Was It Darkest Before the Dawn?

New American Prophet ^ | January 29, 2025 | Rob Pue

[Rev M. Bresciani]

The first presidential election I remember taking an active interest in was in 1976. Jimmy Carter was running against Gerald Ford. I think the reason this election stands out in my memory is that I was in elementary school and the school held a “mock election.”

Even way back then, the public schools were actively indoctrinating the students with liberal ideologies, though none of us realized it. I remember the teacher giving us the basics on both candidates. Now, most likely we were told more about them than I remember now, but what sticks out in my mind is that Ford was considered as sort of a fool, being kind of “stupid,” known for falling down, and tripping a lot. I don’t remember learning much more about Ford. But we were told a lot about Carter…all superficial things. He was known for being a “poor” peanut farmer, and in rural Wisconsin, many of us kids grew up on farms, so we could relate to that. We were also told that Carter was humble and always stood up for the “little guy,” and how everyone loved his big, toothy smiles.

[SamuraiScot]

I remember my fourth grade teacher pimping McGovern in class back in `72 (man, I’m old).

I'm guessing that over time, public schools have gotten less locally oriented and more national in their ambitions--including Leftism and the Teacher's Union (but I repeat myself).

I started public school in 1960. My Kindergarten teacher was allowed to wear her "Kennedy" button in the run-up to the election, but I don't think it pushed many votes.

Back then, everything was local. I don't think it's a coincidence that all my public elementary school's principals were Catholic firemen, and the area was majority Catholic. It was only 35 miles from NYC, but was conservative. Then again, most New York suburbs were conservative, as were most boroughs of the City itself.

Ironically, my family considered ourselves liberal Democrats, but would be considered "conservative" today, because to be liberal then didn't include surrender, socialism, abortion, or obscenity.

In the course of the 1960s, the media changed, and we didn't. All of us were Reagan voters by his second term, and most were socially conservative, including pro-life. Inevitably, because it can take close to a century to realize what you really are, by the end of my parents' lives, our family was majority Catholic.

I'd have to say that Catholic firehouse culture had a deeper imprint on our very-intellectual family's thinking than the academy or "the media"--even though at that time, none of our males were Catholic, or firemen.

Note that even the media, while pushing Leftism on many fronts, was not yet dominated with "progressive" propaganda pretending to be news.

Political labels are but snapshots in time, while philosophy runs deep.

[Az Joe]

I remember the 1960 election, age 6. For some unknown reason I liked Nixon, (maybe because the girls in my class liked the handsome Kennedy?).

I was with my dad when he went down to Kennedy campaign office in our town and he put a Kennedy button on me. I remember being mad about that.