Core of Conviction : My Story (9781101563571) by Michele Bachmann
Authors: Michele Bachmann
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the abortion issue, suggesting that he was pro-life to the pro-lifers and prochoice to the prochoicersâand yet the media, always Carter friendly, never nailed him on his hypocrisy. So in our naïveté, we failed to realize that Carter was playing a duplicitous double game. And the Republican Party, meanwhile, still seemed at that time to be dominated by defenders of the proabortion stance. But today, thanks to the tireless efforts of conservative leaders such as Phyllis Schlafly, Father Frank Pavone, the late Henry Hyde, and, of course, Ronald Reagan, the Republican Party has rediscovered its moral origins as a champion of human liberty and human life. Today, we have witnessed, in the party platforms, which one of the two parties stands up for life and which one doesnât.
Yet back in the seventies, the parties had not yet sorted themselves out on the vital issue of abortion. So in 1976, many pro-life and socially conservative Americans could be found conscientiously voting for the Carter-Mondale ticket, thinking they were voting pro-life. And Marcus and I did more than that; we helped on his campaign, handing out fliers and making phone calls.
And of course, the Carter-Mondale ticket won the general election that November. A few weeks later, Marcus and I both received an invitation to attend the presidential inauguration in the coming Januaryâat our own expense, of course. Marcus found me on campus one day and said heâd figured out how we could travel to D.C. and back for just a hundred dollars. Neither of us had ever been to Washington, and I wanted to go, to be a part of history. But still, mindful of the cost, I hesitated. A hundred dollars? To this working-her-way-through-college student, that was real money.
But Marcus was persuasive. So eventually, eight politically involved Minnesotans clambered into an RV, having packed in plenty of food, and took off from Winona to Washington. It was like a scene from
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,
in which a group of strangers from the provinces heads off to see the bright lights of the big city. We didnât have money for hotels along the way, so we took turns driving, making it straight through to Washington in twenty-four hours. This was no raunchy road trip; one of the passengers was a nun, and the rest of us were starry-eyed idealists. We sang sing-alongs, talked about current events, and dreamed about how America would be a better place thanks to the Carter-Mondale administration.
Disappointment, of course, was to come in the future, but Washington, D.C., as a city did not disappoint; it far exceeded my expectations. I remember coming over a hill and seeing the horizon, and there was the capitolâand, honest to God, tears were streaming down my face. I had read all about Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court, but actually seeing those placesâthere was nothing like it. We were admiring, up close, the three branches of government, the landmarks where our Constitution came to life each day. Or at least that was the hope.
And we got to see the Carter-Mondale inauguration, albeit from a great distance.
And the parties! We went to the Minnesota ball, where we got to meet two of Walter Mondaleâs children, Eleanor and Ted. That was a thrill, but what left an even bigger impression was the cornucopian richness of the parties. We went from party to party to party; free food abounded everywhere in the public buildings of the Capitol complex. To the dainty eater, tasty hors dâoeuvres and cute little finger foods beckoned; to the hearty eater, big stacks of deli meats, hunks of cheese, and those delectable little pigs in blankets were shouting, âCome and get it!â Because I brought a grand total of eleven dollars with me for food, transportation, and spending money, I was myself both types of eager eater. The heaping silver platters of huge brownies were like something I had never seen before. As I said, we came from a
Yet back in the seventies, the parties had not yet sorted themselves out on the vital issue of abortion. So in 1976, many pro-life and socially conservative Americans could be found conscientiously voting for the Carter-Mondale ticket, thinking they were voting pro-life. And Marcus and I did more than that; we helped on his campaign, handing out fliers and making phone calls.
And of course, the Carter-Mondale ticket won the general election that November. A few weeks later, Marcus and I both received an invitation to attend the presidential inauguration in the coming Januaryâat our own expense, of course. Marcus found me on campus one day and said heâd figured out how we could travel to D.C. and back for just a hundred dollars. Neither of us had ever been to Washington, and I wanted to go, to be a part of history. But still, mindful of the cost, I hesitated. A hundred dollars? To this working-her-way-through-college student, that was real money.
But Marcus was persuasive. So eventually, eight politically involved Minnesotans clambered into an RV, having packed in plenty of food, and took off from Winona to Washington. It was like a scene from
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,
in which a group of strangers from the provinces heads off to see the bright lights of the big city. We didnât have money for hotels along the way, so we took turns driving, making it straight through to Washington in twenty-four hours. This was no raunchy road trip; one of the passengers was a nun, and the rest of us were starry-eyed idealists. We sang sing-alongs, talked about current events, and dreamed about how America would be a better place thanks to the Carter-Mondale administration.
Disappointment, of course, was to come in the future, but Washington, D.C., as a city did not disappoint; it far exceeded my expectations. I remember coming over a hill and seeing the horizon, and there was the capitolâand, honest to God, tears were streaming down my face. I had read all about Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court, but actually seeing those placesâthere was nothing like it. We were admiring, up close, the three branches of government, the landmarks where our Constitution came to life each day. Or at least that was the hope.
And we got to see the Carter-Mondale inauguration, albeit from a great distance.
And the parties! We went to the Minnesota ball, where we got to meet two of Walter Mondaleâs children, Eleanor and Ted. That was a thrill, but what left an even bigger impression was the cornucopian richness of the parties. We went from party to party to party; free food abounded everywhere in the public buildings of the Capitol complex. To the dainty eater, tasty hors dâoeuvres and cute little finger foods beckoned; to the hearty eater, big stacks of deli meats, hunks of cheese, and those delectable little pigs in blankets were shouting, âCome and get it!â Because I brought a grand total of eleven dollars with me for food, transportation, and spending money, I was myself both types of eager eater. The heaping silver platters of huge brownies were like something I had never seen before. As I said, we came from a
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