From Purple PT to Latte Soul

My First Post on Kia Soul Forum

Princess Kiana

Lizza on the 2016 Election

I am flummoxed by this election. I make no bones about my political views. My sisters and I were raised to be an old-fashioned, rational Republicans. General Eisenhower was the one who exposed the concentration camps - and if I have my history correct, as President he started the Interstate system. When I came of age to vote, I voted a straight Republican ticket--yes, I voted for Richard Nixon. My hippie contemporaries would have been horrified had I disclosed that. Appearance-wise, I was hippie-ish, but only as a fashion statement. I was opposed to the Vietnam War, but politics had no salience for me and I didn't absorb the actual events. I was too wrapped up in my fantasy world of poetry, classical music, writing romantic fiction and exploring alternative lifestyles.

As I previously stated, I voted for Nixon in 1972. I voted for Gerald Ford in 1976. He was a "normal," Chamber of Commerce Republican--certainly not a right-wing ideologue. Then came the Reagan era, and the worm turned. The Moral Majority was on the uprise--people like Anita Bryant and Phyllis Schlafly actually had credibility with some. I watched the Republican Party morph into a right-wing, ultraconservative platform that clearly didn't appeal to middle-class, educated, working Americans who were progressive thinkers but still respected tradition. As a municipal employee working at the public library, I remember, at one point, saying, "I can't afford to be a Republican any more." In 1980, I became a registered Democrat and voted for Jimmy Carter.

The Republican Party today is a different bird. It bears no resemblance to the party I once knew. People like me used to be called "Rockefeller Republicans." That term is now archaic. Gone are the Nelson Rockefellers, the Charles Percys, and other prominent figures who held liberal to moderate views on social and domestic policies. Relegated to the dusty past are the statesmen (and women) who valued tradition, culture and higher education. These days they are dismissed as elitist WASPS. I still bemoan the fact that John B. Anderson of Illinois opted to run as an independent.

Now we have the Tea Party. We have Sarah Palin and her daughter Bristol’s short-lived reality TV program. We have a plethora of social and religious fanatical groups that identify as Republican. The Republican Party, as it is now, has alienated rational voters. Funny how my sisters and I grew up thinking of Democrats (we called them Damn Craps) as blue-collar hillbillies. Yup, we were snobs. We were clearly influenced by our family matriarch, Grandma Arabelle, who was obsessed with the DAR and unduly concerned about what to wear to services at the Plymouth Congregational Church and to luncheons at the Dayton's tea room. And I've gone far beyond that worldview. How ironic; the Democratic Party has now become the party of intellectuals.

I am a moderate. I describe myself as a liberal Republican of the old-school, and a conservative Democrat. I am fiscally conservative and socially liberal. But I'm not a Socialist. I'm a Baby Boomer senior citizen with a good bullshit detector. I am aghast that we’ve gone from Dwight D. Eisenhower to a bigoted, bloated, reality-TV turd whose idiotic spoutings disgust me and are, in my opinion, an embarrassment for our country. If Donald Trump were to become president, the United States would be the laughingstock of the world. Imagine "Hail to the Chief" playing for him! I can't.  (President Obama is, by the way, one of the most widely respected Presidents {worldwide} that we've had---at least in my lifetime. I supported him and was glad I traded in my car when I did so I didn't have to personally remove my Obama/Biden sticker from the windshield.)

There is no place for people like me in this country. 

Many Republicans simply won't vote. I personally know several, many of them seniors, who plan to sit out this election. Yes, I shall vote, and I shall vote for Hillary Clinton - not because I think she walks on water, but because she isn't terrifying and she has solid political experience - she served as Secretary of State and has a firm background in the workings of government. I know a lot of people detest Hillary Clinton. E-mail issues are just one of the fuzzy areas that ought to be addressed formally; clearly policies need updating in this cyber-age.  Much of the ridicule of Mrs. Clinton (jokes about her being strident, shrill, wearing pantsuits, etc.) is God-damned sexist, and that includes first-naming her, which I will not do. How many people referred to our President as "Barack?  

I wish both parties could have come up with popular, widely respected candidates. There is a generation that didn't step up to the plate, and we're seeing the results. No criticism personally of my own nieces and nephews - but people born in the 70s are the right age to be running for President now, and the pool is empty. So Democrats have old people (older than I am!) running. And the Republicans have The Donald. I would love to hear my father's spin on this. The only thing I hear from him right now is him spinning in his grave. 

So - to Hillary Clinton, who I fervently hope wins the election, I say, "I put my trust in you to lead this country. Please don't let us down." My only words for Donald Trump are, "You're fired." 

Now we wait for the chips to fall - or for the shit to hit the fan.