Posted on 11/05/2008 11:56:58 AM PST by JWinNC
1976 was a great year for a 13 year old boy living in central Georgia. It was hot. The creek out back was cool. Girls were getting less weird and more pretty. My friends and I were within walking distance of the 7-11. “Now-Laters” and a Cherry Coke Icee were the treats of choice if we could get enough change together or beg a dollar from someone’s mom.
That Bicentennial Year had both optimism looking backward and trepidation looking forward. Where were we going as a country? Fresh wounds from Vietnam, the Cold War, Watergate, Agnew’s resignation, Nixon’s resignation, inflation and recession, everything had a feel of uncertainty.
I was a little young to grasp it all, but I knew one thing: the peanut farmer had the answer. James Earl "Jimmy" Carter Jr. had a toothy grin, a down-home southern drawl, and an infectious optimism. The thrust of Carter’s campaign for President was the reorganization of government (i.e. change). He attacked the status quo and offered a quasi-religious healing for the nation's wounds. Carter was very decisive about his run. He got into areas ahead of other candidates and grabbed some early recognition by winning the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary. He traveled thousands of miles and delivered hundreds of speeches.
The media supported Carter. In his book “The Carter Presidency and Beyond,” Lawrence Shoup wrote: "What Carter had that his opponents did not was the acceptance and support of elite sectors of the mass communications media. It was their favorable coverage of Carter and his campaign that gave him an edge, propelling him rocket-like to the top of the opinion polls. This helped Carter win key primary election victories, enabling him to rise from an obscure public figure to President-elect in the short space of 9 months."
Unfortunately for our nation, the change and optimism of the man from Plains did not translate into Presidential success. Energy crises were responded to by calls for conservation, lowering thermostats and wearing sweaters. Government borrowing and spending increased. The federal budget deficit ballooned. The economy suffered from massive inflation, high interest rates, oil shortages, high unemployment, slow economic growth and sharp declines in productivity.
Fortunately this story had a happy ending that can be described in three words: Ronald Wilson Reagan.
That 13 year old boy has learned a lot through the years. I pray for Barak Obama and I pray for this great nation, may God bless. I won’t judge President-Elect Obama before his term even begins, but I can’t help but feel that I‘ve seen this show before. It’s 1976 all over again.
jw
Except this time, the South will win.
Iran had a nice time toying with Jimmy. Now they have another great chance.
Did you eat a lot of paint chips when you were a kid?
i’m already seeing alot of old school punk haircuts, supertight ripped jeans, girls with the long sweaters over bright stretch pants with a belt and gogo boots.. the 80s are coming again.
Believe it. We'll probably be forced to get our news from soon-too-be-illegal satellite feeds of Al Jazerra or some other horrible-but-not-as-bad-as-our-MSM source
No, but I listened to a lot of Ratt.
More like 1917 in Russia. Keep the powder dry ... this time the White Army will defeat the Reds ...
You know, when I was thinking about the Carter administration, it dawned on me how often the Left nominates dark horses for president, while the Right tends to nominate war horses.
It reflects the Left's detachment from reality. They're always looking for the next messiah, while the Right is looking for someone with common sense. Experience is a plus for conservatives, but a minus for Leftists, since experience demonstrates that there are no political messiahs.
Gold. Gold was something like $600-700 an ounce back in '78-9.
“Iran had a nice time toying with Jimmy. Now they have another great chance.”
And they have the bomb.
The world has become too dangerous for the “social experiment” of electing an ACORN activist.
I also find any movie that has people like Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, etc. abhorent and sickening so I usually don't go to see, rent, or watch those either. Even if the movie sounds good I know I can't enjoy it with those type of characters in the movie.
I also try to avoid their websites.
“Two years from now will be a good Republican year.”
I had the same thought. It’s also Bill Clinton all over again. Gets in and carries a majority then loses it.
1976 and 2008 are worlds apart in similarity.
For one, innocents died long ago. We’re involved in multiple conflicts, the world economy is coming apart at the seams and the President elect is Black.
Uup!
I hope there will be no Supreme Court justices retiring in the next 2 -4 years.
Oh goodness, I think you can count on that happening. :(
jw
Nicely expressed.
The other day, before the election, one of my professors and an older, ‘non-traditional’ student in my class said they hadn’t seen an election with so much momentum behind it since 1968, and they were fondly reminiscing about being as young and excited about politics as we were back then.
Although, considering the one post-election celebration I observed contained Beatles music and students talking about civil rights, I think the 60’s just might be making a comeback.
Unfortunately for our nation, the change and optimism of the man from Plains did not translate into Presidential success. Energy crises were responded to by calls for conservation, lowering thermostats and wearing sweaters. Government borrowing and spending increased. The federal budget deficit ballooned. The economy suffered from massive inflation, high interest rates, oil shortages, high unemployment, slow economic growth and sharp declines in productivity.
The boomers out protesting in the 60’s are now grandparents. Many of them have grandkids that voted this week. They share a common enemy and that is why grandparents have a lot of influence on the their grandkids. Not only that, but they are raising most of them.
The 60’s are back.
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