All About the Party

I was in 8th grade when President Kennedy was killed.  I wasn't particularly interested in politics at that time but I spent the entire weekend watching television--NBC and CBS mostly as I recall.  I still watch a lot of tv today, too much really.  But I think everyone spent that weekend watching tv.

Later I chose the Republican Party after listening to the 2 most popular boys in class debate politics.  I watched the almost the entire Republican National Convention on tv the year that Barry Goldwater was nominated.  After Goldwater lost the election I lost interest in politics again.  There were so many other things for a teenage girl to be interested in--music, movies, tv, basketball (our high school had a really good team for two years).

But then that pesky old war in Viet Nam refused to be ignored.  And in that tiny town in Wisconsin there was nothing I could do for Eugene McCarthy, but I could watch on tv.  And then everything went crazy.  I graduated from high school in 1968,and was somewhat protected from all the turmoil that summer because I lived in a very tiny town,and because I had very conservative and very strict parents.

In college things were different.  Even though McCarthy was out and Bobby had been murdered, now I could actually DO something other than watch.  I joined the Young Democrats and campaigned for some young guy  running for congress against some career politician.  His theory?  We needed new people in politics--if you're in there too long you are controlled by the system.  He won!! And he is still in congress 40 years later.  Or maybe not--he may have been beaten by one of those Tea Party people.  I moved away from Wisconsin years ago so I'm not sure.  But that was cool I thought.  A candidate I supported actually won.  There was a big party after, and all the "young dems" got drunk, even those who were under age.  And eventually I left the Young Democrats because there was just way too much partying.

I went to one SDS meeting, and they were all very serious.  But I discovered the were pretty much into parties as well and I wasn't cool enough to be invited.  For awhile I thought of myself as a hippie, but those folks partied in ways I didn't want to get involved with. 

My third year in college we had a really good basketball team--I went to every game that I could and a few parties after the games.  And I set political parties aside for awhile