In 1976, when Jimmy Carter was elected president - two things stand out for me.
FIRST, at that time there was very little difference between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Both parties had Liberal, Moderate, and Conservative factions. At that time you voted for the leaning, not the party. In most cases folks voted for the person or the issue, not the party.
Let me give you an example: In 1960 I voted for John Kennedy for two reasons, he was charismatic and Nixon was like a dead tree stump - and Kennedy was what I call a Moderate within the Democratic Party. But in 1964 when Lyndon Johnson was nominated to be the Democratic Party candidate for president - I so disliked him, his Liberal leaning, and his good old boy politics - that I went out that very day and re-registered Republican. And because of that I voted for Barry Goldwater.
At that time Goldwater was in the Liberal side of the Republican Party. So both candidates were Liberal ~ Goldwater Liberal - Johnson extreme Liberal, seasoned by good old boy politics.
In 1964 America was sick of the Vietnam War which Eisenhower and Kennedy had taken us into - and Goldwater told us, "Yes, I will escalate our actions in Vietnam to get us out of there as fast as possible." Good old boy Johnson told us, "Heck naw, I ain't going to 'scalate the war in Vitnam (sp intentional)! I'm gonna bring our boys home rat (sp) away."
And just like the 2020 race between Biden and Trump - soft heads believed the liar and the wrong man won. Within months after his inauguration - Johnson escalated the Vietnam War beyond imagination. America was in the hated Vietnam War until 1973 - another NINE years after Johnson became president. And that was a big part of why Johnson chose not to run again in 1968, which he legally could have done. America was sick of Johnson and the Vietnam War.
That opened the door for Nixon which eventually led to the Watergate Scandal in his second term - and the first time an American president has ever resigned while still in office. Gerald Ford finished out Nixon's second term and chose not to run on his own in 1976.
In the Vietnam War 58,281 Americans were KIA or through death in captivity. For those today who are yelling "White Privilege" - these are the individual death statistics for the Vietnam War:
White - 49,830 ~ Black - 7,243 ~ Hispanic - 349 ~ Hawaiian/Pacific Islander - 229 ~ American Indian/ Alaska Native - 226 ~ Non-Hispanic (other race) - 204 ~ Asian - 139 (Wikipedia). No this was not a White Privilege war, but it was a war which could have been shortened - but that was not Lyndon Johnson's style.
So in 1976, the new kid on the block, the virtually unknown until then Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia became the president in 1976. I remember in 1976 I was at a computer convention in Anaheim when I heard that Jimmy Carter was nominated by the Democratic Party. My response, "Who the heck is Jimmy Carter?"
Then I found out that he had begun his run for the Democratic Party nomination with a speech at Spring Park in my birth town, Tuscumbia, Alabama. Heck, Spring Park played a major role in my childhood: first time to go fishing, from the steps in the lake at Spring Park - playing tag football on Sundays with my cousins Eddy Byrd and Brent Hardin - watching my cousin, Christian Hardin, and her friend, Virginia, playing tennis at Spring Park, etc.
And now Jimmy Carter was beginning his presidential run in MY Spring Park. He must be a good guy! Yeah, I was a typical soft head Liberal back then also.
And the SECOND thing which got my attention when Jimmy Carter was elected - shortly after he took office an enterprising writer saw an opportunity to take advantage of having a pure, seemingly straight off the peanut farm, Southerner serving as president in many decades:
The book "How to Speak Southern" by Steve Mitchell hit the market in 1977 - and on the the back cover we read: "This book is dedicated to all Yankees in the hope that it will teach them how to talk right." (I would have spelled that "how to tawk right" - but I forgive the publisher)
I will never forget the first time I saw this book. I was making a sales call at at company in Irvine, California, and the book was laying on the coffee table in the lobby. Out of curiosity I picked up the book and began to look through it. Remember, I had left my home in Alabama in 1955 to join the Air Force - and this was 1977 in Southern California. So many of the words and phrases mentioned in the book had slipped my mind, or I had just forgotten.
