According to the Michigan exit poll, if voters in the four age brackets had turned out in the same proportions as the general population, Sanders would have defeated Biden by 48.4% to 47.0%. Admittedly, the vote counts had Biden outperforming the initial exit polls in almost every state, which is a subject unto itself. But Michigan surely would have been close, and Sanders would be in a much stronger position than he is today.
Another thing that has not changed is that two political parties control the nominating process. They get to make the rules. They decide whether you have to join their club in order to vote in their primary. They decide how the elected delegates are allocated, and how many of them are not elected at all. They decide when debates will take place, and who gets to be on the stage. And they decide whether to gang up on the insurgent candidate. There are some who would rather be out of power and keep control of the party than have the party be in power under someone else's control.
And their proxies in the state legislatures and the boards of elections control the voting process. They decide how hard it is to register to vote, and who gets purged from the voter rolls. They decide how large the precincts will be, and whether there will be neighborhood control. They decide what voting methods will be used, and whether the elections will be transparent. They decide if there will be paper ballots marked by hand, or electronic voting with no proof of voter intent. They decide who gets enough voting machines, and who does not. They decide whether anyone gets to audit the election after the fact if the vote count is not to be trusted.
JB: You paint a picture that is not overly optimistic about the state of our election process, then or now. Is there a silver lining? Has something been accomplished, despite all the obstacles?
RHP: When I was a teenager, the Vietnam War was the defining issue of our time. We lost all the battles, but we stopped the war. We lost Robert Kennedy. We couldn't get Eugene McCarthy nominated. We couldn't get George McGovern elected. But we stopped the Vietnam War. It didn't happen as soon as we wanted it to. We lost more soldiers after 1968 than before 1968. But we did not give up. We stopped the Vietnam War. It was the first time that a citizen uprising had ever stopped a war in all of American history. That is not a small accomplishment.
JB: Thanks for the reminder. What's your advice to the younger generation?
RHP: Transformational change takes time. Four years ago, the signature issues of Bernie Sanders were considered radical. Today, every politician has to address them. Before long they will become reality. Time is on your side. But you have to make it happen. You have to show up.
Our generation didn't accomplish everything we wanted, but we made a lot of progress. When I was a teenager, I was in deep trouble for things that are widely accepted today. I was arrested and threatened with 20 years in prison for an ounce of marijuana. It took a long time, but marijuana is now legal in many states. I was investigated for suspected homosexual activity by the very same cops who had broken up my first relationship with a girl. They confronted my family about it. Homosexual activity was a crime in forty-nine states. Merely wanting it was "loitering for the purpose". Same-sex marriage was unthinkable. Then Stonewall happened, and it all started to change. Slowly but surely. Now you can marry anybody you want to. No generation is ever satisfied with the world their elders have passed on to them. But before you ever say "O.K. Boomer" again, remember what we had to go through, and count your blessings.
I often wonder what my life would have been like if I had not been stigmatized at such a young age. I was a lad full of promise. People expected great things from me. I wanted to go into politics. But I had those black marks on my record. At that time, they were totally disqualifying. I could not have been a politician, a lawyer, a teacher, you name it.
After the McCarthy campaign I made it through high school, then dropped out for six and a half years. All I did was play music and wander the mountains. Little did I know that someday I would be paid to do those very things.
JB: Before we wrap this up, Richard, talk a little about what you just said. It's tantalizing. Playing music and wandering the mountains. What are you referring to exactly?
RHP: Nobody could tell me not to do those things. And nothing else could bring me peace. I poured my heart into songwriting, and learned to play four musical instruments. I explored the woods wherever trails were lost or nonexistent. I lived in the present because I thought I had no future.
After all those years of "misspent youth," I pulled myself together and earned degrees in four fields. And guess what? They never led to a career. I can make more money with a bow saw and an axe on a trail crew, or singing and playing at a farm to table restaurant. So the years in college were the ones that were wasted, unless for the intrinsic value of the education itself.
What was deeply wrong about all of this was the traumatization of a child. I never hurt anybody. There was no reason to hurt me. Those were my formative years. Ever since then, I have tried to protect those in danger. In my old age, I have become a published historian, writing about innocent children abused and traumatized by the authorities, the pillars of the community. I understand them, and I empathize with them, and I weep for them, because I have been there.
JB: Once again, it's been wonderful talking with you. Thanks for sharing a slice of your life with us. It's been enlightening.
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