Politics then and now...

I stumbled across this story while wandering around stories from Minnesota's political past.  Given the tone of today's campaigns -- and the campaign funds that both parties raise -- it's a story of a bygone political era.

Background:  I'd hope that nobody needs an explanation of who Hubert Humphrey was.  But I realize that he was a political figure over 20 years ago so there's a whole generation or two who may not be familiar with him.   Hubert Horatio Humphrey was one of the most charismatic people I've met.  He was a US Senator from Minnesota, ran for the Democratic nomination in 1960 and narrowly lost to JFK.  After Kennedy's assassination, he became  Lyndon Johnson's VP and in 1968 the Democratic candidate for President.

In that capacity he became an object of derision -- which  was unfortunate because we spurned a really good man in our opposition to the Viet Nam war and that era's policies.  He was later voted back to the US Senate and passed away while in office.

Val Bjornson was a well regarded Minnesota Republican who was elected and re-elected State Treasurer and served for 22 years during the 1950s and into the mid-1970s.    He ran against Hubert Humphrey in 1954 when this story came about from a local reporter in Worthington, MN:

"I was thinking lately of how I embarrassed Val Bjornson and Hubert Humphrey.  It was 1954. Hubert Humphrey was the DFL nominee for re-election to the U.S. Senate and Bjornson was the Republican challenger. They both came to Worthington for Turkey Day.

In those years, when we (Daily Globers) were assigned to cover a visiting politician, we were expected to follow like puppies on the heels of their masters. I was assigned to Hubert Humphrey. If Hubert stopped somewhere for an ice cream cone, it was for me to know the flavor of ice cream he ordered.

It was late in the afternoon. HHH set out somewhat mysteriously from the Daily Globe. He turned at the corner of 11th and Fourth and started toward 10th Street. I followed. A minute or two later, Val Bjornson turned off 10th and walked along the side of what now is the Cow’s Outside, directly toward Humphrey.

Neither candidate appreciated immediately who I was, or what I was doing. They were slightly embarrassed — bitter rivals — to be seen talking together, cordially.

I caught their secret conversation. Want to know what it was?
 
    Humphrey: You ready to leave?
 
    Bjornson: Any time you’re ready.

The two candidates had come to Worthington in the same car. Neither had a great wad of money. Traveling together was one way to save dollars. That’s how politics was in those days."  (Source:  http://www.dglobe.com/event/article/id/7666/)

There's something really appealing to me about two guys who campaigned against each other but could share a car ride of several hours.  I doubt we'll have a similar story about the 2010 and 2012 elections in 60 years.

Uh, oh. Michele Bachmann secretly BFF of Nancy Pelosi

Psst, Michele.  'member when you were tellin' folks not to fill out the census?  Here, I thought it was just another one of your goofy "black helicopter" moments where you see conspiracies under every rock and behind every bush. 

Little did I realize you were a closet Pelosi supporter!  How 'bout that?!?

From a column in The Red State: by Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC)

    "I’m worried about this year’s census ... what worries me is blatant misinformation coming from otherwise well-meaning conservatives. They are trying to do the right thing, but instead they are helping big government liberals by discouraging fellow conservatives from filling out their census forms.

    "Early census returns are showing that conservatives have been measurably less likely than liberals to return their census forms. A recent article in the Houston Chronicle points out that conservative Texas is way behind the national average in returning census forms and some of the lowest rates are in Texas’ most conservative counties.

    "Few things make will make Nancy Pelosi happier than large numbers of conservatives failing to respond to the census. If we do not respond, we will not be counted and if we are not counted, then we effectively will not exist. That would reduce conservatives’ power in elections, allow Democrats to draw more favorable congressional boundaries and help put more tax-hiking politicians in office.

    "Boycotting the census also offends me as an American patriot. Our society spends too much time talking about what government owes us; and not enough on the duties of citizenship and the hard work required to keep our freedom. Filling out the census is one of the few things our Constitution specifically asks of U.S. citizens and it is our duty as Americans to take that responsibility seriously."

It's a good thing I'm not a petty person who might quarrel with the order of Rep. McHenry's priorities (seems to me American patriotism outranks the importance of one's partisan powers).  At least Rep. McHenry understands and supports what we've been saying since Michele spoke out against the census.

And here's the double-scoop of irony:  Minnesota may lose one of its eight current Congressional districts if the count isn't accurate.  And the cherry on top:  Bachmann's district is one of the least rationally devised districts in the state.  Many think it's likely not to survive the redistricting if Minnesota goes from eight to seven districts.

Ah, the Seduction of Plastic

The Graduate is a benchmark film for my generation ... and many of us remember the "career advice" given to Dustin Hoffman early in the movie:  "plastics."  Many of us may blame the overuse of credit on some subliminal effect exercised in this movie.

Yesterday, I got a call from Alec's Work Coordinator that he was showing folks at Merrick his new Credit Card and they asked if I knew about it.  I sure didn't. 

Checked my credit cards and none were missing.  (Alec sometimes "borrows" things.)  So I called Merrick  back and talked to Alec, asking that he show the card to us when he got home.

Turns out that he'd been mailed a "debit" card and (from the cover letter as well as the brochures that accompanied it) it was unsolicited. 

("Unsolicited" is a a major point.  Alec loves to enroll in all those  programs that he sees on TV or in the paper or magazines for "more information."  For a while, he was deluged with mailings for "Credit Counseling" as he thought it meant he'd be able to get a credit card.  Then we've periodically gotten calls from various "brick and mortar" colleges as well as "training for a new career in ....." institutes and a few Internet colleges.  Plus, we will get calls from a recruiting Sargeant or Chief for all branches of the services.

(We've banned him from doing any signups so I was a bit worried he'd decided to ignore our request.)

So, in this early springtime, the seduction of plastic had its way with our son but was thwarted by his ever-vigilant staff and parents.  Thank goodness he doesn't know that Mrs Robinson is the really seductive one and hasn't experimented with any of her sisters!

The sad thing in all this is that Alec sees everyone using plastic.  The fact that you have to have money in the account or pay the bill hasn't connected.  Maybe we need a few commercials showing that aspect!