An Uncivil War

As long as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated with politics.  Years ago, I remember watching the political conventions on our black and white television where every state announced its delegate count.  Back in the day, every state had a favorite son included in the delegate mix.  Most of them weren’t in the running but the states honored them by sending a few delegates their way.

Of course, this was way before cable TV, nasty ads that dominate our every waking moment,  and 5000 debates leading up to the actual nomination.  I’m not one to long for the past but heaven knows it was a little more civil then.

In my 68 years, I can honestly say I’ve never witnessed anything quite like this.  I can’t even imagine future elections.  Yes, I’m a Democrat and there is the typical sniping between the candidates.  I don’t subscribe to that but, at least, there’s more substance when they debate.  They don’t reference each other’s private parts.

If I identified as a Republican, I would be absolutely mortified.  There’s only one adult in that room and it appears that door will shut very shortly.  Interestingly, this week the Sun Sentinel based in Fort Lauderdale and owned by the Tribune, refused to endorse any Republican candidate.  They found not one of the candidates worth it.

“Trump would shake up Washington, no question,” the board wrote. “He might even unite Republicans and Democrats against a common enemy — himself. But given his smug, erratic, often petulant demeanor, do you really trust him with the keys to our nuclear arsenal?”
Duh…..that’s a resounding NO WAY!!!

They’re done with their boy, Rubio, because he doesn’t show up for work and backed away from the one piece of legislation on immigration he ran for office on.

Cruz basically hates Washington and wants to shut down the government.  “Cruz scares us.  He also should scare Republicans who want to win in November.”  Cruz tries so hard to get on that pulpit his father preached from, but as much as he tried to woo the Bible Belt, they got in bed with Trump.  Curious, ain’t it?

As for the only adult who refuses to engage in disgusting rhetoric, the only one who could conceivably best a Democrat in the general election, the Sun-Sentinel gives him a pass.  “Perhaps in a more-rational election year, the Sun Sentinel would endorse John Kasich. But we can’t urge you to vote for someone who doesn’t have a chance of winning the nomination.”

It looks like Trump may be their boy.  Wow….talk about a low bar.  “Make American Great Again.”  Not much of a veiled reference to the fact that our country is just not as white as it used to be.  He appeals to those people who could never accept our current President.  Trump encourages these bigots to violently assault protesters who will not accept his racist and xenophobic rants.

Yes, a lot of blue collar men lost jobs and have not recovered economically.  Where have their jobs gone?  To countries where labor is cheaper.  Corporations have to get more than their fair share.  Just ask Trump.

He loves to rile these people up.  Does anybody really think he’s going to do anything for them?  He’s going to bring back all these jobs?  Of course, he’s not.  Just remember….he loves the “poorly educated.”  They’re obviously willing to follow him to Jonestown and drink the Kool-Aid.

God bless America.  It’s ugly out there.

Reveling in Retirement

I look back on my own grandparents from a child’s perspective.  Were they having fun?  I’m not so sure.  My grandmother had a nursery and taught all of so much about gardening, while my grandfather ‘slapped’ the cards on the table nightly until after midnight chain smoking without any obvious ill effects.  He finally gave them up at age 89.

My other grandparents sold the farm in Minnesota and moved to sunny Orlando, the City Beautiful, long before it became the ugly, overdeveloped metropolis it is now.  They struck me as nothing if not sedentary.  I remember my grandpa watching wrestling on TV, and my grandma crocheting doilies.  When they were cross with each other, the conversation flipped from English to Danish, rendering us clueless.

No one really traveled much.  Their social lives were pretty confined to their children and grandchildren.  I don’t remember them going to the movies, restaurants, plays, the opera.

The boomers are different.  We seem to have chosen an alternate path just like every other stage of life we’ve encountered.  We’re exercise-driven.  Thank God for artificial hips and knees!  Even though I came to the party late, I’m now a health nut and living in Florida provides me with year-round farmers’ markets.

Traveling has provided us with a wider world view, a clearer understanding and gratitude of the gifts we take so much for granted.  We’re not as dependent on our children as previous generations.  Most of us have spent decades in the work force and, hopefully, the returns have let us enjoy a slower way of life.

The greatest asset of retirement is the joy of reconnecting with ‘old’ friends.  Right now, my college roommate and her husband are hot tubbing at the house they are renting next door here in Venice.  He was actually raised in Venice where his father had the Rexall Drug Store downtown where TJ Carney’s Pub is now.  My roommate is from a town south of here and all of my closest friends at Florida State University were from this area.  Little did I know that I would settle here almost 50 years later.

Later this summer, I’m meeting four of my girlfriends from high school at Tybee Island, near Savannah.  Every other year, we gather at a southern beach to catch up on children, grandchildren and life in general.  The first time we did this in 2005, we didn’t stop talking for days on end and as we were departing, one smart aleck quipped, “We’ll do this again in two years, tell the same stories and no one will remember any of them!”

On Saturday, BH and I are traveling to Fort Myers for lunch to meet a couple that had a huge influence when I was a teacher/politician in Hartford, Connecticut.  In fact, Kevin and I married in their back yard.

I could go on and on about the friends I’ve been able to reconnect with, most of whom I haven’t seen for at least 30 years.  And, the amazing thing is that there is literally no distance in those years.  We are basically the same people we were then.  Yes, we’ve traveled the roller coaster of life and, of course, we all have gathered some baggage,  But, we respect each other, appreciate our differences, and celebrate our commonalities.

If only our politicians could board that same train….