politics – Gary Bennett Publishing

The unlikely TV stars of 1974

By Gary Bennett

Senator Sam Ervin (D) North Carolina, 1974

This article appeared in the August 1, 2024, issue of Frederick News-Post’s “72 Hours” entertainment insert.

To say that 2024 has been a momentous year in presidential history is putting it mildly. Attempted political assassinations and a sitting, first-term president declining to run for a second term have certainly happened before, but never in the same week!

In this regard, perhaps 1974 was a kinder and gentler year politically, but it certainly didn’t seem that way at the time.

As we mark the 50th anniversary of Watergate and President Richard M. Nixon’s impeachment, near-conviction and subsequent resignation, it’s easy to forget what a trying, yet strangely entertaining, time this was for our nation.

Bear with me on the “entertaining” part. I’ll explain.

Nowadays, if you take out the extraordinary recent events, we view history, if we consider it at all, through a lens of multiple modern presidential impeachments (and threats of impeachment) reaching back to the late 1990s and the seemingly never-ending indictments and possible trials of a former president.

Nothing shocking about 1974 then, right? Wrong.

You must remember that the Watergate scandal was new territory for all of us back then. The government was largely trusted (quaint, I know). Even the oldest among us could only read about our one and only presidential impeachment in the history books. Even then, Andrew Johnson wasn’t convicted and removed from office. It was a slap on the wrist in 1868, and we all expected the same for Nixon.

There are also stark differences in how broadcast news is gathered and disseminated now compared to 1974. Today, Mr. Trump’s troubles were largely relegated to manageable bites on the nightly network news and talk shows. You can throw in social media information and misinformation for good measure, too. Saturation? Sure, but there’s enough variety that we can avoid depressing news if we want to.

Senator Howard Baker (R) Tennessee, 1974

In 1974, we had exactly three major TV channels: NBC, CBS and ABC. All three covered Watergate wall-to-wall. There was no escaping Mr. Nixon’s troubles. And there were no cell phones, Facebook, TikTok or Instagram to distract us.

But strangely enough, most people were enthralled by the inner workings of government and the race to get to the unadulterated truth, something that seems unobtainable today. We even found us a few heroes along the way.

As a rising senior in high school during most of 1974, I was just becoming politically aware. The threat of being drafted and sent to Vietnam was lifted after my junior year in 1973, when the U.S. and North Vietnam announced an end to hostilities and the draft ended. The last few Americans “in country” were famously and haphazardly extracted from rooftops in North Vietnam by choppers, and that was that. We moved on.

Things were looking pretty good until early 1974, when we heard about a clumsy 1972 break in at Democratic National Headquarters in Washington, D.C., by a bunch of inept burglars, inexplicably called “plumbers.” Turns out they were Republican operatives working on behalf of the Committee to Re-Elect the President, or “CREEP” for short.

I would come home after school in the spring and fall or after working my part-time job in the summer, flip on the TV, and find a bunch of overweight white guys, i.e., congressmen and senators, sitting at large, mahogany tables, grilling other overweight white guys (mostly with crew cuts) about “what the president knew — and when he knew it.”

Day after day. Even during prime time. But it was all so fascinating!

Except for a few, congressmen and senators were fairly obscure back then. But soon, along came a fellow named Sam Ervin, a folksy, white-haired Democrat from North Carolina with eyebrows that were seemingly alive and a Southern drawl right out of central casting. People just ate him up. He arrived day after day as the chair of a Senate select committee to investigate the 1972 presidential campaign. He had a way of skewering people with kindness and a sleepy, “aw shucks” demeanor.

His top lieutenant was Howard Baker, a much younger, urbane Republican from Tennessee. Smooth, handsome and self-effacing, he was made for the cameras. He killed with a kind of cool, “I-already-know-the-truth” manner. And get this: He was widely described as a “liberal” Republican. Those don’t exist today, unless you want to consider the wayward RINOs.

Together, “Senator Sam” and Howard Baker were the dynamic duo of prime-time TV all summer long and into the fall. They were on TV more than Hawkeye Pierce or Archie Bunker.

The senators did battle against a rogue’s gallery of grim-looking TV villains all within the president’s circle.

White House chiefs John Ehrlichman and H.R. “Bob” Haldeman; the sitting attorney general no less, John Mitchell; White House counsel John Dean (who cooperated with the prosecution and is still alive); lead “plumber” James McCord; break-in planners G. Gordon Liddy and E. Howard Hunt; and a slew of other slimy characters are all indelibly imprinted on my brain from that breathtaking time. Suffice it to say, after this fiasco, government was no longer trusted.

Of course, kind of like the Wizard of Oz, the key character in this melodrama rarely appeared onscreen in 1974. When he did, Nixon sat stoically alone in the oval office, peering into a TV camera complaining that “I am not a crook” and “when the president does it, it’s not a crime.” To Nixon’s everlasting credit, or more likely because it really was a more innocent time, that sentiment never reached the Supreme Court for a ruling.

