The Oregon primary is Tuesday, May 20th. Oregonians have the chance to confirm Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee in this, the most important and exciting primary since 1968. Having been a senior at U of O in 1968, I voted for the first time in the Oregon primary that tumultuous year, That spring and summer made an indelible mark on my life – LBJ’s decision not to run for re-election, MLK’s assassination, McCarthy’s victory in the Oregon primary, RFK’s assassination one week later in California, the bloody and outrageous Chicago convention with the Vietnam war being the thread that linked all these events together. I’ve always kept the 60’s inside me : never forgetting the outrage of those months from McCarthy’s strong finish in New Hampshire to Nixon’s sound defeat of Humphrey in November ; but holding on all these years to a sense of optimism that had been engendered in my generation by President Kennedy. In spite of Vietnam, Watergate, the scandal and travesty of the Bush Administration including 9/11 and the war in Iraq I knew at heart we as a people were better than this. Since 2004 I look at the world from my perch at the end of my famous bar in Casablanca and and see how the reputation of the U.S. has fallen. This year seemed to me to be OUR year, the chance to put things right. It was Caroline Kennedy’s op-ed in the New York Times that took me back to that spring in Oregon in 1968. In « A President Just Like My Father » she wrote about people who often told her how her father’s presidency inspired them in their lives. He encouraged an entire generation to feel empowered and responsible for not just their own betterment but that of their country. JFK’s words were still fresh in 1968 and never left me. Caroline Kennedy explained she had never had a chance to experience leadership in the same spirit of her father until she came to know Barack Obama. And, inspired, this very private person took a courageous step and made a public statement. At that moment I became an Obama girl ! After always seeming to be on the losing side, what a wonderful feeling it is to be positive, optimistic and confident in my middle age. But even more exciting, and more critical is that my son and his generation now have the chance to see their optimism, dedication and hope rewarded through an Obama victory in November. The young generation, united and determined can accomplish a world of good in the decades to come. Oregon’s going to but Barack Obama over the top, and it’s all the more exciting for us Oregonians. I’m going to be very homesick in the next few days, as this process plays out. Any Oregonians for Obama dropping in at Rick’s Cafe in the next week, please stop and say hello and we’ll toast to making things right again. CHEERS and, as Lazlo said, « Welcome back to the fight, this time our side will win ! »
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