Part I
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THE EIGHTIES

(1981-1984):

Over the next four years, I spent considerably more time focused on my adolescence that politics. Besides, I didn't have burning issues to drive me. I wasn’t at that level of interest yet. I really hadn’t fully grasped the practical and ideological differences that were being fought over. I was more interested in – well, girls. I spent my high school years at a parochial school because my parents were willing to make the necessary sacrifices to keep me out of the Bridgeport school system. Being employed by the Department of Education in Bridgeport, they knew it well. I was surrounded by kids who bused in from towns all over Southwestern Connecticut.

Going to a Catholic school was not a new experience for me. I had just been in one from grade four through eight, but that was a much smaller environment. Not all the kids at my high school were affluent, I certainly wasn’t. There were quite a few of them whose families I saw as archetypically Republican. But the families of those kids who were in a similar socio-economic situation to mine definitely weren’t Democrats. (The idea of unaffiliated, of course, was a foreign one to me at that time.) The bottom line is that most of these kids had parents who made some kind of sacrifice to send them there rather than opt for public school education. Needless to say, I didn’t have the opportunity to talk politics very much with anyone – even if I was inclined to do so.

What really made me feel different in that environment was not my politics, it was my religion. I had been raised in a Protestant church, although my mother was raised a Catholic. This was a difference I had felt at my last school but when you enter those high school years itÂ’s more important than ever to try to belong. That was just one more thing that got in the way of my attempts to blend with the rest of the students. I had a few really close friends and many acquaintances. This was a pattern I would continue to follow most of my life.

So for me life on the outside was pretty normal. I was a Democrat when Republicans were more popular. I was a Protestant in a Catholic School. I was a reader in a culture that worshipped MTV. Considering how different I already felt, what happened in 1984 was pretty miraculous.

The Â’84 Campaign:

The 1984 Presidential Campaign was the first one that I had actually followed from the primary season until Election Day. I was taking an interest in politics as it played out on the national stage. As someone who really liked history, this was a big event – history was unfolding. As I said, I thought Reagan was a decent President (however I only had scant memories of Carter to compare first hand) but to me he was on the other team. I wanted a Democrat in the White House but not because I had even the faintest understanding or either Domestic or Foreign Policy and the different party platforms on these issues. I wanted a Democrat because we were Democrats.

So, naturally I was looking for the next Kennedy or FDR on the horizon. The first time I realized who Walter Mondale was, I was watching a sound bite from a debate where he quoted a WendyÂ’s commercial and asked one of his opponents, Colorado Senator Gary Hart "WhereÂ’s the Beef?" This quip was directed at HartÂ’s lack of specifics in articulating what he would do as President. Now, let me make myself clear. I didnÂ’t fall in love with Mondale during this campaign. I was actually kind of turned off by his nasally voice and wished he would do something about those awful bags under his eyes. Mondale, however, carried some gravitas about him because he had served as Vice-President under Carter and of course he was favored to win the nomination.

About this time, I was starting to pay attention to the subtleties of Political campaigns, strategy, and the like. I remember when he chose NY Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate. It was Fritz ‘n Tits in ’84. Now this move was seen by some pundits as a deft one. They pointed out how attractive the ticket was to women and that is was unconventional, thereby indicating that Mondale had some balls to take this kind of chance. Sadly, though it was a desperation move. The fact was both he and Ferraro were Liberals with a capital "L" and while this pair excited some (but not all) of the Party’s base, it did nothing for those voters in fly-over country (what we today call the "Red States").

Talk about a complete geek, I was sixteen years old and went on vacation in Cape Cod with my parents and a buddy of mine. I ended up watching MondaleÂ’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. It wasnÂ’t easy to listen to. The one thing that sticks out in my memory is a line that made my jaw drop. He said "I will raise your taxes". There was a kind of hush in the crowd. "Huh?" I thought. He continued, "IÂ’m telling you, and he (Reagan) wonÂ’t." The crowd roared with approval. I couldnÂ’t believe my ears. I was incredulous for a minute and then (probably like many in the crowd) began trying to convince myself that politically, this was really smart.

This all came out of the fact that, although the economy was pumping along just fine, there was a growing budget deficit. Reagan had honored his pledge to cut taxes across the board in 1981 and since then, except for the first year, actual collected tax revenues rose dramatically. The penalty for success was partially stripped away and businesses small and large began earning record revenues. Even though the percentage collected was lower, the amount on which the percentage was based increased significantly. If you tax $1.00 at 50%, you collect 50 cents on the dollar. But by lowering the tax rate, the government was now collecting less on the dollar – but on a lot more dollars.

Unfortunately, Congress began spending it faster than they could collect it. Much of it went toward defense – this is true. But so much went for wasteful pet projects and pork that the deficits grew and grew. Mondale (and most Democrats) really believed that the logical course of action was to raise taxes to reduce the deficit. Cutting spending never entered their minds. What Mondale (and his handlers) didn’t understand was that the American people didn’t accept this proposition for one minute. The idea of being candid was not a prudent one. It wasn’t a question of being honest; it came down to two different philosophies of governing.

In hindsight, I donÂ’t believe that Mondale had a chance regardless, but at the time I held out hope. Again, it wasnÂ’t out of ideological agreement it was because I damn well wanted a Democrat in the White House. I actually wore a Mondale-Ferraro button around school on my blue blazer (Catholic school, remember?) and although I didnÂ’t take a lot of abuse, I got a lot of eye-rolling and dumbfounded looks.

The election came and went and I wasnÂ’t shocked by the outcome. Of course, I had hoped that it would be a lot closer, but the inevitable chants of "four more years" filled my ears as I watched the victory parties on TV and moved on to other distractions. Hey, I was about graduate High School, find a college to go to, fall in love, and basically start a new phase of my life.

Part III

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