Maybe I was a naive teenager, but it never felt like a constitutional crisis to me, at least not in the sense that we hear about today. I can’t recall that term ever being used. Nixon had the good sense to appoint a grandfatherly-looking, soft spoken, obscure congressman from Michigan, a fellow named Jerry Ford, to be his vice-president. This, after his first vice president, Maryland’s own Spiro Agnew, resigned in 1973 due to corruption. Naturally.

Nixon also never incited violence to hold onto his job. I suspect it was indeed in his nature to do so, but thankfully several fellow Republicans urged him to resign to save the country from going through an impeachment and a painfully certain conviction. Republicans declined to save him even though they could have. With two-thirds of the Senate (67%) needed for conviction, Democrats held that chamber by a margin of 57% to 43%.

It may seem quaint today, but country truly came before party back then. It also didn’t hurt that Nixon was a wholly unlikeable character. The hero-worship that seems to extend to some politicians today didn’t really exist back then. OK, maybe for the Kennedys.

Simon and Garfunkel summed up the times in their song “Bookends”: “Time it was, and what a time it was. It was a time of innocence, a time of confidences.” So true.

I leave you with a rough timeline of “our long, national nightmare,” as Jerry Ford put it when he pardoned Nixon in late 1974 when he became president.

Most wanted to see Nixon in jail for his actions. I felt ambivalent about that. He did end the Vietnam War, after all, and did some other good things like create the Environmental Protection Agency. A jailed Nixon may have hurt the country more than a pardoned Nixon. I guess we’ll never know.

This mess extended for the near entirety of that fateful year of 1974. I remember it well but certainly don’t miss it.

1974 TIMELINE

March 1 — Seven former White House officials are indicted for their role in the 1972 break-in of the Watergate Hotel and Democratic National Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

May 9 — The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee opens formal hearings in the impeachment process against Richard Nixon.

May 17 — The Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities opens hearings into the Watergate scandal.

June 27 — The Senate Select Committee issues a damning seven-volume, 1,250-page report implicating the president.

July 24 — The Supreme Court rules 8-0 in United States vs. Nixon that the president cannot withhold subpoenaed White House tapes proving he knew about the break-in and orders him to surrender them to the Watergate special prosecutor. Nixon refuses, citing “executive privilege.”

July 27-30 — The House Judiciary Committee adopts articles of impeachment, charging Nixon with obstruction of justice, failure to uphold laws and refusal to produce material subpoenaed by the committee.

Aug. 5 — The country is shocked when the “smoking gun” tape of June 23, 1972, is revealed, in which Nixon and White House Chief of Staff H.R. “Bob” Haldeman discuss (in very colorful language) using the CIA to block an FBI inquiry into Watergate. Let that sink in.

Aug. 6 — Nixon’s support in Congress collapses, even among fellow Republicans.

Aug. 7 — Three Republican Congressional leaders, Barry Goldwater, Hugh Scott and John Rhodes, visit Nixon in the White House to inform him that he does not have the votes to escape impeachment in the House or conviction in the Senate. He is urged to resign.

Aug. 8 — In a shocking evening address to the nation, Richard M. Nixon announces his resignation as president, effective at noon the next day. Nearly 100% of all American TV sets are tuned to this address. I can still remember my mom and dad sitting there, stone-faced.

Aug. 9 — As Nixon famously departs by helicopter for his home in California, Vice President Jerry Ford becomes the 38th president of the United States, the only one who was never elected.

Sept. 8 — President Ford pardons private citizen Nixon for any crimes he may have committed while in office.

Gary Bennett is a longtime Frederick resident who spends his time hiking, biking, volunteering and providing childcare for grandchildren. He is married and retired from his career as a nonprofit marketing executive.

Gun Owners: Only You Can Fix This

By Gary Bennett

What bothers me most about our periodic gun debates after the latest sorrowful massacre is the predictable push back from gun owners. Just once, it would be refreshing if some of them would stand up and say, “OK, you’ve got a point. We can’t keep going on like this. Mental health care is a problem but so are guns. The tool I use for recreation and to put additional food on my table is causing excruciating pain for so many people when used improperly. I’ve got to do something to help.”

Sadly, you never hear that. You only hear about the perceived infringement of their own rights. They seem reluctant to even join the debate in a meaningful way beyond a need for more guns so good guys with guns can win the day. We see that very rarely happens. No, they are often happy to blame mental illness, ignoring the fact that only 23 percent of shooters have such a diagnosis according to the CDC. Once the furor of the latest bout of gun violence dies down, meaningful reform is quickly forgotten. Will this time be different?

I’m pessimistic because our democracy doesn’t seem to be working the way it should. You know the statistics. Nearly 9 in 10 Americans support enhanced background checks, including 84 percent of Republicans. Two-thirds support an assault weapon ban and nearly three-fourths support a national “red flag” law. And yet progress never comes because most of these Americans are congregated closely together in blue states with like-minded senators. The smaller, more rural red states stand behind the filibuster and minority rights no matter who it harms.

