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Each week our Boomer-In-Charge, Hershel Chicowitz, has something to say about life, society, or what's going on... from the perspective of a baby boomer. This is what's on his mind the week of November 2:
Well, I'm trying to decide if we are evolving in our election process, or if we are progressing steadily backwards. I donno.
U.S. Senators were not elected by popular vote until the 17th amendment was ratified in 1913. Women could not vote until 1920. This week, less than 40% of the women in the country will exercise the right for which their grandmothers fought so hard.
"Landslide Lyndon" Johnson acquired his nickname by the "landslide" vote he received in Texas when he was elected to Congress. Actually, he squeaked through by stuffing the ballot box. Old man Kennedy said he was going to sell his son Jack the way they sold soap flakes. In fact he literally "bought" Jack's primary victory in West Virginia. It is generally accepted that there was massive vote fraud in Illinois in the presidential election of 1960. Nixon's advisors told him he had a good chance of having the election overturned. But Nixon, once the statesman, declined, saying, "I would not want the presidency on those terms."
In January, 1992, President Bush said he was prepared to do anything to win re-election. Anything? That would then logically include... say, assassinating his opponent if he (Bush) was hopelessly behind in the polls. But no; what it really meant was that he had no earthly idea how he planned to be re-elected. Of course, he wasn't.
But last week in Tennessee, a candidate running for a state senate seat actually did kill his opponent; or so he is accused.
Does It Really Matter?
I am not sure if the voters are more informed today than they were 100 years ago. I can tell you that far fewer people are voting in elections. Is it because they are content with what their leaders are doing? Not according the mail we receive here at BBHQ.
A hundred years ago most Americans did not know much about their representatives. Of course, all the government had to do then was keep the British from sneaking up on us again, and keep stretching the U.S. to the Pacific coast. Indeed the government was not reaching into the back pocket of the American people. But today, our government confiscates 40% of our income and regulates everything from the design of the headlights on our automobiles to the content of our pillows. Are the actions of our rulers more important than they were 150 years ago? How could anyone possibly conclude otherwise?
The Selling of the Candidate
Today, candidates are being told by their advisors that it is not worth their time to campaign in person. Instead, they should spend time in the "back rooms" raising money to broadcast more vague and deceitful television ads. So we do not see the candidates any more. We just see their foolish ads.
The winner of the Senate race in California will have to spend over $20 million to win an election for a job that pays a salary of $160,000 a year. Anyone who spends that much on a political campaign... ought to be barred from serving in a public office.
The FTC will not allow the maker of potato chips to claim that their product is "no fat" unless it truly has no fat. But a candidate for office can say in an ad that his (or her) opponent is trying to kill babies and throw old folks out of nursing homes and into the streets... with complete impunity.
In one of the biggest (and most expensive races) in the country, Representative Charles Schumer is running an ad complaining because his opponent, Alfonse D'Amato called him (Schumer) a "putzhead." How far have we advanced since the 1950's when a candidate for congress in Florida accused his opponent's sister of being a thespian (a member of a theater group)?
Democrats say in their ads that it is the Republicans who want to conduct impeachment hearings while they want to "get on with the business of the country." What they don't say is that all but five Democratic representatives voted in favor of an impeachment investigation. The Republicans say that this election is about Bill Clinton. But for the first time in twenty years, Bill Clinton is not running for any office.
Voters in Florida are being asked to vote on 10 constitutional amendments. One of them reads as follows:
| "Declares the education of children to be a fundamental value of the people of Florida; establishes adequate provision for education as a paramount duty of the state; expands constitutional mandate requiring the state to make adeduate provision for a uniform system of free public schools by also requiring the state to make adequate provision for an efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system." |
If I had it, I would offer $10,000 to the first person who could explain to me exactly what the passage of that amendment would accomplish - other than setting off a decade of court challenges and thus perpetual employment for a slew of lawyers. "Free public schools"? FREE public schools??? Shame on them! Shame!! The sponsors of this verbal atrocity are the same putzheads who dictate the curriculum in our high school classrooms. Yes, I said "putzheads."
