My Great Aunt Lena turns 100 next year. Talked politics and such the other day
I hope that doesn't jinx her that I said she's going to be 100
She still drives, she still can do hers (and in a pinch others) taxes -- she was a tax accountant
6 years ago she had to be coaxed down off a ladder because she was going to paint her house
She is what the family calls 'a pioneer woman'
Lena, like my grandfather and all his siblings (save one) are/were Democrats.
My grandfather (mothers family) NEVER voted for a Republican (in partisan elections) in his life -- EVER
Lena was born when Wilson was president. My grandfather when Teddy was in the White House.
I asked Lena if she could rate the presidents of her lifetime in order.
1. This was easy. She prides herself on being a 'Roosevelt Girl' (her words). She worked for his election and re-election in Stark County, IL even when she couldn't vote. She said Roosevelt is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th greatest president in her lifetime (this is important for her later ratings) Lena can tell you almost everything you wanted (and not wanted to know about the man.)
2. If not Roosevelt then Truman. She liked Truman, he got things done, decent man. Felt he ran against one of the few passable Republicans to run for the presidency. But Truman is far greater than Dewey
3. LBJ. She liked Lyndon. Again, accomplished a lot of good things. She remembers vividly Johnson going up into the hills of Kentucky to talk with the poor who lived there. It was the event that started his War on Poverty. She wishes more presidents would go into poor areas and just listen. She admits Vietnam was a mess. He never should have gotten so tied up in it
4. She hemmed and hawed a bit. She went with Obama which surprised me because she was madder than hell at him for the longest time and couldn't utter his name after his comment where he said Roosevelt sat on his hands for 9 months and let the economy get worse.
For people who have seen the All in the Family and Maude... think Maude's opinion of Franklin Roosevelt. Lena seldom raises her voice, but bad-mouth FDR and you have a fight
She thinks he's gotten some good things done and she's never seen such a difficult congress in her lifetime.
She thinks if she had been president she'd have strangled 'that idiot from Kentucky.'
If Truman had been president he'd have chased that idiot from Kentucky and the orange faced crier from Ohio from the white house with a stick
5. She went with Wilson
6. John F Kennedy. She said had he lived longer she would have probably placed him above Wilson... maybe Obama too
7. Bill Clinton. She's not a fan. Felt he capitulated to the Republicans too much. He needed to use his presidency more aggressively to counter Republicans
8. Carter. Her quote, "Never saw a man who could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory like Jimmy Carter." She was disappointed how he went from a 31% lead in June to barely eking out a victory over that 'Ford character'. His loss to Reagan and so on. "Had a lot of good ideas, but couldn't get them done and micromanaged too much."
If you haven't noticed the trend... The first 8 are all Democrats... Just in case you missed it.
To her there are only 3 types of Republicans... Poor, Passable (Dewey was passable) and Because (I'll explain this later)
9. The passable Eisenhower. She never voted for him, but he was passable.
10. Nixon
11. George Bush I
12, Ronald Reagan
13. Calvin Coolidge (the real culprit behind the crash of '29)
14. Hoover. "Great vacuum." She also added, "He had a vacuum between his ears. It sucked up dirt and junk. Greatest thing Hoover ever did; he was such a failure that it made it easier for FDR in '32."
15. George Bush II.
16. Harding. A man she loathes. She can tell you every useless and horrid thing about Harding.
Ford does not make her list... "The man never got elected to a damned thing. He was appointed both times."
Contrary to what some here at DU believe, yes you can vote for someone other than a Democrat and still be a great Democrat. Great Aunt Lena is a testament to that.
Every Presidential election she could vote in, she voted Democratic. Every Senate race except one she voted Democratic. Every congressional race Democratic. Almost every state office Democratic.
She has almost 80 years of voting, canvassing, rally attending, hat and button wearing, song singing, etc on her resume
Now the 'Because' Republican
Yes she did vote twice for Republicans. She couldn't remember the year except it was in either the late 70's or early 80's. There were two people on ballot as Democrats in Illinois for state office (she thinks they were the nominees for Attorney General and maybe Sec of State) They were LaRouchies and she just couldn't stomach them getting elected to anything - Democrat or not.
The Republicans who ran were the 'Because' Republicans. Because the Democrats for those two offices were vile
= new reply since forum marked as read
I love talking to people of that era...They know everything! 
We should all talk and especially listen to the (forever young) people in our lives. She seems like a treasure.
they have so much wisdom. My sincere regards to her. 
They were around for the things we've only heard or read about...I used to love listening to my grandmother who, today, would be about one generation older than this woman...She was amazing. 