I wish I could see the attraction of guns as recreation and sport. I don’t. I feel safe in my community so I don’t need to own a gun for protection. But – and stay with me for a moment – I do love biking and hiking. I’d like to think that if my bike or hiking poles were being used by bad, evil, mentally ill people to maim and kill the most vulnerable among us, I would want to help. I would feel some responsibility. I would start by turning in any extra bikes or poles I had lying about so they wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. I would join with others to lobby bike manufacturers to stop making extra fast, high-capacity bikes because they are simply not needed. And I would stop giving money to the National Bike Association because they are not interested in helping. You get my point.

This is ironic but I have to say it: gun owners, you needn’t be afraid. No one is coming for your guns. For better or worse you have the Second Amendment in your corner and no one is going to repeal it. You sure have to give the NRA credit, though. As shady as their finances are, they’ve been wildly successful making you think that if you give an inch the rest of us will take a mile. Don’t worry – it’s not worth the fight. Meaningful gun reform can only come from gun owners. The ball is in your court. I only hope your child is not next.

Court Packing to Finally Bear Abortion Fruit

By Gary Bennett

The Roberts Court, April 23, 2021 Seated from left to right: Justices Samuel A. Alito, Jr. and Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor Standing from left to right: Justices Brett M. Kavanaugh, Elena Kagan, Neil M. Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett. Photograph by Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States

After nearly 50 years as the law of the land, it seems the end of Roe v. Wade is upon us. Who could have seen this coming? As it turns out—everyone.

It doesn’t matter that nearly two-thirds of Americans support a women’s right of bodily self-determination. This day has been inevitable ever since Justices Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett ascended to the Supreme Court under disgusting (even for politics) circumstances. We should never forget the rank political maneuvering that got them there and brought us to this day.

Gorsuch was appointed by Trump after then senate majority leader Mitch McConnell refused to even give Obama’s pick, Merick Garland, a hearing nine months before the 2016 presidential election. For nearly a year the Court operated with eight justices. Then McConnell turned around and rushed Kavanaugh through despite believable allegations of sexual misconduct that were never fully investigated. Not to be outdone, he then pushed through Barrett just seven weeks before the 2020 election that Trump would lose and during (during!) early voting for president. The hypocrisy (again, even for politics) has been stunning.

This whole sordid affair has never gotten the attention it deserves. It is court packing, pure and simple. One could hardly blame Biden if he were to immediately name and push through three or four new justices. There is nothing but howls and screams from the right to stop him. Of course Biden would never do this but since the right only understands scorched-earth politics, the left should abide.

One might wonder how mitch McConnell sleeps at night but then you remember who we’re talking about. If there was ever a person singularly interested in obtaining and keeping raw political power no matter the consequences and who it tramples, it is him. He admits as much.

I’ve written before in this paper that the majority leader in the Senate, no matter the party or person occupying this made-up office that is not even mentioned in the Constitution, has too much power. In the case of McConnell, he was singularly making decisions that affected all Americans based on the electoral wishes of a majority of a small southern state’s voters. I never got a chance to vote for McConnell or McConnell’s opponent, and probably neither did you.

Now, with this new precedent, it would not surprise anyone if the right-leaning Court begins to systematically chip away at same-sex marriage, LBGTQ rights, and even the separation of church and state. And, if the GOP gains control of both houses and is able to win the presidency in 2024, the complete and total end of abortions in the U.S. for any reason would likely become a reality no matter what most Americans think. Iron-fisted rule by a loud minority over a quieter, less organized majority is, historically, how democracies begin to crumble.

I clearly remember the day in 1973 when the Supreme Court found in favor of Roe, and suddenly, receiving and performing abortions were no longer a crime. The ruling, while critically important, did not throw the country into crisis mode. It even felt like a compromise in some ways. Even the most callous of citizens agreed that, if we had to have abortions, better they be performed safely by trained clinicians than in some dark alley by someone with little or no training or by the desperate women themselves. Red states were even able to put some restrictions in place, but it seemed like everyone could work with that. Those kinder, gentler days seem to be gone forever.

It’s Not You–It’s Me (Breaking Up America)

By Gary Bennett

As I complete my mail-in ballot request and prepare to serve as an election judge again in this great state of Maryland, I can’t help but be grateful I live in a place that comfortably aligns with my political sensibilities and vision for America.

I know that is not true for everyone.

I can’t imagine living in a state like West Virginia or Texas where the majority political opinion is so much different than my own, and the political leaders seem to take such delight in marginalizing the opposition citizenry like they aren’t really citizens at all.

As for my conservative friends, I can’t imagine how it must be for you living in the Old Line State. You must cringe every time the democratic legislature passes a crazy bill like banning the sale and possession of untraceable “ghost” guns or establishing a statewide paid family and medical leave program for millions of workers. Even when a republican governor vetoes a bill, the democratic legislature simply overrides it with little or no fanfare because it’s (ho-hum) business as usual.

