Getting older has quite a few drawbacks, namely the aches and pains that come from an abused body, but it also has some benefits. One of those benefits is a lifetime of experience and memories. That bank of memories tends to keep older people from getting too excited about the newest fad. If anyone is entitled to co-opt the phrase, “Been there, done that”, it’s older people with lots of life experiences. Perhaps that’s why the only age group that failed to go overwhelmingly for Obama was the older age group.
Because I am a member of that older age group, my political experience goes back quite a bit. The Presidential election of 1964 was my first direct involvement with politics. I was 17 years old that year. Like most young people at the time, I was devastated by JFK’s assassination. Because of that desolation, it was easy to back his party in the ’64 election. It didn’t hurt that LBJ’s opponent seemed like a scary whacko. Politics was in my blood.
We were successful in 1964. Although I was too young to vote in that election, I had great hopes for the future. Today, I can only shake my head at such naivety. Unfortunately, in the 10 elections that were held from 1968 to 2004 I’ve only voted for the winner once – Bill Clinton in 1996. None of the choices I had over the years were what I would call inspiring. In fact, I haven’t felt inspired by a politician since the death of Bobby Kennedy.