In 1969 Richard the, “My wife doesn’t wear a mink, but a respectable Republican cloth coat,”Nixon became my 6th President. Granted, Chinese food tasted a lot better after Nixon visited Beijing in 1972, a diplomatic move that ended 23 years of isolation between the U.S. and China. However, the Watergate scandal during the 1972 campaign was linked to Nixon’s re-election when his cohorts were caught breaking into Democratic Headquarter at the Watergate in Washington, D.C. Nixon went on TV and said, “People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well I’m not a crook.” Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman and the Washington Post didn’t believe him, but he won the election and served until he was forced to resign on August 8,1974, and his Vice President, Gerald Ford took office.
Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon, because he wanted to save the Country the agony of a trial, but that was probably why voters did not grant him a second term. Ford oversaw the end of the U.S. Involvement in Vietnam, and his decency was a breath of fresh air.
The presidency of Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) brought me into the fold. Living in Atlanta, it was very exciting to have a candidate from my home state, so I volunteered. My job was to go through some of the correspondence. One day, I opened a letter threatening the “peanut farmer from Plains. Many of the words in the letter were misspelled, but the sender did leave her address on the envelope. Carter had many foreign policy successes including the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, and he also established the departments of Energy and Education. However, his term involved the Iran Hostage crisis, and that is what ended his Presidency. After his term, Carter dedicated himself to good works in the world, and that impact is still felt today.
Who could have thought that a former actor would become President of the United States? Ronald Reagan, who had appeared in over 50 films, such as BEDTIME FOR BONZO, and who had been President of the Screen Actors Guild, took the helm from 1981-1989. It was the first time since John Kennedy that I enjoyed listening to a President give a speech. His Presidency saw the rise of the new right conservative wing of the Republican Party. I especially liked that Reagan and Tip O’Neill (the Democrat Speaker of the House) were best friends even though the disagreed politically. It was “friendship after 6 p.m.” when the two “Irish Fellows” would get together. Seventy days into his second term Reagan was in the hospital after being shot, and Tip O’Neill was at his bedside. Reagan won a second term after defeating Walter Mondale. I remember taking my son to Democratic Headquarters to show him the work of volunteers. Unfortunately, there was only one old man—with no fingers,— stuffing envelopes. At that I knew than Mondale didn’t have a chance.
Reagans former Vice President, George H.W. Bush served as President from 1989-1993.His goal was to “Use American strength as a force of good.” He defeated Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, whose unforgettable photograph of him sitting in a tank with a helmet falling all over his face probably did him in. He just did not fit in that tank. Unfortunately, President Bush picked Dan Quayle from Indiana as his running mate. Quayle was known for instructing a twelve year old child at a Spelling Bee to add an “e” at the end of the word “Potato”. He also criticized Murphy Brown for having a child out of wedlock. He picked a fight with a fictional character played by Candice Bergen on a television comedy show. In the meantime Saddam Hussen invaded Kuwait and President Bush dealt with the battle known as Desert Storm and routed the enemy army. Despite his popularity, President Bush was unable to overcome a failing economy and high deficit spending, and lost the election to William Clinton.
TO BE CONTINUED ——— Esther Blumenfeld