Despite the frequent threats I hear to leave Maryland, I know it’s not easy to move. But if I were in the permanent political minority, I would surely make it a priority. In this regard you have to give former Maryland state senator Alex Mooney (R-Mars) credit because he took his political talents from Maryland to West Virginia and picked up right where he left off. Except now, he has more sympathetic ears and has gained higher office, even if it’s in West Virginia.

I might be pessimistic but when you project this state-by-state angst over the entire country, It seems quite possible to me the United States makes a clean, political break one day. It is doubtful there would be all out war—we’ve been down that woeful road before and it didn’t work out so well. But, a political, paperwork-laden solution decades from now? Sure. Just think something like Brexit.

Consider if breaking up would be so bad. California is, by itself, the world’s fifth largest economy. Texas, Florida, and New York could no doubt stand on their own. The remaining states would then band together in one or more conservative-leaning countries or progressive-leaning countries. This could be decided by state referendum but the lead time would be such that the political losers in each new country could find work and swap accommodations with the losers in the other if they wish, sort of like an enormous Airbnb program. Texas could build that wall and California could ban all those guns. We would all be able to move freely about these new countries just like the EU citizens do. We would all be members of NATO.

Politicians are fond of saying we have more in common than we have differences. My observation is we don’t. We have many more differences—certainly too many and too serious to remain in an unhappy marriage. It used to be that a foreign threat would bring us together. Think Cuban missile crisis or 9-11. No longer. All you have to do is watch some Fox News and you’ll see we can’t even agree on our opposition to Russia in their war with Ukraine.

Abortion? As we are now seeing this issue alone has the potential to thwart the very idea of what it means to be American. Most of us want this procedure to be safe, rare and legal. We feel it is none of our business what women do with their own bodies. Others want it to be very much their business. They wish to preserve the fetus at all costs and make criminals out of doctors and desperate women.

Gun rights? Some of us know that more guns do not make us safer and would be happy if we had many less guns than people. Others insist more guns d0 make us safer and there can’t be too many. They should even be at our sides at all times.

Voting rights? Most of us believe there is not a voter fraud problem in this country and wish to make voting as easy as possible. Others believe elections are stolen and voting laws must be tightened up precipitously.

I could go on and on.

If you know a little history, you know this: there is nothing sacred about being a “country.” The list of countries that have come and gone is telling. We only have to look at modern times to remember there used to be independent states like USSR, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, East Pakistan, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. They’ve been replaced by a potpourri of new or merged countries. English- and French-speaking Canada flirts with a split every decade or so. Even on our own sunny shores, Texas and Hawai’i, believe it or not, used to be independent countries. And let’s not forget America itself was not so long ago part of the British Empire.

When you look clear-eyed at this in an historical light, it seems more likely than not that America breaks up with itself one day. And, why not? Most people are either mad, anxious, or apoplectic at the other side. They simply can’t understand why those people think and live the way they do and are always stirring up trouble. The same angst and stress that plays out in red and blue states for the opposition party clearly plays out at the federal level every day. Do you really think it will get better? I don’t. Compromise and “country before party” is a quaint relic of another time. The political class has failed us.

I hope I’m wrong about breaking up. I can’t imagine needing a passport to visit my beloved Siesta Key, Florida, each year. Of course, I don’t think you could pay me to live there now with Ron DeSantis (R-Looney Tunes) gleefully banning books, criticizing mask-wearing students and picking on Mickey Mouse for saying “gay”. But if Florida were in a different country, I’m ashamed to say that I would probably hold my nose and overlook the human rights abuses taking place there in order to visit. After all, I did that when I visited China many years ago.

For the Good of the Country, Time to Move Forward

As seen in the Frederick News-Post, 12/11/2020.

The best thing that could have happened, happened.

This is hard to say as a proud democrat but no, I’m not talking about the election of Joe Biden as 46^th president of the United States. I’m referring to the election of a centrist democratic president along with republicans having a good shot of hanging onto a thin majority in the Senate and adding a few more seats in the House. This configuration screams, almost demands, governing from the center and looking for compromise. I believe Mr. Biden has a golden opportunity to do just that. I believe that is where his heart is, and I believe that is where America’s heart really is.

It won’t be easy. There are loud and charismatic voices coming from his left who are just spoiling for a fight and wishing for payback. The same goes for the far right. Some on both sides want to win at all costs. It’s “their way or the highway.” I hope and pray he resists both. I believe most Americans are yearning for government to work together, to find common ground and embrace compromise. These activities should be seen as a badge of honor, not a shortcoming. Mr. Biden is using those words already, and that is a good sign. We should reward politicians who take this stance and marginalize the fringes on both sides who are harming America with their recalcitrance.

Along with the divisive rhetoric, I believe a main reason we have felt so out of sorts the past four years is that Mr. Trump attempted to govern from the hard right, ignoring the 50/50 split in our country. Smart politicians would have held out an olive branch to the other side, and most new presidents do. We got none of that from Mr. Trump. He did not receive a mandate to govern this way, but he gleefully went ahead anyway, enabled by Congressional republicans who could have reigned him in and cheered on by Fox News and his adoring fans, insulting and demonizing his opponents along the way, and by proxy, more than half of America. He has now paid the price for that.

