The Winds of Change
Posted by heatherdaniels on October 28, 2008
Changing Course?
This may seem strange to some people, but I have always gauged the political mood in this country by the attitude of my mother. Born in 1948 in Iowa, my mother inherited the title of Democrat from the generations of our kin that came before us. In the eyes of my forebears, there was no being more vile than a Republican, and none more compassionate than a Democrat.
The election of 1988 was my very first chance to vote. As a senior in High School during the primary season, I earned credit in my Government class by attending all of the local rallies, to hear what all the candidates had to say. Armed with the undue influence of my teacher, and the bias of my family, I was a staunch Gephardt supporter. I attended the Democratic Caucuses, though I was not yet old enough to participate. When Gephardt lost the primaries, I was in a real quandry. Of all the Democratic candidates that year, he was the only one that I could get behind. I can’t explain WHY that is today, as his political record is pretty loathsome, but at the time, I really liked him.
At that point, I broke from the family tradition. I was on the verge of understanding our political system and what was wrong with it, but I wasn’t quite there yet. I would love to say that I cast my vote for the Libertarian candidate, Ron Paul, but that is not the case. I broke from the Democrat tradition of my family, and jumped with both feet into the Republican Party, and voted for George Bush Sr. If I could go back in time, I probably would not have revealed that fact to my Grandmother. I don’t think she ever quite forgave me for that move.
As time went on, I learned more about our government, and the two major parties. I married my husband in 1989; he was born in Germany, but raised in America, and at the time, he was serving this country in the Marine Corps. During the first few months of our marriage, he went through the process of becoming an American citizen. Back then, one had to learn all about our government, and our Constitution, and pass a test in order to receive citizenship. As I would sit with my husband and help him study for the test, my eyes were opened to things that were never taught in our schools. My husband was learning more about our way of life than American citizens are required to learn in order to graduate.
As my husband and I learned more, and started viewing the Political Parties and our responsibilities as citizens in a new light, we began a mission of trying to open the eyes of our friends and loved ones. It was not an easy journey. The most shocking truth of all was that it was easier to reach complete strangers than it was to reach our family and friends. It was in the mid- 90’s that I realized that I would be able to gauge the possibilities for a revival in America based on the responses from my mother. If I could somehow get her to agree that the difference between the Republicans or the Democrats on any given issue was merely a percentage point or two in what they were willing to steal from us, then it was possible to get the masses to agree to that point as well.
It has been a slow, steady, and sometimes painful journey to open the eyes of my mother. I almost had her convinced that she could break free of the ties that bind her, and vote for Ron Paul during this last Primary season. While she did not, in the end, cast her vote in support of him, neither did she go to the polls and vote for a Democrat. Instead, my mother stayed home. Despite the dissapointment I felt when she chose not to vote for Ron Paul, it was still a victory that she did not caucus for a Democrat.
I have gone through moments of highs and lows this election cycle. It was so thrilling to see SO many people join this fight for freedom and recognize Ron Paul as being the REAL hope for our country. After so many years of seeing little chance for success, my hope was restored. The continuation of our fight via the formation of the Campaign For Liberty has not only reaffirmed my hope, but it has also strengthened my resolve. If our numbers right now were at a couple of million, that would not be as convincing to me that we will succeed as the fact that my mother has finally announced her intention to vote third party. After 15 plus years of arguing, debating, begging, and teaching…. liberty has finally taken root.
Victory IS ours for the taking. We CAN win this fight. Spread the message tirelessly, EVEN when you think that nobody is listening. It is up to us to plant the seeds of freedom, and always remember that those seeds will take root in their own time. My mother is proof of that.
