When we lived in Bismarck, Senator Margaret Chase Smith announced in January of 1964 that she was running for President. Smith was not the first woman to run for President of the U.S.-Victoria Claflin Woodhull was, in 1872--but Smith was the first to seek the endorsement of one of the two major parties (in this case, the Republican Party). Woodhull was a third-party candidate for the Equal Rights Party.
Anyway, good little Republican wife that I was back then, I was overjoyed when Senator Smith announced she was running. I sent her a $2 bill enclosed in a note of encouragement--"You are the best of the bunch, Republicans or Democrats." Also, not only was $2 hard to come by in those days, but a $2 bill had special cachet. My husband's grandmother gave us a $2 bill for our wedding. You had to go to the bank to get one, too. There were few in everyday circulation.
Senator Smith dropped out of the contest but not before she had campaigned in five of the 17 Republican primaries, finishing a respectable SECOND in Illinois. She did not accept any private contributions, and I recall feeling very sad when I got a letter from her with her gracious thanks and my $2 bill enclosed.
Not long ago, it was possible to type my home address in Google and come up with a list of persons living in my neighborhood and the total of their political contributions to specific organizations or candidates. I remember feeling a bit smug when I saw that one of my neighbors who annually brought his White House Christmas card hand-signed by "George and Laura" to December gatherings, had coughed up $100 to the Republicans, while I had managed somehow to contribute about $400 to John Edwards.
Edwards is not half the man Margaret Chase Smith (or Victoria Claflin Woodhull, either) was, so I don't expect to see a dime of that returned. But now that he's back in the news, and I've had time to revisit the extent of his mischief and think about it a bit, I'm tempted to ask him for a refund--except the person who would pay the most for that would be his wonderful wife, Elizabeth.
Hunh. I always thought there was a saying, "phony as a two dollar bill." Did I get that wrong? Sounds like $2 bills really meant something.
ReplyDeleteThe D.N.
It was "phony as a $3 bill"....smile.
ReplyDeleteTwos are still around. I got one last week at Safeway. But there's never been a $3 bill...thus the saying.
M.E., we have been on similar wave lengths for a long time. My college, Oberlin, put on a Mock Convention every 4 years. Students always voted for parents' party--Repub--then came up with platform more Socialist in content.
ReplyDeleteSo in 1952, I gave a seconding speech for Margaret Chase Smith for Vice Pres. We were so tame in those days but thinking feminism--yes?
As for Edwards, I too am embarrassed by early support because he had a real program that addressed poor people, health care and seniors. All of us losers in the political game of today.
Elizabeth Edwards I feel sorry for, wish she'd get a therapist who'd tell her to stop writing books, appearing on tell-all TV, and figure out how to leave the guy.
You're an Oberlin alum? I am totally impressed by the people I've met who went to OBERLIN! What is it about that place that attracts and turns out so many FINE people, creative artists, and rock solid liberals????
ReplyDeleteIn 1952, I was but a sophomore in high school, fervently wearing my "I LIKE IKE" button. Two years later, I entered the convent and came out five years later a confirmed member of the democratic party--just in time to vote for JFK.
It is surprising the number of Republicans who changed their party affiliation to Democrats someplace along the way. The last Republican presidential candidate I voted for was (I'm ashamed to say) Richard Nixon. Then I became interested in politics and started paying attention. I am, obviously, now a Democrat.
ReplyDeletedarlene: i want to tell the GOP: you had your ronald reagan, we have our barack obama. the appealing thing about reagan was that he was never MAD at anybody--unlike carter or nixon. the thing about obama is that he's SMARTER and nicer and less stuck-up than the bushies, and he's got a beautiful smile, too.
ReplyDeletepolicy anyone?
wot i learned when i was married to a republican was that if you scratch a republican or a democrat, what you find underneath is a POLITICIAN. they'll say what they need to get elected. it's too bad the politicians on the right are such dimbulbs.