Presidents

 I was born a month before FDR died.  Google tells me I could raise my head when I was laid upon my stomach and turn my head to one side.  I started to focus with both eyes and could follow a moving object.  Well I will have to take Google's word for that.  Pretty sure I didn't know who the president was.

In 1948 my family was in Chattanooga Tennessee.  I remember once finding a turtle under a house. Don't recall being astonished at Truman beating Dewey.  I have visited Harry's presidential library and even though he was not an intellectual giant and a little bit crooked, he generally did the right thing, and I think he was a good man.

1952 I liked Ike.  Second and third graders divided into two gangs on the playground, Democrats and Republicans, and there were some skirmishes, but nobody even skinned their knees.  The fifties were a golden age if you were white, which I was.  Not a bad guy.  Eight years of peace and prosperity.

In 1960 I have to admit I was for Nixon.  Kind of wanted to be a Republican like Dad and was suspicious that all the Catholic kids I knew were for Kennedy which seemed kind of like a conspiracy.  When he got shot my first thought was oh no, now we were stuck with that hillbilly Johnson.

In 1964 the Republicans nominated Goldwater who scared me.  I believe his VP was all for unsheathing the nuclear sword.  Too nuts.  I shed my fading Republicanism and have never looked back.

In 1968, the first year I was eligible, I wanted to vote for Dick Gregory's Peace and Freedom party, but I was afraid that in the polling place reason would seize me and I would pull the lever for Humphrey.  Solved the problem by not registering to vote.  Enough said about that.

In 1972 I was full in for McGovern.  Gave twenty big ones to the campaign and did work out of the local McGovern office.  Worked election day getting out the vote.  It was all very exciting. He lost in 49 states.  Dick Nixon did himself in.  Probably the worst thing he did was sabotage the Vietnam peace conference, and then continue the war for no good reason.

Carter was far from my first choice in 1976, but he won the nomination.  Ford was kind of a nothing, but I was surprised that Carter did so poorly in his presidency.  Too much of an outsider, too pure to play the game pundits have said.

Ronnie Reagan was an affable guy but not very bright.  Taxes for the rich began being slashed under him. Trickle down turned out to not trickle down but stay with the rich who knew it would and were the  advisers he listened to probably because Nancy told him to.  No wars, which was nice but definitely increased income inequality.

Bush 1 was not awful.  He handled the first gulf war quite well, showed future presidents how to do it, but was completely ignored by his dumb kid.  Continued Ronnie's trickle down ways, raised income inequality and inflation.

1992 was a great year for me.  I bought my condo and Slick Willie rescued us from 12 years of Republicans.  I loved him for that alone though I wish that he was more liberal.  No wars and I believe he actually cut the deficit once or twice.  In retrospect though, pretty sleazy.

In 2000 I thought Bush 2 would not be so bad.  I fell a little for that compassionate conservative crap, and early on I think he did a couple good things with immigration and AIDs, and he might not have been bad had those planes hit the towers.  Under the evil influence of Cheney he put on his old national guard uni and went to war led by the neocons who were ignorant or feathering their own nests.  A terrible, terrible war that did nobody any good.  In retrospect to the last Republican prez though, he now appears to be a gentleman and a scholar and a statesman.

When Obama won in 2008 I thought Free at last, free at last, Thank God Almighty free at last.  He gave us Obamacare, no wars, no scandals, and talked to us like we were smart people.  But Mitch and the crew fought him at every single fucking turn, and the yellow dogs turned tail. Still he is my shining star.

Could it be as bad as I thought it would be I thought after election day 2016 (just days after the Cubs won the World Series!!!).  Yes.  Actually worse.  Enough said about that.

I was a little surprised Biden hadn't run in 2016, and didn't believe he would get in in 2020, and having got in I didn't think he had a chance.  He was far from my first choice (Elizabeth Warren), but after he won I thought this might turn out ok.  I'm a cynic and think believing in something is cornball, but maybe after the last four years of believing in nothing, he was the guy to do the job.  I think he did pretty well considering his small margins.  I was horrified at the debate though and am glad he has dropped out, and I think we have a shot.