Sunday, November 2, 2008

Presidential Election

This isn't the venue to endorse candidates or issues.  But the election is certainly the dominant event in our country this week.  Keeping this related to our Class of '79,  I thought about the presidential election of 1976 -- the one that happened during our high school years.  Ford versus Carter.  I remember when President Ford was in Walnut Creek in the Spring of '76, probably campaigning against Ronald Reagan in the California primary.  I think the event was near the corner of Broadway and South Main Street.  A young Governor Jerry Brown was running in the California primary for the Democratic nomination in a late and unsuccessful attempt to derail the Carter candidacy.  

One thing to note about this current campaign is that Democratic candidate Barack Obama is a member of  Hawaii's Punahou High School's Class of '79.  Even if we may not necessarily have the same beliefs as Sen. Obama, it would be a first to have a member of our late baby-boomer generation in the White House.  As for Sen. McCain, I recall seeing on TV the Vietnam POWs returning home in 1973 and although I don't specifically remember McCain, I am sure he was one of the heroes I saw on TV back then.

1 comment:

John B. Ramsey said...

A good argument could be made that this 2008 election is most analogous to that 1976 election. An unknown Democrat going against an establishment moderate Republican. Ford was an incumbent, but he was, of course, unelected. I believe that places him in a category separate from other incumbent presidents, like Nixon, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II. In '76, America was said to be looking for a change -- a respite from the Nixon era.

Many today say the same thing and want a change from the Bush era, and are willing to take a chance on the new, young guy with the charisma. Yet, Ford almost won that race, after being far behind. McCain will have a harder climb than Ford because of the Fall Financial Crisis which totally changed the nature of this race.