The year is 1948 and the site is Klopfenstein Grain Company grain office. EJK is the owner/mgr. I am about 9, I believe. The GOP and Demo conventions are held. They are carried on the radio. Dad has a tally sheet (from the Pantagraph), and follows the "roll call of the states" from the radio, which is very exciting. State chairmen state their state votes. I loved to listen to the embellishment of the chairmen as they extolled their state and their president. It takes more than one ballot to determine the winner. It is dramatic. This is before each state had a primary, and political bosses, in much backroom maneuvering, ted the process. Truman ran against Dewey that year and the former upset the latter. These are my first recollections of presidential politics, and from this a great interest has stemmed. Perhaps U. Lynn remembers all this. I am sure he does.
Now, many years later, the people at the grass roots determine the nominees. But surely the candidates have to go through a thorough vetting process and much travel to win the nomination. And, enormous amounts of cash. I think candidates have been busy for 18 months or so. It would wear me out, but at least we citizens can participate in the process. Yet almost 50 percent choose not to.
Now the sprint to the finish begins.!
5 comments:
I have heard more people interested in this race than ever before..including myself. Hopefully we will have a record turnout of voters in November.
Tonight as I passed by a neighbor (Schukow, for our girls) on my evening walk, I asked what he thought of Sarah Palin. "She's got more sense than all three of those men put together!"
The race is TIGHT w/new numbers out this evening. Uncle Perry, my first recollection of the Conventions is about 1960 when you came up to our house on E. 4th Street in Gridley to watch the states give their roll call on B&W TV. I would have been 13 and will admit it was dramatic. J.F. Kennedy won over, I believe, Richard Nixon that year.
Cleve
I didn't start to get interested in presidential and other governmental affairs until the late Nixon era. But I do remember as a child hearing many political discussions among the men seated in Grandma's living room! That's my first memory of politics.
Palin has completely revitalized and changed the dynamics of this race.
My memory of politics goes to 1972 and hearing about McGovern's running mate being removed from the ticket for previous mental health issues. If my memory is correct, we were on our long trip out West for U. Perry and Carol's wedding in Portland.
My first real interest was in 1976 when Reagan named his vp candidate and wanted Ford to do so as well before the nomination vote which I believe would have been on a Wednesday evening. Reagan's team was able to get a floor vote state by state on Tuesday night to make Ford do so. We were visiting in IL and we watched the vote in Grandma's back room.
Again, if memory serves me correctly Uncle Ralph was more supportive of Ford and Dad and Uncle Perry were more Reagan supporters.
I believe Uncle Ralph said however Tuesday night's vote went would be how Wednesday night's vote would go. Reagan lost on Tuesday night, Ford won the nomination on Wednesday night, and Ford named Dole as his running mate on Thursday.
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