You Gotta Have Hart: A Different 1988 and Beyond

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Sweet Music and Ugly Truth
  • Index
    • Meyer London

    Meyer London

    November 20th, 1987


    "How... How the actual fuck did we lose to some corrupt redneck?"


    "It's a massive upset sir, Edwards is supposed to be a political wizard. We underestimated his skill."


    "Fuck his political wizardry. If other corrupt politicians that I know had 'wizardry' we'd be leading..."


    ...


    "You don't think this is because of the endorsement, do you?"


    "Well..."


    "Well what?"


    "Well... Louisiana's not really your state. They prefer Gore and Jackson down south. It’s not like we could have known tha—"


    "Fuck. Fuck! We still have a chance without some southerners don't we?"


    "Yes. The rural northern vote is great for you.”


    "Great."


    -Conversation between Lee Iacocca and a staffer
    ​

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    November 24th, 1987


    161123_POL_Jesse-Jackson-1987.jpg.CROP.promo-xlarge2.jpg


    Jesse Jackson rides a tractor at a parade in Iowa. Jackson wanted to stay competitive in a state seemingly strong for his opponents.​


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    November 27th, 1987


    The lyrics of “I Wish It Would Rain” as performed by Ruffin Edwards Kendrick: Former Leads of the Temptations.


    “Fellas, this was a true love - one of a kind love. But, it doesn’t always work out, because us men don’t always have a tendency to treat all our ladies just right.


    Ain’t that right ladies? (Cheers)


    The end of this kind of love always made me feel this way. I’m sure you’ve felt this way too”


    “Sunshine, blue skies, please go away


    My girl has found another and she’s gone away


    With her went my future, my life is filled with so much gloom


    So day after day I stay locked up in my room


    I know to you, it might sound strange

    But I wish it would rain, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah


    'Cause so badly I wanna go outside (such a lovely day)


    But everyone knows that a man ain't supposed to cry


    Listen, I gotta cry 'cause sometime


    ‘Cause crying just eases all my pain,


    People this hurt I feel inside
    Words could never explain,


    I just wish it would rain, oh let it rain, rain, rain, rain, ooo baby
    Let it rain, oh yeah, somebody let it rain this evening, yeah


    Y’all put your hands together, let it rain, aw baby, somebody let it rain


    Day in day out my tear-stained face
    Pressed against the window pane


    My eyes search the skies
    desperately for rain


    'Cause rain drops will hide my tear drops


    I can’t hear you,


    And no one will ever know that I'm crying
    Crying whenever I go outside


    To the world outside my tears
    I refuse to explain, ooo I wish it would rain, ooh, baby
    Let it rain, let it rain


    Somebody, let it rain


    I’m sitting all alone in my room
    There was nothing but gloom
    It’s a bad situation


    I’ve got tears in my eyes
    Come on baby don’t let me get wet
    Let it rain


    Somebody let it rain this evening
    Yeah, yeah
    Let it rain from the skies, oh, with tears in my eyes


    Oh, let it rain
    Oh yeah, yeah, listen


    I'm a man and I got my pride
    'Til it rains I'm gonna stay inside, let it rain


    Let it rain
    Rain, rain, rain”​


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    sun-city-2.jpg


    David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks with Bruce Springsteen when their tours crossed paths in Europe in late 1987.​
     
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  • Index
    • Hart of the Matter
  • Index
    • Gentleman Biaggi

    Gentleman Biaggi

    Banned
    December 4th, 1987


    "Thank you all for being here. The urgency of this national election is becoming increasingly apparent to the people not only of Iowa and New Hampshire but all across this country. People of this country know that the choice of our national leader in 1988 is critical to this nation's future


    The people of this country are beginning to realize that we cannot tolerate four more years of Reaganomics for the rich and Cold War, hostile foreign policy that jeopardizes the future of mankind on this planet


    The people of this state are beginning to realize that they have the power to change American history. The Iowa caucuses, the New Hampshire primary, indeed the entire nomination race represents an opportunity for the people of this nation, through the Democratic Party and it's new leadership, to change the course of this nation's future and that is what this 1988 election is all about.


