I've gotten a lot of positive feedback from comments about my unusual family from Ohio. So, on the eve of this immportant election, I thought I'd make a little diary about it to share with you all.
My family is solid working class. My Grandpop worked at the Hoover Vacuum Co., in Canton, Ohio, his whole life. My Pop worked right along side him until Grandpop retired, and my brother worked right alongside my Pop until he retired.
My brother lost his job there when the factory closed this year and moved to Mexico due to NAFTA. Three generations of the family worked in that place and they closed the doors without even a thank you to any of them.
As for me...I never liked factories. I went off and got too much education and found myself, somehow, in Canada.
This election was a watershed for our family. I've been fighting with my father for years over his lock-step allegiance to the Republican party. It was always difficult to understand why a working-class man would vote for the Republicans. Yet, my family are Quakers, so being a Republican was part of resisting the Reds. It started and ended with that. He put in his voter card and pulled the lever for the Party to protect America from the "leftists" every single election, without fail.
I get it.
I don't blame him for voting for Bush in 2000; he was being a loyal party man. He didn't realize that the party no longer had much to do with Anti-Communism (He still refers to Russia as "the Soviet Union"). He figured something was going on, though, in 2004. But, he still couldn't bring himself to vote for a Democrat--especially John Kerry--a member of the Eastern elite who used words and concepts that he didn't understand.
Understandably, we've had so many fights over politics that our family became fractured that for a long time I stopped calling and visiting.
This year, I decided to try one more time to reason with him. He loves baseball, so I mailed him an Obama baseball hat. I waited a few days, then called him to get his reaction.
I was sure that I would hear a bunch of anti-Democrat nonsense, or even some off-color jokes about watermelons. Instead--all he said was, "That guy is smart. Real smart. Our country needs a man like that."
I said, "Will you wear the hat."
He said, "Yep, it's a nice one."
(This is a big deal for men his age. He's making a statement to his peers that might be very unpopular.)
I said, "Would you vote for him."
He said, "Yep."
I said, "Will you vote for him?"
He said, "I will."
I thought I would bust out in tears. It was that easy. No pushing, no convincing, no talking ideology. All it took was a hat.
I asked my Mom about Pop's hat. She didn't really like it. She has been taken in by all this Muslim, racist, lunacy. She used to listen religiously to Paul Harvey followed by Rush Limbaugh while laying out in the sun. She has nothing but a High School diploma so she's highly influenced by what she hears on the radio.
She normally votes for the "cutest" candidate. (I know, I know...this is horrible, but that's been part of American democracy since Andrew Jackson). Anyway, obviously she was for Romney until he dropped out. (Being a Mormon was no problem for her, her two favorite books are The Clan of the Cave Bear and Dianetics). You get the picture. She's a wonderful mom. I'll always love her, but for her politics is about as interesting as a football game.
My lovely mother only decided to vote for Obama this morning afer a waitress at Bob Evans struck up a conversation with her when she saw my Pop's hat on the table. It seems that the waitress told her that the Muslim thing was a story made up by Hillary. That "she saw it on 60 minutes." (She must have deduced as much).
Well, that was all my mom needed to hear. She can't stand Hillary. (All that Rush Limbaugh no doubt). So, in the bemuddled "As the World Turns" logic of her political thought, she must now vote for Obama...because "it's just not nice to treat another American like that," that and he's the last "cute one" left. Sorry Mitt.
To secure the deal, I rang up my Grandpop and asked him if he saw Pop's cool hat. He said, "Yep. But I'm mad that you didn't you send me one!"
Grampa knows what's up!
So we rigged a plan. He called my parents and told them he needs a ride to the polling place because he's worried about the weather. (It was a good idea anyway, he's 88 years old after all). But, it really is just an excuse, he's just as spry and quick of wit as he was when he was 30. He still walks in the mall and still sticks his fingers in the coin slot of the public phones to find change for coffee.
He assured me that he'd do what it takes to "make sure they vote right."
A child of the Depression--he worked for FDR in the Civilian Conservation Corps. I asked him why he likes Obama so much and he said: "He reminds me of Roosevelt with a suntan," and then laughed. All that hope talk, I guess. Then he added a bit more seriously--"seems to me a lot of my friends went to Europe to fight against the same kinda things we've been watching this Bush do." That from a guy with an 8th grade education.
Now my 79 year old Grandma can't get around without a walker. She saw my Pop's hat and she lambasted him. She really gave him hell. She never liked Pop much anyway--with or without the hat. She still thinks Obama's a Muslim. Apparently, Grandpop told her "You haven't been right about an election since Herbert Hoover." So she got mad and said she would stay home and knit a pair of socks. (I guess I won't be getting any more of Heine's cheese from Amish Country).
Now, when my little nephew came over to Pappy's house, he saw the hat right away. He grabbed it and put it on and showed my brother...the one who lost his job this month at Hoovers.
He's never voted in his life. Ever. His son, who's 8, says to him, "Dad, you're gonna vote for Mr. 'Obamer' or I moving to Canada with my uncle!"
So, tommorrow morning Grandpop, my Mom, my brother and my Pop--with his hat--will brave the cold and ice, drive down to Watson Elementary School and cast their vote for Mr. "Obamer"
Forget the TV ads, the mailers, the signs, the speeches, the blogs, the canvassing, the You Tubes, the Wil.i.m videos, and the robocalls.
One whole family in Stark County, Ohio has been united, by a baseball hat with an "O" and a belief that they probably can't fully comprehend that they need to do something to change their country for the better.
Go figure...
One thing to consider...what ties these people together is something that transcends politics. This is what Hillary Clinton has never understood. It should not be surprising that not a single member of my family will vote for Hillary Clinton should she win the nomination--not one.
Update: Just got a call from Pop. The whole family voted, despite icy rain. He said he's never seen so many people before. My Pop said he had to sign a form to change parties...he said at 7am the list was already 2 and a half pages long! He said some irate woman was demanding to vote again because she thought Obama was a Republican...I guess my mother isn't as bad as I thought.
Nevertheless, she did break the voting machine...somehow she got the plastic card stuck in it. So they had to take it apart while she waited!
I called Gramps...he said, "I pushed that computer screen like I was puttin' my finger in Bush's eye...I think I broke it." What a riot...send some love...
A number of people have written to me about sending my grampa a hat. The only problem is that they're all out of stock!
As I live in Canada it is impossible for me to get one. Is there anyone who might be able to get their hands on a new hat and send it to him?