The Chicowitz Predicts
All that having been said, I am ready to make my predictions on the outcome of the elections. I am writing this on Sunday, November 1; I'll "grade" myself in this space on Thursday.
The Republicans will pick up 2-3 seats in the Senate and 7-10 in the House. They will also win the governor's election in 2 additional states. The Democrats will claim that to be a victory for them.
More specifically, the Bush brothers will win (Texas and Florida).
Carol Mosley Braun, in Illinois... gone!
Senator Boxer in California... stays.
Repubican Governors in Michigan and Wisconsin.... stay.
And the governor's seat in California... goes Democratic.
Alfonse D'Amato... wins re-election by a miracle.
Governor Pataki wins big in New York.
I have been predicting a Republican loss in North Carolina for over a
decade; and I have been wrong every time. Republican Senator Lauch
Faircloth... loses.
Senator Fritz Hollings holds on in South Carolina.
The Chicowitz Report Card:
Now... how did I do? Well, generally, I did terrible. But if you look at specific races, I was nearly perfect:
| What I predicted... | What Happened... |
| Repubs to pick up 2-3 Senate seats. | Not hardly; they broke even. |
| Repubs to pick up 7-10 House seats. | They lost 5. |
| Repubs to gain 2 Governor's. | They lost 1. |
| Demos claim victory. | They did; and rightfully so. |
| Bush brothers win. | They did; on their way to reclaiming the White House. |
| Carol Mosley Braun...gone! | Gone. |
| Senator Boxer... stays. | The Boxer stands tight. |
| Repubican Governors in Michigan and Wisconsin.... stay. | They do. |
| And the governor's seat in California... goes Democratic. | It did. |
| Alfonse D'Amato... wins re-election by a miracle. | No miracle for Alfonse; my only miss. |
| Governor Pataki wins big in New York. | Back on track. |
| Republican Senator Lauch Faircloth... loses. | He did. |
| Senator Fritz Hollings holds on in South Carolina. | I end on a high note. |
So if you were betting on individual races using my tips... you won!
But I am disqualifying the whole election... every race in the country, because of the victory by Jesse - the body - Ventura. How can a state that elected Paul Wellstone vote into office a pro wrestler??? Please!! Jesse Ventura is a cross between Beaver Cleaver and G. Gordon Liddy! Looks like them folks in Minnesota have spent too much time ice fishing on Lake Winnibigoshish. (No offense, Marianne.)
So What?
So are we ahead of where we were 100 years ago in terms of our politics? I donno. But I do know that the stakes are much higher now than they were 100 years ago. And I do know for certain that there was nothing that either you or I could do to change things 100 years ago. Today, there is.
So what are you prepared to do about it?
If you want to write more, we're open to offerings from other boomers. If you have something to say of interest to boomers, write it as well as you can in 500-800 words, and send it to us. We can't guarantee we'll publish it, but we'll surely consider it.
Hershel will have something else to say on November 9; mark your calendar to come back to BBHQ every Monday.
| The BBHQ Album of the Month is "Old Friends Live on Stage (Deluxe Edition) (2 CD/1 DVD)," by Simon & Garfunkel. If you were fortunate enough to see them in concert last year, I do not have to sell you. The concert was terrific! This album collection includes 55 songs, plus their new recording, "Citizen of the Planet," and one of the songs sung by the Everly Brothers during the concert. The DVD was recorded during their concert in Madison Square Garden in 2003. For any S&G fan, this is a must have! But then, you knew that already, didn't you? |
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The BBHQ Book of the Month is
"Vinyl Highway," by
Dee Dee Phelps. You remember her as Dee Dee, of Dick and Dee Dee.
Together, they took a decade long ride on the rock and roll roller
coaster. It was a heck of a ride! Dick Clark, Quincy Jones, the Beach
Boys, Glenn Campbell, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Vinton... Dick and Dee Dee
rubbed shoulders with all of them. This is her "behind the scenes" story.
It's pretty cool.
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