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Chris Kuhn

Editor, skirt! Tampa Bay

I'm an outspoken thirtysomething who has lived in the Tampa Bay area since 1992, full of useless facts on just about every facet of pop culture. I'm passionate about vegetarianism without passing judgment. I love to laugh. If we can't talk politics, music, movies, sports, TV or current events, you'...

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Not A Great Track Record

I saw a bumper sticker on the way home last night that made me chuckle and reflect a little. I don’t like to read while I drive, but I was stopped at a light and this one caught my eye.

01.20.09
The End of An Error

Amen.

I attended my first ever political rally back in 2004. Yes, it was for John Kerry. Edwards wasn’t around that day. It was one of the most exciting things I’ve ever witnessed, and I must be honest: I wasn’t all that knocked out by Kerry as a candidate, but I supported him. Not compared to 2000 and the Gore campaign. Or the Clinton campaign in 96. I felt so strongly about both of those candidates but never took advantage of seeing them appear in person on the campaign trail.

This time around, it’s appearing that my first two choices will probably fail to get nominated (Edwards and Clinton). But I’m growing to like Obama each time I hear him speak. Still, it’s not the same as 2000.

I remember how absolutely devastated I was after the 2000 election. I could not believe what was taking place in the Florida legislature. Was this a joke? Could this be happening? Would hanging chads really determine the election’s outcome?

I cried. I’ve never cried after an election loss before. And believe me, I’ve experienced my share of losses.

I was convinced Walter Mondale was a great man and deserved the job in ‘84. Of course, I was in 9th grade at the time and not able to support one of the nicest but admittedly dullest candidates to take the convention stage. Sigh.

I was first eligible to vote in the ‘88 election – yep, Dukakis/Bentsen. Doomed from the start, I’m afraid. But I believed in them. Unfortunately, not enough people agreed with me.

Then, in 92, I lost my mind (in so many ways that I won’t go into here). Acted on impulse. I’ve never openly admitted this to anyone but I was hoodwinked (and perhaps slightly influenced by the man living under my roof at the time) that a bizarre Texas millionaire on the Independent ticket had my best interests at heart. (Little did I know of the bizarre Texas millionaire to come 8 years later...)

By ‘96, I’d found my marbles again. And it was a pretty easy victory (my only one to savor so far).

But 2000, I was convinced that the right man had won. Yet...somehow...he didn’t? I was baffled.

In early 2001, I had the opportunity to attend a healthcare technology conference in Miami and see Al Gore as the keynote speaker. I was touched by his candor, wit and intelligence. He’s teased for appearing wooden and phony, but I must confess as someone out in the audience, I was awestruck and a bit giddy with excitement. At the same time, I was so sad. So very sad. Like a heartache. When he finished speaking and the clearly predominant Dem audience clapped loudly, I too was joining in the clamor and believe it or not, tearing up at the sight of this man I elected – the country had elected – yet who wasn’t able to fill his post.

I’ll probably try to attend a rally for my party's next candidate - whether it's Obama or Clinton. But I suspect it won't feel the same. I wish I had that same passion that I had for Bill Clinton and Al Gore’s campaigns. I suppose I could feel differently in a few months.

Have you ever been swept up by a candidate’s energy or platform? Or has taking a stand in politics become simply going through the motions?