Words of wisdom from another old white guy

Carrie: How does it feel to turn 80 years old last weekend?

Jerry: Well, I’m feeling pretty good. After all, 80 is “the new 79!”

Carrie: What? No aches and pains?

Jerry: Nobody wants to hear about them. Somebody once said “the ailments of the elderly are frequently serious but seldom interesting.”

Carrie: So what’s interesting to you?

Jerry: How about the recent presidential election? I’ve seen a lot of Presidents come and go. FDR was in the White House when I was born. When I was twelve, I shook the hand of President Harry Truman.

Carrie: How did that happen?

Jerry: Truman was on a whistle stop tour for his campaign against NY Governor Tom Dewey. His train stopped at small towns across America where he’d come out on the platform and give a brief talk. My parents took me to Monida, Montana where his train made a stop.

Carrie: Seriously? His train stopped in Monida? Were there even twenty people there?

Jerry: Actually, the train had to stop to add another locomotive to make the climb into Butte. President Truman came out on the platform and greeted us. With such a small crowd, I was able to reach up and shake his hand.

Carrie: That 1948 election was a huge surprise because most folks didn’t think Truman could possibly beat Dewey.

Jerry: Kind of sounds like the recent Presidential election. Nobody thought Trump could beat Clinton.

Carrie: She won the popular vote by over 2.2 million votes. But Trump won the Electoral College. Some claim our national turnout was less than 2012. But according to Cook Political Report’s David Wasserman, this year’s presidential turnout, so far, is 134.9 million compared to 129 million in 2012 and 131.3 million in 2008.

Jerry: How was Idaho’s turnout?

Carrie: The Secretary of State says 710,877 Idahoans voted. That’s the most ever. Percentage wise, it’s 76 percent of registered voters, the fifth highest such percent since 1980. Statewide, Trump won 59 percent of the vote compared to Clinton’s 27.5 percent

Jerry: Here’s what I don’t get. Trump’s campaign promised to deport illegal immigrants and cancel international trade deals. Yet Idaho’s economy relies heavily on illegals for agricultural labor. Moreover Idaho exports generate over $4.3 billion for our state economy.

Carrie: Does this mean our farmer friends will be moving their own pipe this spring? Or will the Magic Valley dairy owners start milking their own cows?

Jerry: Why would folks vote against their own economic interests? I can’t make sense of that.

Carrie: Conventional wisdom says Trump’s supporters took him “seriously but not literally.” Besides, I thought you’d like the notion of a bunch of old white guys running the country again.

Jerry: It has some appeal.

Carrie: How do you feel about our incoming President? Are you pessimistic about our country’s future?

Jerry: Not really. Indeed, Churchill once said, “The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

Carrie: Then you’re optimistic! Do you have any wisdom to share with our readers on your 80th birthday?

Jerry: Allow me to offer the advice my late Aunt Dorothy shared on her 90th birthday. When I asked for her words of wisdom, she said, “Jerry! Nobody likes a cry baby!”