It's the summer of 1980. I'm sitting in front of a fan with a bowl of ice cubes placed strategically near it, studying for my summer law school class on constitutional law in my one room apartment in Detroit. Across the table sits my landlady's sister, who is going through a divorce , lonely, afraid. She watches me study - a lot.
It's okay. People watch me study all day long. I work five part time jobs to pay for my school expenses. They watch me study and keep me company.
I hear loud noises, look up and stare at the 13 inch black and white TV set that shows images from the 1980 Democratic convention. News - any news - is like leisure to me right now, time away from working and studying. I barely know who's running. Ted Kennedy. Jimmy Carter. Close. Nasty, some say. Kennedy's behind but not dropping out.
It's hot, real hot at the Democratic convention.
Carter was still able to maintain a substantial lead even after Kennedy swept the last batch of primaries in June. Despite this, Kennedy refused to drop out, and the 1980 Democratic National Convention was one of the nastiest on record. On the penultimate day, Kennedy conceded the nomination and called for a more liberal party platform in what many saw as the best speech of his career. On the platform on the final day, Kennedy for the most part ignored Carter. The delegate tally at the convention was in part:
Jimmy Carter – 2,129.02 Ted Kennedy – 1,150.48 Hugh Carey – 16 William Proxmire – 10
via Wikipedia
History is a funny thing. It repeats itself.
Anyhow I missed most of it, but looked up in time to see and hear Ted Kennedy's concession speech. I still remember his words about focusing on the issues and not taking ourselves too seriously.
I've never regretted that hot summer I devoted solely to studying the constitution - the law of our land. It somehow seems appropriate, looking back, that I barely had time to watch the grainy images on that TV set all those years ago, but I remember.
How could you forget such a thing?
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