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Why Frank trashed his lifelong membership in the
Republican Party
and became a Democrat.
© 2007 Frank Lynch
2008 Inc.
I had been a Republican
for so many years that I do not remember making any decision to be
one. I was a Republican precinct captain on the Near North Side, the
Gold Coast of Chicago, while I was working on my MBA at Northwestern
University. I volunteered for that post because it was a great way
to meet classy girls. Also, I guess I was a Republican because in
1968 aspiring MBAs were expected to join the Old Boys Club.
At that time the
Business School was located on East Chicago Avenue, and I had an
apartment within walking distance at 21 East Goethe Street, on the
corner of North State Parkway. Those of you familiar with Chicago
will realize that I looked out of my fourth floor living room window
onto the original Playboy Mansion only one low building away.
Playboy was a hot new phenomenon then, and my fellow students all
wanted to visit so they could look out my picture window at the resident bunnies sunning themselves on
Hugh Hefner's roof. Lost Youth!
I climbed a tree in
Lincoln Park, two blocks from my apartment, to watch Mayor Daly's
Irish cops riot against the Hippies during the infamous 1968
Democratic convention in Chicago. I went downtown for the riots by
both the Police and by the anti-Vietnam War protestors. How much
calmer we are today. For Vietnam, we demonstrated and marched and
rioted. Now we sit at home and leave the demonstrations to Cindy
Sheehan. Today we let the poor mother of a dead hero do the demonstrating
for us. We are pathetic in our apathy.
My first course at the
University of California at Berkeley was political science, which of
course is not science, but what do politicians know? I was
shocked when in the first class the professor asked us "What
is the fundamental principle that is the base of every government
the world has ever seen?"
The answer was "Apathy!"
All government depends on the lethargy of the people, on the
willingness of us to leave it to others. Our laziness to let someone
else do it for us, like letting poor Cindy Sheehan carry the burden
alone.
To say "What can I do about it?" and then do nothing.
In contrast, our beloved
John F. Kennedy said "Ask not what your country can do for you,
ask what you can do for your country." And he gave his life for
his country. "How much will you do for your country," I asked
myself.
Fortunately, this
2008 Presidential campaign gives us what may be our last
chance to rise up, away from apathy, to be better citizens,
to be REAL citizens, not in word only citizens, to revolt peacefully
but meaningfully and effectively, and to
change the Office of the President to true leadership and
innovation!
The Fourth of
July 2007 Revolution
The Fourth of July, 2007 is the most
important date in my lifetime. A few days earlier I had seen Michael Moore's wonderful film
"Sicko." And a few days before that I saw Al Gore's "An Inconvenient
Truth" on the internet.
I was overwhelmed.
My mind had been struggling with the refusal
of my lifelong Republican Party to face up to the disaster of our
climate change. Republicans also seemed insane in their denial of the
condition of our health care system, and our broken and failed education
system.
As a result of the landmark efforts of these two
giants, on the Fourth of July, 2007, I signed and mailed a new voter
registration form changing from my lifelong Republican membership
and joined the Democratic Party!
Why
Frank Decided to Run for President
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