For Pete the Machinist the Decision is Black and White

Joe the Plumber has been used by the McCain campaign to win over voters in Ohio and Pennsylvania. I'd like to offer my dad Pete as a counterpoint.

My dad was not a plumber. He was a machinist who managed a small auto parts store in the Mon Valley of Western Pennsylvania for more than 40 years, back in the days when fires from the steel works in Clairton and McKeesport and Duquesne lit up the skies at night. He was a veteran of World War II; I’m sure he was a “proud” veteran, but his humility would never let that show. He was the smartest man I ever met, but couldn’t take advantage of the educational opportunities presented to veterans because he had to return home after the war to take care of his newly-widowed mother.

My father was a child of the depression. Yes, he carried sacks of potatoes for miles, uphill both ways. He was thrifty his whole life, and never owned a credit card. He built the house that my brother and I finally sold this summer, and paid off the mortgage in eight years. He worked until the day a massive stroke left him mute and wheelchair bound for the last seven years of his life.

Dad was a Catholic, a fierce man who dragged my brother and me to Mass every Sunday until we became teenagers and rebelled or just slept through Sunday mornings. He was a Little League coach, a Scout leader, a Steeler fan, a hunter, a gardener who loved the taste of his homegrown tomatoes.

But more than anything, my father was a Democrat – a Proud Democrat – a Pennsylvania Democrat. He suffered no fools, especially those who broke the law. During the waning days of the Nixon administration he hauled our (black and white) television out to the front porch so he could turn up the volume on the Watergate hearings – for all to hear. So I believe the last eight years of the Bush administration would have made him furious, outraged that the country he had fought for decades ago would pervert its laws the way Bush and company have done.

My father would have had a tough time with Barack Obama as his candidate. Like many in his generation he had some firmly-held unfavorable notions about black people. Unless of course he knew you, then that was a different story. I always found this ironic given the prejudice my father faced as a second generation “Pollack”.

We would have had heated debates about this election. I would remind him that Barack is not just black, he’s “half white” too. He would have glowered at me, but he would have read the paper, watched the debates, followed the news. He would have looked hard, and listened.

He would have to agree Barack has an intellectual power and rigor unlike anything we’ve seen in years - editor of the Harvard Law Review after all! He would Barack's calm and steady demeanor, note his youthful energy. He would concede that of the many paths the young Barack could have taken in his life – anything from street gang to banker - he pursued one of community service and the law, much like a certain young Irish-American in 1960. I think that while my father might not have fallen in love with this candidate, he would not fail to notice the personal integrity and deep respect for the laws of our country that Barack embodies.

Yes, this vote would have been hard for him. But ultimately, he would have voted for Barack because of the damage the Republicans have done to our nation during their past eight years in office.

My dad would say that it’s the Democrats’ turn. He would not be tricked by the lies, the robocalls, the fear-mongering campaign being waged by John McCain and Sarah Palin and the Republicans in Pennsylvania.

No, Pete would say, as he carried the TV out to the front porch once again. It’s time for truth. Without it, we are nothing.

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Welcome to Salmon Eyes, successor to The Verlee Gazette. Salmon Eyes is sure to make you laugh, cry, yawn, slip into a coma. Much has happened since the Gazette and I can't wait to tell you all about it. So stay tuned....