    George H.W. Bush is unacceptable. George H.W. Bush represents the worst of our past. We cannot have a society that continues to divide itself along economic class lines racial lines and gender lines.


    If this nation is to survive and succeed and thrive in the 80s and 90s this must be a nation that unites itself and pulls itself back together behind the national interests and not the interests of greed and privilege.


    And so the people of Iowa and the Democratic Party across this country understand that the traditional Democratic leadership will not suffice. It will not suffice to win this election and it will not suffice to govern this country.


    Leaders in this party who are bound to old arrangements, special interest, and to deals that have been made with constituency groups are not leaders that can direct this nation's future.


    If a president goes into office beholden to a whole array of special interest, whose campaigns have been financed by political action committees and by special interest groups, that leader cannot identify the future and unite the American people behind it.


    There are those in this race who have given away so much of their own independence to govern this country in the future, in order to get endorsements, in order to raise money, and in order to appear to be the frontrunner that I am a great deal concerned.


    I think others in this party sold themselves to the point that those individuals will not have the independence of judgment or of decision to point this this country in the direction it must go in in the 80s and 90s.


    The issue in this race is this country's future versus its past.


    That is what the choice before the Democratic Party of Iowa and all across this country is.


    I believe there is an alternative.


    That alternative is the new leadership of this party. That leadership represents first of all a commitment to solving problems and not just debating old ideologies.


    No where is that issue seen more than in the question of national defense and national security.


    George Bush represents a blank checkbook to the Pentagon. Not just a check, but an entire checkbook for everything every General and Admiral and Hawk in this country wants.


    This nation is spending itself weak in a mad pursuit for security which will not be found in this unlimited and mindless nuclear arms race.


    Likewise, the American people who voted against the Democratic Party in 1984 and 1986 will not return to the Democratic fold and to a Democratic candidate if they believe our leadership only represents arbitrary cuts in defense even at the expense of the security of this country.


    I believe our party can present leadership to this country in the area of national defense and economics and other areas that avoids the pitfalls of the past.


    This country must reform its military institutions. We must have the most effective conventional forces and not the most just the most expensive. We must link military reform with a dramatic reversal of a dangerous and unnecessary nuclear arms race.


    I think we must also innovate within our economy to solve the challenges of the 1980s.


    That means directing private investment towards rebuilding and modernizing this nation's basic manufacturing base, where billions of private dollars, if necessary, guaranteed by the federal government go into the modernization of our plants and our equipment and the training of our workers so that by the end of this decade our Keystone industries are as efficient and modern and productive as any nation on Earth.


    I think this country must put millions of Americans back to work repairing and rebuilding the basic public facilities of this nation.


    I think finally we must have open and aggressive trade policies.


    If this nation follows Democratic leaders who want to erect trade barriers, the state of Iowa first and then other states to follow will experience a kind of economic downturn we have not seen since the Great Depression.


    We do not have the luxury of protectionism.


    This country cannot pursue the course of economic surrender. It will mean the loss of family farms and hundreds of thousands of jobs in the farm implement industry and other industries all across this country.


    I for one, as a leader of this party and as the next President of the United States, do not intend for this country to surrender economically in the 1980s.


    Finally the new leadership of this country has learned a lesson from Vietnam.


    We learned a lesson that Ronald Reagan or George Bush has not learned.


    That is we cannot militarize our foreign policy.


    We cannot expect to condition events in the third world in Latin America in Africa and in Southeast Asia by the deployment of American military forces.


    We cannot send our sons off to become the bodyguards of dictators in El Salvador and hostages in Lebanon and we cannot on the Democratic side have leaders afraid to speak out.


    We cannot have a nominee in this crucial election race who knows more about Chrysler than Iran.


