FIFTEEN PRESIDENTS AND ME--PART THREE

Bill Clinton served from 1993 to 2001.  Clintons’s Presidency was primarily characterized by
“The longest peacetime economic expansion in U.S. history.”The economy featured job growth and the first federal budget surplus in history.  It was an economic boom. However, my personal life took a turn. My husband and I had both retired—He from a University Professorship, and I from my journalistic and book writing careers.We moved from Atlanta to Tucson, Arizona in 1994, and sadly, he died in 1998.  To tackle my grief, I turned to play writing.
Times had changed in many ways, and although, in the past, former President’s sexual relationships were not press fodder President Clinton was not protected. Consequently, he was exposed in more ways than one, but that did not prevent him from getting the people’s vote a second time.  After all, as James Carville always said, “It’s the economy stupid!”

George W. Bush, the son of George H.W. became our next President (2001-2009). It was a challenging time in the world. On 9/11/2001 on a Tuesday morning, the terrorist group Al-Qaeda flew two planes into the World Trade Center in New York— causing their collapse. My son, Josh lived in New York at the time, and after a successful stint as an actor, decided to return to graduate school. Consequently, he was scheduled to take a refresher course somewhere downtown, and I was unable to reach him by phone. When I was finally able to contact him, he told me that he had witnessed the second Tower being hit, and had gone to a hospital to donate blood.  He had been in a voting booth which  had prevented him from going downtown earlier. That day began our “War on Terror,” with invasions on Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003). President Bush also had to navigate the 2008 financial crisis as well as the response to Hurricane  Katrina in New Orleans. When he left office, he resumed his love of painting and did not involve himself in politics.

Barack Obama,  served as our 44th  President  from 2009-2017. Several momentous events happened during President Obama’s tenure. On May 6, 2012, Josh married Barbara Binzak, and  I got a daughter-in-law!  The second most important event was that voters selected the first African-American  to hold the office of the Presidency. My parents were right when they taught me that America is a melting pot where people from all over the world enriched our Nation, bringing with them their cultures, music, food and creativity. President Obama passed major health care reform, managed financial recovery and authorized the mission that killed the Islamic Militant Osama bin Ladan, who founded the terrorist organization responsible for the 9/11 attacks. President Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.

At this point in my story,I don’t have enough perspective to evaluate the impact of the Presidencies of either Donald Trump  (January 2017-January 2021) and his “America First Trade Policies” or the Covid-19 Pandemic.  The historians will have many more years to unravel his— as well as— Joe Biden’s term (2021-2025) that focused on economic recovery— post Covid, infrastructure investment, and withdrawal from Afghanistan. Nor can I consider the effects of Donald Trumps second term  (2025—?) as he continues to follow the theory of  “Deconstruction of Government.” However, I do know that when we celebrate the 250th birthday of our Nation, we must acknowledge that the population of our Country is now a majority of people of color, who have come to the United States to build a better future for themselves and their children, and if my parents were right, it will benefit us all.  In 1992 Salsa overtook Ketchup, the best selling condiment in the Country, and in the 1960’s and 1970’s Yoga became a mainstream fitness regime.  I suspect that much of the present political upheaval comes from fear of change. However, in the meantime, some of those who bear resentment still go to the beach in the summer and lay in the sun to turn their skin brown, because they think brown is beautiful.  Go figure!

So that’s my history with the Presidents.  Of course I left a lot out, but I do know that “The good old days” are selective memory.

Esther Blumenfeld

FIFTEEN PRESIDENTS AND ME--PART TWO

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

FIFTEEN PRESIDENTS AND ME

One of my favorite books is “All About Me” written by Mel Brooks. Borrowing from his title, I decided, for my 90th Birthday to write a kind of “All About Me” with snippets about all of the Presidents who served during my lifetime.

In 1939 I had my 3rd birthday on the ship coming to America. Franklin Roosevelt was President, and with the help of a small congregation in Springfield, Missouri as well as the Junior Senator of the State, my family and I escaped the Nazis. Speaking German, I refused to learn English, because I wanted people to speak the way I did.  My Father told my Mother not to worry because, “The children on the street will teach her English.”  Everyday I’d come into the house after playing outside, and everyday, Mother would ask me if I learned any English.  I always said, “Nein!”  One day she asked me, “ Did you learn any English today?” and I said,
“SHIT!, BOOGER!, !.FART!”  On the radio, we listened to President Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats. 
However, one day he announced that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor—“A day in infamy,” and the U.S. was at war.

On April 12, 1945 President Roosevelt died, and his Vice President, (who had only served for 82 days) became President. Harry Truman, the former Junior Senator of Missouri—who helped save our lives—became President of  the United States. Truman was a feisty fellow. I always liked his response when in 1950, Paul Hume, a Washington Post Music Critic wrote a negative review about Margaret Truman (Harry’s daughter) and her singing. The President sent a handwritten letter calling Hume “an eight ulcer man on four ulcer pay,” and he threatened that if he ever met Hume, “He will need a new nose.”  I always wished that my Father had the same response, when a tall, big boy called me a “Dirty German!” I raised my fist and bloodied his nose while shouting, “I am an American Girl!” 

In 1953, a year before I went to college, Dwight Eisenhower became President.  He must have liked the person who drove him around, because he decided that the United States needed many more highways and less railways.  Even today, when I am caught in a traffic jam, I think of Dwight Eisenhower.  He intensely disliked his Vice President, Richard Nixon because he felt that “Nixon isn’t cut out for the role of President.” I always wondered if that was why he had a heart attack during his second term.