As I began to read the book, I could not help but start laughing because I was so enjoying this re-indoctrination into "tawking like y'all tawk!" I was alone in the lobby except for the receptionist - and when I began laughing, she looked at me kind of funny, like, "Should I call 911 for help?"
"Okay, I know, I know - why go on this politico/comedic walk down memory lane?" Today a good Friend and I were talking and he questioned me about one of my sign off phrases on Facebook and other social media. Typically I will sign off with "God bless, Bill." That is expressing my sincere desire that God will bless all my Friends who read my blogs - and their families.
But at other times, when I may have been a wee bit naughty in my comments or observations, I will choose not to use that phrase - instead leaning toward one that ALL Southerners know is as common as "Y'all" or "All Y'all" ~ "Bless her/his heart!"
At such times I may sign off with, "Bless her/his heart, Bill" or "Bless their hearts, Bill" - and at times, if the person was caught with his/her hands in the cookie jar, I may sign off with, "Bless their crooked little hearts" or something similar. But always based around the theme of: "Bless her/his heart, Bill."
My Friend questioned if I was mixing a Biblical blessing with a secular "gotcha" blessing. And to be honest, that was kind of a wake-up call - for I am so used to communicating with Southern Friends or folks we Southerners would adopt into our Southern family - that it never dawned on me that anyone would take this as, in any way, a reference to a Christian or Biblical blessing.
Briefly I tried to explain that we Southerners prefer to be genteel, choosing to couch our comments in a gentler, softer manner.
Trip to the dictionary: gen·teel: adjective, meaning: "polite, refined, or respectable, often in an affected way." Definitely not Biblical or Christian, but often much more appropriate.
Example: "That dress is really tacky. Bless her heart!' - OR - "He sure is funny looking. Bless his heart!" - instead of saying, "Burn that tacky dress and make the world prettier!" - OR - "He is uglier that my old mule!"
Can you see? We Southerners just want to express our feelings without being nasty, so we say, "Bless her/his heart." But I guess not everyone has been exposed to our Southern Manners. "Bless their hearts."
Let me close by saying that, while this blog is intended to be informative - it is NOT, in any way, intended to be a slap at anyone. Just a wee bit of Southern history and fun.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
FIRST, at that time there was very little difference between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Both parties had Liberal, Moderate, and Conservative factions. At that time you voted for the leaning, not the party. In most cases folks voted for the person or the issue, not the party.
Let me give you an example: In 1960 I voted for John Kennedy for two reasons, he was charismatic and Nixon was like a dead tree stump - and Kennedy was what I call a Moderate within the Democratic Party. But in 1964 when Lyndon Johnson was nominated to be the Democratic Party candidate for president - I so disliked him, his Liberal leaning, and his good old boy politics - that I went out that very day and re-registered Republican. And because of that I voted for Barry Goldwater.
At that time Goldwater was in the Liberal side of the Republican Party. So both candidates were Liberal ~ Goldwater Liberal - Johnson extreme Liberal, seasoned by good old boy politics.
In 1964 America was sick of the Vietnam War which Eisenhower and Kennedy had taken us into - and Goldwater told us, "Yes, I will escalate our actions in Vietnam to get us out of there as fast as possible." Good old boy Johnson told us, "Heck naw, I ain't going to 'scalate the war in Vitnam (sp intentional)! I'm gonna bring our boys home rat (sp) away."
And just like the 2020 race between Biden and Trump - soft heads believed the liar and the wrong man won. Within months after his inauguration - Johnson escalated the Vietnam War beyond imagination. America was in the hated Vietnam War until 1973 - another NINE years after Johnson became president. And that was a big part of why Johnson chose not to run again in 1968, which he legally could have done. America was sick of Johnson and the Vietnam War.
That opened the door for Nixon which eventually led to the Watergate Scandal in his second term - and the first time an American president has ever resigned while still in office. Gerald Ford finished out Nixon's second term and chose not to run on his own in 1976.
In the Vietnam War 58,281 Americans were KIA or through death in captivity. For those today who are yelling "White Privilege" - these are the individual death statistics for the Vietnam War:
White - 49,830 ~ Black - 7,243 ~ Hispanic - 349 ~ Hawaiian/Pacific Islander - 229 ~ American Indian/ Alaska Native - 226 ~ Non-Hispanic (other race) - 204 ~ Asian - 139 (Wikipedia). No this was not a White Privilege war, but it was a war which could have been shortened - but that was not Lyndon Johnson's style.