We should never forget that our government was designed by the framers to move ahead slowly, not in fits and starts like we have over the past four years. We’re supposed to compromise. I’m asking this new democratic administration to take a bullet for the good of the country. Don’t think about payback. Think about progress. Mr. Biden is right—we are not enemies. Let’s accept that we all love this country and try to move ahead.

I Was a Census Taker in the Age of Trump and COVID

By Gary Bennett

My official Bureau of Census badge. Yes, I was proud to be a temporary G-man.

As seen in the Frederick News-Post, Monday, Oct. 22, 2020.

I don’t have a death wish, but I’m always interested in new experiences so being a census taker or “enumerator” in Census Bureau parlance sounded interesting and appealed to my sense of civic duty. And sure, the $21 an hour plus mileage didn’t hurt either. 240,000 of my fellow U.S. citizens joined me as an enumerator in 2020, down by about half from 2010 due to COVID-19.

It is pretty tough work. Not only because of political roadblocks and the current health crisis, but because most people just don’t want to talk to someone knocking at their door. Often times I was sent far from Frederick to work in unfamiliar communities that didn’t have enough census takers. I worked in everything from the blazing hot sun to pouring rain. Census takers are pushed hard by the full-time supervisors, always encouraging us to work fast, “close” cases, and not take no for an answer.

Initially, the work started easy enough—leaving ‘notice of visit’ flyers to those not at home and talking to agreeable people who legitimately overlooked completing the census.

These Notices of Visists are surprisingly effective at getting people to do the census online.

Soon, though, the work became much harder. The remaining people were evasive and not so agreeable. Many claimed to have already done the census online. Census officials assured us this was not the case and encouraged us to keep pushing. I was never sure who to believe. I did push ahead and performed reasonably well, talking many people into doing the census ‘again’ with me because they obviously wanted their voice to be heard. After enumerating these hesitant folks, however, the work became almost impossible. The people left to count obviously didn’t want to be counted. Many were belligerent and threatening.

My most memorable difficult case consisted of residents of a ramshackle townhouse community in Poolesville. I should have known I was in trouble when I read the notes from a fellow enumerator’s previous visit to the address. “I think the people at this place might be crazy. When I knocked on the door, they knocked back even harder.” I was intrigued. No one had enumerated this house and I wanted to be the one who did!

I logged more than 500 miles as a census worker over 6 weeks.

I had an ace in the hole. Census enumerators were allowed to use “proxies” to enumerate hard to complete addresses. Proxies are nearby neighbors who have at least a little information about their neighbors and are willing to tell you what they know. Unfortunately, it was equally clear in the notes that nearby neighbors might not be so willing to comment on these people either. “I don’t want to get involved,” “I’ve never talked to those people,” “They are not very friendly,” read some of the additional notes.

Undeterred, I strode up to the house and knocked. No answer. I knocked again, but this time I could hear people talking behind the door. When I peeked in, a mom and two kids stared back. When I knocked and peeked in a third time they were hiding behind some curtains. As I began to step away to find a neighbor, the man of the house pulled into his parking space. “Get your ass off my property right now and don’t come back or I’ll remove you myself,” he threatened. I assured him I had every right to be on his property, that I was with the Census Bureau and just wanted to know how many people lived at his place. He repeated his threat again as he began to get out of his van. Discretion being the better part of valor, I began to depart. To my relief, he got back in his van and left. As he did, I made sure he saw me walk up to his next-door neighbor’s house. I hoped he knew that we would be talking about him. I finally did get the information I needed and closed the case.

This was my worst brush with a hostile citizen, but there were others nearly as worrisome. One person railed about the poor use of his tax money that kept sending people to his house when he told us over and over that he has done the survey already. Two people were upset that Trump wanted to deport them even though they were here legally. An older gentleman offered “I’ve never done the census in my life. Maryland has been gerrymandered to death. That’s why I’m moving.” One young fellow at a new development used his Ring doorbell to size me up and said “You people need to quit hounding us. Nobody cares about this crap.” And, as I left one proxy who provided info on his townhouse neighbor, I could see the neighbor running out of his home and berating the proxy for provided any information at all.

The census app was extremely intuitive and well done. It guided our conversations as we entered data and completed the census with citizens on the fly.

It wasn’t all bad, though. One nice older gentleman in Dickerson wanted to talk about how the census helped us during the Revolutionary War. One fellow came running out of his house to give me a bottle of water. One little girl did the same with a popsicle at the behest of her dad. One scantily clad woman answered the door and made no effort to cover up. We didn’t cover that in training.

I am not sure why so many people were upset about completing the census, but I suspect it didn’t help that the president chose to make the census political and that a public health crisis was raging at the time. Completing a decennial census is in the Constitution.

