Are you leader or follower? They'll need everybody. And you will be put to use.
The Right Wing Noise Machine is meant to drown you out. It's meant to highlight the Christine O'Donnells and Rush Limbaughs and Karl Roves and get Americans all fighting one another instead of talking to one another. It's about distraction.
So I look my Republican frinds in the eye and ask: "What would you do different?" I remind them of the big crash of 2008, and the banks failed, and Bush came begging to the American people for money, and people with money were looking for places to put their money -- without it going into freefall, and we learned about credit default swaps. And I ask my Republican friends what they would do differently. They have no answer. But I do. And you do too. You have your meta. It may be the environment and here's your candidate that's working on it. It may be healtcare and here's the candidate to vote for, it may be about campaign finance reform for you, and point them to your candidate. By now, you've met and know your candidate, and you can back up your statements.
I firmly believe if you've never done this type of ground work before, you won't regret it. It's exciting and worthwhile. And, as I've seen, time and time again, you may have a hand in bettering this great country of ours.