Because of Jimmy Carter’s 100th birthday on October 1, it seems appropriate to recount the when, why and how I became a Democrat and have remained a Democrat for 48 years.
In the summer of 1976, I was in San Francisco. I was 23. Youthful exuberance, significant-others-of-the-moment, and a desire for a change in locale, all figured into the brief move.
I visited the requisite places: Alcatraz, Ghirardelli Square, Candlestick Park, the Tenderloin, the Golden Gate Bridge, Market Street and Hyde. I now knew why visitors remarked that a summer in San Francisco was the coldest summer vacation ever. I witnessed a robbery on the bus and the incoherent winos on the street, but I was undaunted. I was charmed.
It was our nation’s 200th birthday and there were celebrations everywhere, but a week after all the fireworks and cleanup, the Democratic Party’s National Convention was held in New York City in Madison Square Garden.
That evening, I was in a bar where a television broadcast the convention. The smoky cigarette haze drifted across the view of the meeting which added to the edgy vibe where Barbara Jordan spoke earlier, and Jimmy Carter accepted the nomination for President of the United States. The emotion I felt when I heard his speech…I will never forget it. It was like Neil Diamond’s song, “Brother Love’s Salvation Show”. I experienced what could only be described as an epiphany and when I returned home, I registered to vote as a Democrat. I had never been particularly interested in politics, but Jimmy Carter and Barbara Jordan changed all of that.
I have never regretted that decision.
In the last eight years, I’ve noticed a few Democratic candidates distance themselves from the Party in an attempt to grab more votes from Moderate Republicans and Independents. This is a mistake, in my opinion.
If you look back on the Party’s history, no one is better at the economy than Democrats. In one hundred years of history, they’ve cleaned up after Republican’s mistakes time after time, and restored financial confidence in our system. Every government shutdown for the last 30 years has happened under a Republican majority in Congress.
When I examine the facts, I’m not sure where this idea originated: that Republicans are better for the economy or for the people of our country.
Worst of all, the Republican Party is the party of dirty tricks. Nixon could have ended the Vietnam War, but delayed it to spite LBJ. Reagan waited until just a few minutes after his inauguration to bring the Iran hostages home to spite Jimmy Carter and his failure to be re-elected. Since the Internet, the tricks have become worse; think Bush vs Dukakis and Willie Horton, the Swift Boat doxing against John Kerry, Pizza gate, Wikileaks, ad nauseam.
Our party has not been perfect. We have made mistakes, and we have paid for them, but the tradition of leadership, compassion, and progress continues—Social Security, civil rights, abortion rights, gay marriage, trans rights, healthcare…in times of need, the Democrats have been there, like a beacon in the darkness.
We’ve witnessed what disastrous results come from distancing oneself from the Democratic Party. Most recent in my memory is Tim Ryan of Ohio kept his distance from the Democratic Party and, as a result, he lost to J.D. Vance. Ryan’s election could have saved us all from Trump’s wrong-headed decision to have him as his running mate.
Jimmy Carter turns 100 on October 1. He’s stated he’s “holding out” to vote for Kamala Harris as president. We’re crossing our fingers. Jimmy is a true patriot, in every sense of the word. The only reason he was not more successful during his time in office was because he was too ethical and moral for the nasty politics of Washington.
Don’t forget Kamala’s words: “For the people”, because that’s what being a Democrat is all about and that’s the way it should be.
Vote, vote, vote, vote. Vote Democratic.