Even so, the presidential attacks came in waves. First, Trump directed his Commerce secretary to add a citizenship question to the survey after months of planning and testing and just before the instrument was to be rolled out. That ploy lost in the courts. Next, he directed other federal agencies to share data with the Census Bureau so that “no undocumented aliens would be counted.” This was despite the fact the Constitution calls for the counting of every person residing in the country regardless of legal status. This one lost in the courts, too. And finally, he required the Census Bureau to finish field operations by September 30. This was after his own Commerce Department requested a three-month extension to December 31 in order to accommodate complications caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The House even passed a bill mandating the three-month extension, but it died in the Senate as most things do now. Again, the courts had to come to the rescue. A federal judge recently issued a restraining order halting the winding down of operations in September and resetting it to October 31. Census enumerators were finally directed to cease work on October 5.

I was never really worried about COVID-19, but perhaps I should have been. All enumerators were issued masks and required to wear them. But it did not occur to many of my interviewees to don them while standing face-to-face at close quarters with a stranger for ten minutes. I can’t say that I blame them. After all, they were responding spur of the moment from their own homes. As I write this, I have been a former census enumerator for over two weeks and feel fine. I might be lucky. I worked for the Census Bureau for about six weeks and had over 500 brief contacts and about 250 full interviews with strangers. I was very appreciative to those few who did wear a mask but could never bring myself to ask them to go get one. Respondents, however, were not shy about citing COVID-19 to keep me away. That excuse was used 20 times with me.

Despite a late start because of COVID and political interference, most parts of America are doing well. As of late August, about 65 percent of households had self-reported. An additional 30 percent have been enumerated by personal interviews from folks like me. The remaining five percent will be completed by the very best census enumerators, full-time census employees, and data from publicly available sources. By the time you read this, America will be very near to 100 percent complete.

Maryland is well above average among U.S. states, and Frederick County is in the top tier of reporting counties in Maryland. The latest data show Maryland at number 10 of the 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico in self reporting at 70.3 percent. Minnesota leads the way at 75 percent. Portions of the south including Arkansas, South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana, and West Virginia bring up the rear, averaging between 55 and 60 percent. Average education levels within states mirror census response. A spokesperson for the Census Bureau cites lack of knowledge about the importance and safety of the census for people not responding. As of September 15, 98.1 percent of residences in Fredrick County have been completed, placing us among the top five Maryland counties.

Our conspicuous census bags helped to identify us as we stood on porches.

Thank you, Democrats

By Gary Bennett

As seen in the Frederick News Post, Saturday, January 4, 2020.

Thank you for doing your job.

Especially to the House Democrats in Republican-leaning districts who could have easily abstained or voted not to impeach, knowing that more than enough votes were already available. That is the kind of courage, conscientiousness and placing the country before party we need out of Congress but is sorely lacking. Some may be risking their seats but did their duty anyway. The country voted overwhelmingly for Congressional oversight of the president in the 2018 midterms – even in many Trump districts – and that’s exactly what we’ve gotten. Elections have consequences after all, as many Trump supporters are fond of saying. You can be sure that reasonable Republicans are afraid for their country and are glad to hide behind Congressional oversight from the Democrats and demonize them anyone. Kind of the best of both worlds!

And thank goodness for this new-found oversight. Under a Republican House, do you think Mr. Trump’s wrongdoing would never have seen the light of day? And, it doesn’t even matter that Mr. Trump won’t be removed from office. The Senate Republicans who privately loathe Mr. Trump will not bring themselves to do that, of course. Call me naive, but I believe in his heart of hearts, Mr. Trump knows he is dodging a bullet and will no longer seek foreign help for his 2020 political prospects. A win for all of us!

But Senate Republicans had better be careful. Many Americans will not put up with a sham trial. Just ask Virginia Republicans who made a mockery of a special session the governor called on gun safety earlier this year. Their dereliction of duty cost them dearly at the polls and I believe the same will happen to Senate Republicans in 2020. For all you Trump supporters who find this entire affair a sordid miscarriage of justice, I have just one question: if a Democratic president had done what Mr. Trump has admitted to doing, would you still feel it is not impeachable? As a Democrat who supported the impeachment of Bill Clinton in 1998 because we cannot permit anyone lying to Congress in this country, I unfortunately already know the answer to that one.

Political Unkindness–How We Got Here and What We Can Do

By Gary Bennett

Of course it had to happen this way. The impeachment hearings kicked off on the same week as World Kindness Day. I’m ashamed to say that I had never heard of World Kindness Day. It goes back to 1998 and is devoted to small and large acts of kindness. How quaint in this day and age, right?

It’s difficult to think of anything less kind than these impeachment hearings. Depending on your point of view, the hearings are either a desperate witch hunt to overturn the results of the 2016 presidential election or a sober, constitutional investigation of reported abuses of power by the president. Democrats and Republicans are pitted against each other in a death struggle of epic proportions—not so much in a search for truth but rather to see who can come out on top. It’s always about the politics now. For this impeachment go-round—they happen about every 20 years now—Democrats control the hearings and have positioned themselves as the agents of truth. Republicans are left to mostly attack the process and rail against the public servants who are providing the testimony.