    We cannot have a nominee of this party who continued to support our involvement in Vietnam month after month after month after many people in this country realized it was a disastrous policy.


    What this country is looking for is not just political leadership. This country is looking for more leadership and that means a willingness to speak out before it is popular and before public consensus has formed.


    There’s been a lot of talk that my candidacy will send a signal to the old guard in Washington that their days are numbered.


    I think that the people of Iowa ought to support a candidate in this race who does represent this party and this nation's future, but rather than send the old guard a signal, send this country a president who is prepared to govern the difficult new challenges of the 1980s.


    The people of Iowa have a choice. You have a choice and as I said before you have the power to change the course of American history.


    Thank you."


    -An excerpt of a speech given by Gary Hart in Des Moines, Iowa
     
  • Index
    • The Darkest of Horses
  • Index
    • Meyer London

    Meyer London

    December 10th, 1987


    “We’ve seen the Republican party fall to religious righters and moderates who can’t hold their own against them.”


    “The Southern Strategy has failed this party, and turned it from the party of Lincoln to the party of Mecham,”


    “We cannot let ourselves fall to populism and the far right. We need a return to normalcy, if you will,”


    “We need a candidate for moderacy.”


    “That is why I’m endorsing Pete Du Point, a candidate for a return to the party of Lincoln!”


    -Senator Charles Mathias of Maryland endorsing Pete Du Point
     
  • Index
    • Iowa’s Favorite Son
  • Index
    • Gentleman Biaggi

    Gentleman Biaggi

    Banned
    December 10th, 1987


    “It seems that in 1988, in this unbelievably important election year, my Democratic colleagues are scared to go against the party establishment.


    Some of my ‘upstanding’ peers, who I won’t call out by name, they know who they are, I believed to be honest. I thought they would use their sound judgement to endorse the candidate they truly believe in, not the choice made by Democratic elites.


    I was wrong.


    Time and time again, I’ve seen my fellow congressmen endorse candidates who they barely know - who they may not even agree with.


    They do this not out of genuine care for our nation but to forward their own careers.


    To this, I say: enough!


    I’m going to endorse the candidate that I believe in, the candidate who I honestly believe would make the best President out of this crop of Democrats, and career forwarding be damned.


    The man I am endorsing today is Paul Simon.


    He will win here in Iowa!


    He will win in November!


    And he will push this country into the twenty-first century!”


    -Iowa Senator Tom Harkin endorsing PaulSimon for President
     
  • Index
    • Harkin Back To A Better Time
  • Index
    • Gentleman Biaggi

    Gentleman Biaggi

    Banned
    December 11th, 1987


    "Mr. Iacocca, Tom Harkin has just endorsed Senator Simon."


    "You mean that nerd from Illinois?"


    "Yes, it's taken him out of his 'home field' advantage that many have expected from his campaign. He's essentially dead in the water at this point."


    "Does Simon have an advantage over us now?"


    "No, even with the endorsement he's third behind Hart and you, respectively. A far third at that. It's a two man race here, and in my opinion, a two man race throughout."


    "We just need a final push to beat that son-of-a-bitch in Iowa"


    "Sir..."


    "I have no time for your objections, get me an endorsement!"


    "Yes sir..."


    -Conversation between an aid and Lee Iacocca


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    December 12th, 1987


    "Tom?" Tom Harkin's staffer floated his name in the air to get his attention as he walked towards his office. He turned towards her and she said, "There's a... few... calls on your answering machine."


    "Okay," Harkin began uncertainly, confused at his staffer's concerned tones, "who are they from?" She replied quickly but cautiously.


    "Richard Gephardt."


    Damn, Harkin thought to himself while he thanked his staffer and entered his office. He should have figured this was coming, but he had been hoping Gephardt wouldn't hear. Him and Gephardt were great friends, just as he and Simon were, and he hoped that Gephardt wouldn't hold the endorsement against him.


