Good Morning gentle readers!
One thing I was thinking about yesterday after the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy was 1980. Now, in 1980 I was in eighth grade and really didn't know a whole lot about politics. I could, though, do a decent Boston accent.
So, as our school did a theme (did they even use that word then?) on the 1980 election (Jimmy Carter vs. Ted Kennedy in the Democtratic primary) I put my glasses down the end of my nose, did a fake Boston accent and pointed a whole lot. So, in our mock election, I campaigned as Ted Kennedy.
Of course, knowing what I know now, I would have tried a southern accent and carried around a jar of peanuts.
Just think for a minute, though, how different the world would be if you could change that 1980 election.
For some reason (gas prices, recession), the U.S. wasn't in the mood to re-elect Jimmy Carter. He somehow appeared too weak and southernly to run the country (but we elected 'W' twice?).
Anyway, if Carter had said he wasn't running for a second term, Kennedy would have been the Democrat running against Ronald Reagan.
Now, Kennedy certainly had a lot of flaws. What politician doesn't? Anyway, he probably would have given Reagan a run for his money (which is why he won anyway).
So, we never would have had the trickle-down theory of Reagan-omics (we are still feeling the effects of that one). We never would have had Iran-Contra. Probably never seen Bush the elder and, maybe (we can hope anyway), Bush the younger.
Maybe we would already have health care reform. Maybe we would already have worker's rights. Maybe we wouldn't be in another unwinnable war.
Then again, maybe we'd have somebody like Mitt Romney running the country now.
Let's hope it all evens out in the wash.
By the way, they also traded on fear in 1980:
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