The country went through the same experience in 1998 but roles were completely reversed. Republicans held the House and controlled the hearings. They went on to impeach President Clinton for obstruction of justice—lying to Congress about his sexual escapades in the White House. The Democrats were left to complain about a witch hunt and unfairness to the president. My how things come around! Clinton was later acquitted in the Senate just as President Trump will be acquitted.

In 1973 when the Nixon impeachment hearings were dominating TV, things were much different. Politicians and the American people seemed to be more open minded. There were such things as moderate and liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats. Those species have gone the way of the dodo bird, of course. There was no witch’s brew of smirking talking heads on TV and, of course, no Internet. President Nixon was pushed by his FELLOW REPUBLICANS to resign rather than face certain impeachment and conviction. That has as much chance of happening today as a cold front settling over Hades.

I can’t help wondering where it all went so wrong. When did party start coming before country? Why can’t politicians, and more importantly Americans, with different life outlooks trust each other more and show at least a modicum of kindness towards each other? There are many first-hand accounts of U.S. senators being very accommodating and kind to each other behind closed doors. It’s a small, exclusive club after all. But when the cameras start rolling you can forget all that. A politician can’t appear to be a compromiser and not a fighter. I wonder how they sleep at night sometimes. Does this all mean that we are the problem? Are politicians simply playing a part that we demand? I don’t know, but I do know this ugly phenomenon took a turn for the worse about 30 years ago.

I believe the election of Bill Clinton in 1992 jump started the unkindness era. James Monroe ushered in the Era of Good Feelings after the War of 1812. Clinton gets to own the start of this new era. Back then a lot of people saw him for what he was and said so—a purely political animal, sometimes unscrupulous, a little too slick, and a well-known womanizer. He wasn’t highly respected, and like Mr. Trump, was elected by a minority of Americans. It also didn’t help that this baby boomer, small-state Southern governor defeated a highly respected war hero from the Greatest Generation. George H.W. Bush adroitly guided America through the first Gulf War but was undone by courageously bucking his own party by raising taxes when most economists agreed they needed to be raised. He would have even survived that had he not welched on his “read my lips—no new taxes” pledge. Just like Nixon, Republicans turned on him. It also didn’t help that the country went into a recession in 1992. Mr. Clinton represented the possibility of an improving economy so we took a flyer on him. Thankfully, he and the economy improved enough to drive his reelection in 1996.

So if you think the never-ending criticism of President Trump is unprecedented, you’d be sadly mistaken. Presidents Clinton, the second Bush, and Obama all faced withering pockets of what can only be called hatred. The only new thing now is that the current president hates many of us right back. He gleefully insults and demonizes his detractors and is unconcerned with being presidential and rising above it all. His fans eat it up. I vividly remember the presidencies of Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan and all the rest. To my eyes and ears, none faced the vitriol that has been hurled at the last four.

Another stake in the heart of kindness is the rise of the so-called news channels with a point of view. Many forget that Fox News and MSNBC did not exist until relatively recently. We had CNN back in the day, and believe it or not, it was seen as a trusted, middle of the road provider of straight news. In fact, I’m not sure the first George Bush could have led American and the world through the first Gulf War without CNN. Today, Americans, for better or worse, can get their news delivered through a prism of like-minded talking heads who make no pretense at bi- or nonpartisanship. I think it’s far worse.

Another factor is the culture war. Up until the 90’s and Clinton, divisive cultural issues did not play an unnaturally large role in national politics. Sure, there was vigorous debate about Johnson’s “Great Society” initiatives such as civil rights, Social Security and Medicare. The Supreme Court upheld abortion rights in 1973 and even Republican stalwart Richard Nixon pushed through sweeping environmental laws including the establishment of the EPA that same year. But the country eventually came together. Sure, many pockets of Americans did not like these measures but they did not demonize the proponents. Now, many Americans, particularly conservative Americans, feel like their way of life—the American way of life they remember from their childhood— is threatened and slowly being taken away. To them, gun control, abortion, equal rights, immigrants at the border, taking God out of school, gay marriage, the me-too movement, and many other cultural touchpoints are worth fighting against to their last breath. To them, collateral damage along the way is just that.

Finally, I think the biggest driver of discord and hatred is the rise of the Internet and social media after the turn of the century. Even worse than the cable news channels, social media makes no pretense at fact checking or ensuring the truth is told. Anybody with a conspiracy theory or outright lie they want broadly circulated will find their audience and it will be amplified to a degree unknown in the last century.

And when the lies and conspiracy theories come via social media from the highest levels of government, what are everyday Americans to do? It seems quaint now to suggest we turn off our phones or at least ignore the worst of the worst. But I hope you will join me in at least doing this one simple thing: do not forward or share anything that demonizes or insults the other side. What good does that do anyway? It only causes the other side to dig in more. Studies have shown that it is nearly impossible to change the minds of the other side once opinions have been formed and acted upon. It might make you feel good to share that snarky post but to me it is the height of laziness. If you want to get a point across, research it and write it yourself.