    The decision had been purely political. In Harkin's mind, and it seemed to him obvious in the minds of the voters, Simon had a better shot at the Presidency than Gephardt did, even if both of their shots weren't too great at all.


    Harkin was a realist. He knew that Gephardt's campaign had been buried when Hart entered the race, and was absolutely killed when Iacocca entered. Gephardt and Iacocca were running on very similar ideas, but Iacocca had name recognition, an outsider appearance, and, as much as it pained him to admit it, more charisma than his friend Gephardt.


    Harkin strode to the answering machine and hesitated. He had a feeling, based on the face of his staffer, that what was on the machine was not pretty. But he had been the one to put the situation in to motion, so he pressed the button.


    The messages were numerous, and all very similar. They were all very, very loud. Loud enough that Harkin had to close the door to his office. Loud enough that, without Harkin knowing, a couple people stopped momentarily in the hallway outside the room, hearing the yelling and wondering if they should intervene.


    The point of most of the messages was an insistent "HOW COULD YOU?!?". There were innumerable curses and a general feeling of betrayal. The move had been a stab in the back - Harkin couldn't disagree with that notion. But he had to let Dick know that it was in everyone's best in the end.


    "Hey, Dick, it's Tom. I'm calling to---"


    "You SON of a BITCH. You're lucky that I haven't hung up already." Gephardt was practically screaming.


    "Look, Dick, I know---" Gephardt cut Harkin off again.


    "No, you look! I had a real shot at Iowa, and if I could have won there I could've won the whole thing! And now it's all shit! And it's all your fault!"


    "What I did, I did for the party." Harkin said, leaning against his desk. "What. I. Did. I. Did. For. The. Party." There was silence from the other end for a moment.


    "You could've stayed out." Gephardt said, suddenly quiet, "You could've just stayed out this time."


    "Richard, I know you. I know you know that your candidacy was a long shot. You read the papers. You read the polls. You know Paul has a better shot."


    "Me and Paul were even before that endorsement! If it had been me, I could've beat Iacocca. And Hart, for that matter!" Harkin sighed audibly and shook his head.


    "Dick, you know I'm your friend, so I'm just gonna be straight with you. No, you wouldn't have. At this point, I would just drop out. You're gonna have a great chance in the next cycle. But if you stay in it's just gonna damage your reputation."


    There was a silence on the other end, this time prolonged.


    "Dick?" Tom asked. More silence.


    Then, the dial tone.


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    December 20th, 1987


    "Working as Minority Whip in the House of Representatives, I interact on an almost daily basis with the President and the Vice President and those close to them.


    Over the last eight years, I have seen a lot of growth in this country due to the vision of President Reagan and Vice President Bush. Their leadership over the past two terms has been inspiring and will be remembered among the most impressive administrations in terms of effectiveness.


    There are more jobs in America then there was eight years ago. There is more prosperity. There is more hope.


    Why would we want to change that now?


    We need continuity in this time of great uncertainty. The best man to continue President Reagan's legacy is George H.W. Bush, the man who knows him best and knows this administration in and out.


    That is why I am endorsing him for President of the United States in 1988. Let us not fall for the glow of simple populism, but instead turn to the steadfast leadership of George Bush."


    -Richard "Dick" Cheney endorsing George Bush for President in 1988
     
  • Index
    • 20thCenturyBoy

    20thCenturyBoy

    Wow. Good chapter. I like it. It’s a good timeline. But there is one timeline better. It was about this Hubert Humphrey guy and he became president or something I don’t remember. (Subtle plug). But you did a good job. Can’t wait to see where you’re going.
     
    Meyer London

    Meyer London

    20thCenturyBoy said:
    Wow. Good chapter. I like it. It’s a good timeline. But there is one timeline better. It was about this Hubert Humphrey guy and he became president or something I don’t remember. (Subtle plug). But you did a good job. Can’t wait to see where you’re going.
    Click to expand...
    Plugging in his title, plugging in my timeline... you are an inspiration, sir!
     
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