So in 1976, the new kid on the block, the virtually unknown until then Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia became the president in 1976. I remember in 1976 I was at a computer convention in Anaheim when I heard that Jimmy Carter was nominated by the Democratic Party. My response, "Who the heck is Jimmy Carter?"
Then I found out that he had begun his run for the Democratic Party nomination with a speech at Spring Park in my birth town, Tuscumbia, Alabama. Heck, Spring Park played a major role in my childhood: first time to go fishing, from the steps in the lake at Spring Park - playing tag football on Sundays with my cousins Eddy Byrd and Brent Hardin - watching my cousin, Christian Hardin, and her friend, Virginia, playing tennis at Spring Park, etc.
And now Jimmy Carter was beginning his presidential run in MY Spring Park. He must be a good guy! Yeah, I was a typical soft head Liberal back then also.
And the SECOND thing which got my attention when Jimmy Carter was elected - shortly after he took office an enterprising writer saw an opportunity to take advantage of having a pure, seemingly straight off the peanut farm, Southerner serving as president in many decades:
The book "How to Speak Southern" by Steve Mitchell hit the market in 1977 - and on the the back cover we read: "This book is dedicated to all Yankees in the hope that it will teach them how to talk right." (I would have spelled that "how to tawk right" - but I forgive the publisher)
I will never forget the first time I saw this book. I was making a sales call at at company in Irvine, California, and the book was laying on the coffee table in the lobby. Out of curiosity I picked up the book and began to look through it. Remember, I had left my home in Alabama in 1955 to join the Air Force - and this was 1977 in Southern California. So many of the words and phrases mentioned in the book had slipped my mind, or I had just forgotten.
As I began to read the book, I could not help but start laughing because I was so enjoying this re-indoctrination into "tawking like y'all tawk!" I was alone in the lobby except for the receptionist - and when I began laughing, she looked at me kind of funny, like, "Should I call 911 for help?"
"Okay, I know, I know - why go on this politico/comedic walk down memory lane?" Today a good Friend and I were talking and he questioned me about one of my sign off phrases on Facebook and other social media. Typically I will sign off with "God bless, Bill." That is expressing my sincere desire that God will bless all my Friends who read my blogs - and their families.
But at other times, when I may have been a wee bit naughty in my comments or observations, I will choose not to use that phrase - instead leaning toward one that ALL Southerners know is as common as "Y'all" or "All Y'all" ~ "Bless her/his heart!"
At such times I may sign off with, "Bless her/his heart, Bill" or "Bless their hearts, Bill" - and at times, if the person was caught with his/her hands in the cookie jar, I may sign off with, "Bless their crooked little hearts" or something similar. But always based around the theme of: "Bless her/his heart, Bill."
My Friend questioned if I was mixing a Biblical blessing with a secular "gotcha" blessing. And to be honest, that was kind of a wake-up call - for I am so used to communicating with Southern Friends or folks we Southerners would adopt into our Southern family - that it never dawned on me that anyone would take this as, in any way, a reference to a Christian or Biblical blessing.
Briefly I tried to explain that we Southerners prefer to be genteel, choosing to couch our comments in a gentler, softer manner.
Trip to the dictionary: gen·teel: adjective, meaning: "polite, refined, or respectable, often in an affected way." Definitely not Biblical or Christian, but often much more appropriate.
Example: "That dress is really tacky. Bless her heart!' - OR - "He sure is funny looking. Bless his heart!" - instead of saying, "Burn that tacky dress and make the world prettier!" - OR - "He is uglier that my old mule!"
Can you see? We Southerners just want to express our feelings without being nasty, so we say, "Bless her/his heart." But I guess not everyone has been exposed to our Southern Manners. "Bless their hearts."
Let me close by saying that, while this blog is intended to be informative - it is NOT, in any way, intended to be a slap at anyone. Just a wee bit of Southern history and fun.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill
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