Identity
The political season forces many of us to identify with one party or another. Our dear politicians would like us to believe that they have the right ideology to follow. The correct dogma that answers all of the questions.
My Mom was a natural teacher. She taught me. And she drilled the idea into my head that I am an American, first and foremost. Maybe this lesson held so much urgency for her because of the two most influential men in my life, my Dad and my Grandpa Stewart.
I was named after both of them. My Grandpa was one of the most outspoken Democrats I've ever known. I spent most of my formative summers staying at his home in Arizona.
My Dad is just as outspoken about being Republican. My first taste of political discord was the summer of 1964. I spent the whole of my summer vacation being indoctrinated by Grandpa. Johnson was our man. That fall my Dad spent time telling me why Goldwater was a better choice. In the end I couldn't vote, so it didn't make any difference. I was seven years old and other things weighed on my mind.
Dad has mellowed on politics over the past decade. And I wonder what Grandpa would think about the current state of Democrats. So I find myself less torn between the men I respect. The reality is that I take refuge in being able to identify myself as an American, an independent thinker and an economist.
This political season is particularly daunting. And bitter. And filled with political speak. You know the drill. Say what your audience wants to hear. Don't stand for anything. Americans have such a short attention span that tomorrow we won't question the contradictions in what we heard today.
So, my strategy is as follows. Ignore them. Turn off the radio. Don't watch television news. Stick to the less volatile sections of the newspaper. Just try to survive until after the first Tuesday in November. Oh, and remember that I'm an American. And that when it comes right down to it, we all share similar beliefs, similar values and similar fears. And we shouldn't let the politicians divide us..........
1:57:37 PM 
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