Tonight will be the second televised showdown between the candidates for the presidency. In honor of the upcoming event, I thought I would share a few memories from my first political debate.
First, a little background. I grew up in a Republican family. How do I know this?
- Because in our family photo album, along with pictures of us in diapers and at piano recitals, there's a postcard of George Bush Sr. on its own page.
- Because one day in 1990, I spent an entire Saturday afternoon trapped in our kitchen, sketching the President George Bush Sr.
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| This Shit Actually Happened |
I recall very little of the results of the contest except that my Mom's George Bush was really toothy, and let's just say nobody would consider using my George Bush as a campaign poster either.
What I do remember more vividly, however, was what happened after our George Bush Art Festival. That was the day I decided to explain to Little Brother just what it meant to be a Republican. As far as his eight-year-old self was concerned, "Democrat" was some kind of dirty word in our house. He didn't know why, but he instinctively knew we were not supposed to be one of them.
As Big Sister, of course it was my duty to pop his bubble and shove in some reality whenever the opportunity presented itself. Little Brother was probably feeling quite vulnerable at the time, having lost the George Bush Art Festival despite his precocious artistic skills.
It was a perfect moment to shatter his political reality using a series of swift rhetorical kicks in the gut.
The truth was that I didn't know what it exactly meant to be a Republican either. The first American president to enter my young consciousness was Ronald Reagan, and back then (although everybody will deny it now) everybody did in fact love the Gipper. This former movie star had a nice voice, presidential hair, and of course was good at doodling.
So it was pretty easy to be Republican in the 1980s. As for what the parties actually stood for, I admit like any self-respecting big sister, I was intentionally torturing Little Brother with histrionics more than anything else. The more Little Brother denied any affinity for the Democratic party, the more I twisted the knife with little regard for true ideology or policy.
Have things really changed much?
As kids, neither Little Brother nor I truly understood the position of either party, but like good Americans, we spoke a language of Us v. Them. Unfortunately, these days, that's the only language used in the campaigns. But why are we bullying each other into our political beliefs when there is so much ailing the country - the world - right now?
Tonight's debate is as much anticipated as any prize fight. I'm just hoping there will be minimal nipple-twisting or ear-biting, even though that's what America wants to see.
After all, there's this country that's waiting to be fixed....
See you on the other side.
It was a perfect moment to shatter his political reality using a series of swift rhetorical kicks in the gut.
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| Me: "Don't you know you're a DEMOCRAT?" Little Brother: "No I'm not." |
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| Me: "Do you believe in CIVIL RIGHTS?" Little Brother: "Civil rights?" |
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| Me: "Should women and other minorities have EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES?" Little Brother: "E-QUAL...?" |
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| Me: "HA, HA! ... YOU'RE A DEMOCRAT!" Little Brother: "DEMOCRAT!?" |
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| Me: "DEMOCRAT, DEMOCRAT, DEMOCRAT!" Little Brother: "WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS? I HATE YOU!" |
The truth was that I didn't know what it exactly meant to be a Republican either. The first American president to enter my young consciousness was Ronald Reagan, and back then (although everybody will deny it now) everybody did in fact love the Gipper. This former movie star had a nice voice, presidential hair, and of course was good at doodling.
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| The Commander-In-Chief Who Made These Doodles Carried 49 States in 1984 |
So it was pretty easy to be Republican in the 1980s. As for what the parties actually stood for, I admit like any self-respecting big sister, I was intentionally torturing Little Brother with histrionics more than anything else. The more Little Brother denied any affinity for the Democratic party, the more I twisted the knife with little regard for true ideology or policy.
Have things really changed much?
As kids, neither Little Brother nor I truly understood the position of either party, but like good Americans, we spoke a language of Us v. Them. Unfortunately, these days, that's the only language used in the campaigns. But why are we bullying each other into our political beliefs when there is so much ailing the country - the world - right now?
Tonight's debate is as much anticipated as any prize fight. I'm just hoping there will be minimal nipple-twisting or ear-biting, even though that's what America wants to see.
After all, there's this country that's waiting to be fixed....
See you on the other side.
