MY PRESIDENT
During all the years of my voting life I have felt that when the people of the United States chose to place one specific man in the Oval Office,that,in addition to being President of the nation -"ours" you might say, he also – with just one exeption - became "my" president, as well.
My parents set me straight on that point many years ago, stating that after the fire and brimstone breathings of election months were over the man chosen became president of all of us - not just those of his own party. The man deserved a fair chance at doing a good job and he needed public support. One supported him in what he tried to do. One accords that man a certain amount of freedom, to show us what he could accomplish. If however, he falters,and consistently fails to do well, you, then, had a moral obligation to set about putting things right, eventually, by withdrawing your active support and preparing for the next election. Even at that point of departure, the man is still due recognition for holding the title he does.
It was not difficult to think of the nation's president as both as ours as well president of others. The intensity of such feeling varied a great deal in my case.'
I was a bit too young to get involved with Woodrow Wilson and or Waring G. Harding. I think positive thoughts concerning those two came with my reading of history of the World War I era. Wilson, being from my home state, would naturally be a favorite, but I do remember, some disturbing feelings as a kid concerning Harding being involved in the Teapot Dome Scandals, which I did not understand and still don't.
Herbert Hoover was, beyond all doubt, was the most vilified individul of them all. I fell sorry fo the man every time he was blamed for yet another woe. He was vey much "mine". We admired him for his engineeering background – non political - and as a leader in helping to send relief to the needy peole of Europe after World War I.
Calvin Cooigde was my presidentlargely because of his his folksy New Englander ways,I think. He seemed natural and easy to accept. Other .,not necesarilyin order,by theay – it me in a vbrious ways. FDR I came to like because I felt he had remarkable contorol of things during wartime.I admired Harry Truman because he realized he was not another FDR and wisely delegated power to others, and, unfortunatelyh, not alway making good choices. He was spunky ,too. He was mine ,for sure. Eisenhower was my former General just as FDR had been my Commander if Chief - so I went along with both of them.
JFK gave me some problems at first largely because of the Nixon trouble before him i which he played a role. I liked Richard Nixon until his inherent weaknesses began to manifest thmselves and make us vulnerable.I liked Johnson very much as a shrew organizer and ex-Senate whip who could move thing about with a few phone calls to the right people. Both he an JFK lost me to a degree with their repeated womanizing. The Viet Nam situation and the Bay of Pig incident seemed to make he feel better about at the time.Jimmy Carter struck me as a relief when he came along – a reguar guy in many and less of the political hack.
All of our Presidents have found favor in my eyes tosome degree,excpt one and my reasons for excluding Bill Clinton are vague and uncertain. For some reason, I have never quite seemed see him as being as being "presidential". He semed to be less and less worthy the more he tried to do the job. His obvious moral depravity was unforgiveble. If John Kerry becomes President, Bill Clinton will have company on the short side of my list.
A.L.M. April 10, 2004 [c601wds[
