We were talking the other night how she really only remembers the presidency from Bill Clinton on; she kind of has a memory of HW Bush, but mostly just remembers him from the '92 Bush-Clinton campaign. Then we got to thinking that HW Bush was elected vice president in 1980, which means she has never known a White House without a Bush or Clinton in it.
Well, technically, she was alive for about 10 months before HW was sworn in as veep in '81, but still, when did this nation become a monarchy?
She was born in 1980 and has no memory of the Reagan administration? Granted I’m two years older, but I remember it pretty well.
People love to complain about the Bush/Clinton political dynasties, but they are hardly the first in U.S. history. See: Adams, Rockefeller, Kennedy, Roosevelt, etc.
I was born in 1982 and I remember Bush very well. I also remember quite a bit of talk about Ann Richards being elected govenor of Texas. But yeah, I am in the same boat as your wife.
Huh. I was born in 1983 and I recall the race between H.W. Bush and Dukakis well. I was confused about the whole thing, but I remember my family talking about it. Of course, I also remember thinking Reagan was the less scary of the three, because he looked vaguely like my grandpa, so he should stay president. But I remember asking questions.
It’s certainly plausible that someone born in the early 80s wouldn’t remember anything but Bush/Clinton/Bush. If my family hadn’t really been interested in the election, I’m sure I wouldn’t have paid any attention until 1992, and even then maybe not. To kids, it’s all a big mystery. Other than talking about Bosnia and the Gulf War in school, I wasn’t really interested in politics at all until I started taking a civics class in high school.
I was born in 1963 and remember my mom voting for LBJ. We had to go to the Masonic Temple so she could vote and I knew enough to ask her who she was voting for. Meanwhile, how could it be that I remember that? I might not even have been two! (OMG! Maybe I’m older than they’re telling me!) I am quite certain that I remember LBJ being President though because I remember him no longer being President and Nixon becoming President.
On the other hand, I had a same-age roommate who had never heard of Nixon. It wasn’t that she didn’t remember him - she’d never HEARD of him!
So it’s that not weird to me that someone born in 1980 not remembering the Reagan administration.
I was born in '57 but I don’t remember Ike. And I didn’t even know who JFK was until he was assassinated. I do remember the '64 election between LBJ and Goldwater, though. LBJ is the first president I have a clear memory of.
I remember Carter, but Ford only barely. I remember in school they were holding polls between Carter and Ford, and it seems to me they kept running them until all the kids had voted for Ford. Sort of like the kids saw the results were Ford 22, Carter 2, and of course, you don’t want to be the odd one out, so the next time we voted, you vote for Ford.
I was born ('39) during FDR’s second term and I was six when he died. I clearly remember hearing him on the radio and seeing his pic in the papers, few homes had TV until after WWII. I was in the Navy, right out of boot camp, and marched in Eisenhower’s second inaugral parade.
Born in 1955, and remember posters of Kennedy being up during the 1960 Pressdential Campaign. Remember Kennedy and everyone after. Was in Grad School when Reagan got elected. That there are adults out there who can’t recall an administration without a Bush or a Clinton disturbs me. I didn’t think I was THAT old.
No, no, no. Wrong. It’s a “dynasty.” Get with the program.
“Without a Bush or Clinton in it?” Odd choice. So that would be two Bushes… and Clinton. That’s an odd sort of monarchy isn’t it? Fuck, that means that it doesn’t matter whether these monarchs are related to each other in any way! So regardless of who is elected next, it’s likely that you and your wife will never see the end of this monarchy.
Born 1964 and the first president I remember was Nixon. I remember watching Lyndon B. Johnson’s funeral on TV in school and wondering when we had a president named Linda, and asking of we had a woman president. The teacher was astute enough to tell me "No, his name was LyndoNN. I also wondered why they had a horse drawing the flag-draped coffin through the streets.
[unrelated]I also remember demonstrations against the Vietnam war and Watergate. I remember my mother telling me not to look directly at anyone when we drove through East St Louis with what seemed like whole blocks burned down during 1968 race riots & not rebuilt for years after.[/unrelated]
I remember confusing Betty Ford and Pat Nixon, thinking they were the same person and that the First Lady must stay with the White House, and she gets a new husband every time there’s an election.