John Kennedy, the youngest man to be elected, became President on January 20, 1961. Ike viewed Kennedy as a “young whippersnapper,” but when he met him in the 1960’s he grew to like and respect him. By then, I had graduated from the University of Michigan, and gotten married in1958. A few professors  had influenced my professional life. Professor Roe, who taught playwriting encouraged me to consider it for a profession.  I took his advice fifty years later.
What do I remember about John Kennedy? It was easy to identify with a young , articulate President, and enjoy his glamorous family who gave us a touch of Camelot. I remember the first televised debate between Kennedy and Nixon.  Kennedy was cool—Nixon was covered in sweat.  Kennedy gambled twice and won when avoiding the Cuban Missile Crisis with Russia, and when Marilyn Monroe sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President “ at the celebration.  His assassination on January 20,1961 was a great tragedy for the Nation.

On that day, in 1961, Lyndon Johnson became President, and all of his good works for a Great Society and Civil Rights were overshadowed by a continuing war in Viet Nam. I also didn’t like to see our President pick his dog up by the ears. However the highlight of our lives happened on August 18, 1967 when my husband, Warren and I became parents of our dear baby, Joshua.
 
TO BE CONTINUED———-Esther Blumenfeld

SORRY ABOUT THAT

When I was a little girl, my nemesis, LuAnn Perinood, bit me on the arm. I went home crying, and my Uncle Harry roared, “I’m going to kill her!” Eventually, I forgave LuAnn, but I never quite forgave my Uncle Harry for not carrying out his promise. He shouldn’t have said he was going to kill her, if he wasn’t going to do it.

Some people have a problem with saying, “I’m sorry.” I don’t understand that. If I’ve done something to be sorry about, I own up to it. Of course, “Sorry!” isn’t enough. For instance, if you step on a friend’s glass eye, you should offer to pay for it---or at least help him put it back in.

If you have offered a genuine apology, the other person should accept it, unless it’s something like eloping with your best friend’s fiancée. “I’m sorry,” might not sound sincere in that case.  Wait a few years.

Of course, there are some people who like their anger, and don’t have the capacity for forgiveness. Anne Lamott said, “Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.”

If your child spills his drink on your sofa and says, “I’m sorry,” don’t yell at him. Just pretend that he is company and say, “Don’t worry about it.” Accidents happen. That’s why they are called “accidents,” not “on purposes.” And, by the way, what makes company more precious than your child?  But I digress.

Forgiveness is really a liberating emotion. A woman came to her rabbi and told 
him, “I have held a grudge against my sister for 20 years.” The rabbi, said,
“If I dropped a hot coal into your hand, what would you do?” She said, “I’d drop it.” “It’s time,” he replied, “to do that with your grudge.” My gift is that I can’t stay angry with anyone.  It’s simply too exhausting. I have learned, “Don’t let anyone live rent-free in your head.” 

The best advice I ever received about forgiveness is this: “Sometimes, the first step to forgiveness is understanding that the other person is a complete idiot.”

That’s comforting!

Esther Blumenfeld

PLAYING IT COOL

When it’s114 degrees outside no one has to tell me that, “It’s officially summer.” However, the weather certainly becomes a conversational icebreaker. Someone should really invent a stopwatch that pinches a person’s wrist the third time he says, “It’s hot outside.” When you live in the desert, everyone should know that summer means HOT! Unusual weather is the kind you get only when you are on vacation somewhere else---anywhere else.

When someone asks me, “Doesn’t it get hot in Tucson in the summer?” I always say, “Yes it’s terrible. I think you should move to Florida.” We already have enough people who have moved here. Until the monsoon rains arrive, with their spectacular lightening shows over the mountains, the Arizona heat is very dry. It feels something like sticking your head into an oven. I still find that preferable to (my Florida friends please forgive me) breathing in the swamp air in Florida, a place that gets so hot and humid that the dampness curls your toes.

As Mark Twain said, “Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.” 
Some people hate London when it’s not raining. Go figure. I guess they say, “Oh, 
Dear, it’s not raining again.” 

I find hot weather much less annoying than the people who complain about it. It’s not the heat, it’s the birdbrains who move to the desert and then say, “Wow, It’s hot in the desert.” 

Of course, no one would live here if it weren’t for that cool fellow, Willis Carrier, who invented the first modern air conditioner in Buffalo, New York. No wonder Buffalo is so cold in the winter.  Residential air conditioning was introduced in the 1920’s that enabled migration to the Sun Belt.

A few years ago, I took a river cruise on an old tub to Portugal. The air conditioner broke down, and since it was American made, they couldn’t get a part until after we limped to the next port. It was then, that I was happy I was a desert rat.  I had learned what the natives did in the summer heat in Tucson, before air conditioning was invented. I took the top sheet off of my bed, dampened it with cold water, wrapped myself in that wet sheet, and opened the balcony door. I cooled off the old fashioned way---covering my head when the flying bugs attacked.  It was kind of like an over heated horror movie.

While waiting for the cooling monsoon rains, I remind myself of the blizzards in Chicago, the icy roads in South Dakota, and shoveling mountains of snow in Indiana. As Carl Reiner said, “ A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water.” And, as much as I hate to admit it---Weather really isn’t all about me.

Esther Blumenfeld (“Weather forecast for tonight: Dark!) George Carlin