Oh, and you can also join me in turning off or at least limiting cable news viewership. There is no doubt they have a point of view, an agenda to support, and an axe to grind. And it’s also undeniably entertaining. But, please consider getting your entertainment elsewhere. You may not completely trust the network news and newspapers but they are undoubtedly a better choice than cable news. I know first-hand that both entities support highly stringent quality control measures, are bound by professional standards and ethics, hire highly educated professionals, and try to present both sides of every argument (as long as you avoid the editorials, which are clearly labeled, by the way.) And no doubt they sometime fail. But it’s not for lack of trying. These are simple steps we can all take to help make us better, kinder, more thoughtful citizens.

What A Moderate Truly Believes

By Gary Bennett

As seen in the Frederick News-Post Thursday, August 6, 2019

With apologies to the Doobie Brothers who took What a Fool Believes to the top of the charts in 1979, here is what I believe moderates like me want. I’m not going to tell you what political persuasion I favor, but maybe you can guess by the end of this article. Hopefully not. The political fringes of both parties get all the attention, but I firmly believe that most Americans, largely silent Americans, fall somewhere in the middle.

As a moderate, I believe both sides get the benefit of the doubt until they abuse that privilege. How can they do that? By denigrating and demonizing the other side with a wild-eyed, foaming-at-the-mouth kind of glee. This is rampant today and gets us nowhere. Clearly there are patriots on both sides that care deeply about their country and fight ferociously for what they believe in. But unfortunately, there are also politicians, consultants, lobbyists, TV and radio personalities, and even ordinary Americans who see this as a big game that must have clear winners and losers. I hope we can start to aim higher than that and that moderates can lead the way. I’ll take a look at just three issues—gun safety, immigration, and health care policy.

Moderates do not want to take guns away from law-abiding citizens. Why would we? By definition, they are good people. I don’t see the attraction in guns, but then again I don’t see the attraction in kale and quinoa. But I have family and friends that enjoy guns immensely for sport and self defense, and that is fine. What moderates do want is sensible regulation of guns that brings ownership up to the same standards as automobiles—meaning licensing and registration. It also means closing gun show loopholes, universal criminal background checks, limiting new sales of assault weapons and other guns of war, and emergency confiscation of guns by family members of troubled individuals. Is that really too much to ask? I guess I’m asking responsible gun owners to take a small hit for the American people so there is a little less chance of random gun violence and saying unexpected, sorrowful goodbyes to loved ones. I believe the fact that the GOP-controlled Virginia legislature would not even discuss gun regulation during a recent special session called by the governor has sealed their fate in the next election. Moderates will put up with a lot of nonsense, but not dereliction of duty when people are dying.

Moderates believe in an immigration policy that meets migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers with kindness, not vitriol and hatred. It is the height of arrogance to deny or forget that we are all sons and daughters of immigrants that benefitted from open borders. There but for the grace of God go I. We don’t want open borders but we don’t think a wall is the answer either. We wish for the Statue of Liberty to remain the symbol of America, not a steel wall. We want orderly immigration that is administered by more judges. We want more aid to Latin American countries so that we tackle the problem at its origin, helping their citizens have a chance at a better life in their own country. Ask yourself how desperate people have to be to set off on a 1,000 mile trek with small children to an unfamiliar land with no promise of a better life at the end of it. Immigration is a vexing problem, but unsolvable? Of course not. We simply need to take the emotion out and demand our politicians meet in the middle.

Moderates believe that quality health care is a right for all and not a privilege for only those who can afford it. We also don’t believe that Medicare for All is the answer. Medicare and Medicaid are already underfunded and rife with abuse. It’s difficult to see how this could be sensibly financed and managed despite what the politicians say. Overall reform of our health care system is sorely needed. It does not work well for many of us. Obamacare, while not perfect, was a step in the right direction. Threats to repeal Obamacare, with nothing in the works to replace it, are irresponsible. Most Americans seem to sense this, yet the threats continue.

For all issues, moderates want our best minds to come together and, in the best case, reach consensus or, if need be, compromise. We are tired of all the rancor and political scorekeeping. Words are cheap. Reasonable politicians who can show the level of maturity needed to build consensus and reach compromise should get our vote no matter the party affiliation. It won’t just happen. The message has to come loud and clear at the ballot box. Please join me in telling the two political fringes that we’ve had enough. This won’t be easy but as John Lennon said, “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” Search out candidates who don’t spout the party line automatically and don’t seem to have all the answers already but show thoughtfulness and a willingness to learn.

And one final thought–if you think your side is always right and the other side is always wrong, I congratulate you for having life figured out better than the rest of us. The freedom this affords must be quite satisfying. But just consider for a moment all the damage you are doing if you really are wrong after all.