I Often Dream that Television Shows and Movies Might Become Reality

I was a ‘latch key kid’ in the 1950’s. My brother and I were never in danger because our apartment was very close to our school. Next door to our small apartment building was an old house, followed by the convent, the rectory, the Church and the school.

The first television we had was 9 inches wide and 9 inches tall. Of course the picture was in black and white. Television was our family’s major source of entertainment. If I was home, the television was on, even as I did my homework.

I’m sure that I was one of millions of young men and women who fantasized about living the lives of the characters on the screen.

Some things never change, at least not entirely. Two of my favorite movies, and one of the greatest television shows in history inspire me to dream again, even at the age of 78.

For as long as I can remember, I held in my mind an image of what a President of the United States should be. The first president I remember was Dwight Eisenhower. I turned on the television when I came home from school in 1956. On all three channels the second nomination of the President was being televised at the Republican National Convention. I was fascinated.

That broadcast was the beginning of my interest in politics. I wasn’t as focused as I am today, but I did begin to read the news, and watch the evening broadcasts on television, especially Walter Cronkite.

Politics became more interesting for me four years later when a young Senator from Massachusetts was nominated for the presidency by the Democratic Party. I will never forget the way he spoke to the American people. To this day, no political candidate has captured my interest like John Fitzgerald Kennedy. He was exactly the image I had created in my mind when I thought of our presidents.

Over nearly eight decades I have watched and read about the actions of 14 presidents, one of them twice. Most of our nation’s leaders were nothing more than adequate. The truth is that only a handful of our 47 presidents have been “great.” I have been fortunate to experience one of those men, John Kennedy. However, I have also suffered through three of the worst: Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and of course, Donald Trump. Unfortunately, our nation is stuck with the worst of all once again.

I daydream. As a political junkie, I dream of what it would be like to have a great president today instead of a man who hates the country he was chosen to serve. I am old fashioned and believe that our presidents should always act in the best interests of the American people: all 340 million of us. Instead, we have an old, obese, white man whose only concern is himself. Every campaign promise he made was a lie.

I watched “The American President,” “Dave,” and episodes of “The West Wing” many times. I still get emotional when I listen to Michael Douglas’ speech at the end of “The American President.”

Trump failed to act “presidential” for one day between 2017 and 2021, and is even worse today. His ultimate failure, prior to January 6, was his unwillingness to lead our country in the fight against Covid-19. Healthcare experts claim that about 10 percent of the more than one-million lives lost are the responsibility of Trump’s failure to act immediately when he was warned of a probable pandemic. His answer was, “it will just go away.” He had one opportunity to do the right thing and failed. Why? He doesn’t care about anyone other than himself.

Over the last two months Trump has destroyed the lives of tens of thousands of men and women. He and his co-president, Elon Musk, continue to live in a world of white privilege and wealth. They fired thousands of men and women for no reason. They removed many of the only people who actually work in Washington. Their ignorance and lack of compassion will never be forgiven, and their efforts to destroy our nation’s future are undeniable.

I wonder what it feels like to be the two most hated men in our nation and possibly the world.

Op-ed by James Turnage

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