A person’s perspective on a variety of subjects will change over time, usually from an increased amount of knowledge regarding them. Things that you once believed to be held in high esteem may no longer be so, and things that you once dismissed as absurd or just plain stupid are now seen in a totally different light. Without further research into the clinical data, I am going to assume that this is a universal phenomenon.
In our youth we were taught to accept and expect a higher degree of intellect from government officials and the positions they were elected to. It was easy to have a vague understanding of this concept as children and the local politicians (various levels) we were familiar with; a little back scratching here – a little back scratching there, or if you prefer Latin – Quid Pro Quo.
Openly speaking poorly of Presidents was disrespectful; that was then. It’s a free-for-all now and blurs the rose colored glasses I looked through those many years ago. Pontificating the agony and woes of Joe Biden (D-DE) is redundant ad nauseam. God Bless the man, but everyone knows a diet of oatmeal and a chocolate Ensure protein shake served inside a gated community is near.
My parents tortured us enroute to our summer vacations by visiting the museums of Dwight D. Eisenhower (R-KS) in Abilene, KS, and Harry S. Truman (D-MO) in Independence, MO. It was an honest effort to aide our education – and I am very thankful for their attempts, but surely they had to comprehend the extreme odds of anything relevant actually sticking in our heads.
I have returned to these Presidential museums as an adult, as well as a few others, and enjoyed them all a great deal. These men were flesh and blood and prone to historical highs and humbling lows just like any other human being. The events that transpired before, during and after their terms in office impacted the lives of people all over the world for good and for bad.
Democracy and diplomacy are not immune to dirty tactics or double dealings.
My first ever vote was for Jimmy Carter (D-GA). He was a farmer, wore blue jeans and liked southern rock n’ roll; it was a no-brainer. I wore a peanut tie on game days during football my senior year.
Jump ahead to Oct. 21, 1984. President Ronald Reagan (R-CA) was in Kansas City to debate Walter Mondale (D-MN). I was young and muscular with a crew cut. A dear friend with connections offered me an invitation. I was in!
In my black suit with an American flag lapel pin, I must have looked like someone of importance. Delegates and party members for both candidates began to approach me – cautiously, whispering from the corners of their mouths, “What time will Reagan arrive?” “When is Mondale scheduled to be here?" It quickly dawned on me that I had some influence.
I began talking into my wristwatch and reaching up, touching my ear like I was listening to Command Control. The feeling was electrifying. As more people questioned me, I responded, "That's confidential," or "That's on a ‘need to know’, please move along.”
“Hail to the Chief,” began to play as President Reagan waved to the crowd, walking toward the podium. It was hot inside the auditorium and I was sweating a little. I stood in the back along the wall. To my left and to my right I could see two men both in black suits with American flag lapel pins closing in fast.
“Do you have any idea of the trouble you could be in for impersonating a Secret Service agent, boy?” I think I answered, “Not too much I hope,” now sweating quite a bit more.
They each held an elbow, squeezing in shoulder to shoulder, escorting me out, my feet never touching the floor. I was carried through the main lobby to the front door, and set down onto the sidewalk. “Don’t you ever….,” one of the agents started to say as I interrupted, “Nope, never ever again, swear to God, never ever again,” I assured them. “Sorry.”
I didn’t run, but I walked away as fast as any person has ever walked, “This I can assure you,” Donald Trump (R-NY).
