quiltersmuse.com Blog

For the last four days, I sat riveted to the television, as if I were watching the World Series. Although, the choice of who will lead America next is not as much a matter of athletic prowess as it is endurance. Not being much of a political animal myself, other than to watch history unfold, I came away with some general observations. The first is obvious, we are all Americans, not “red states,” and “blue states.” The Republicans also want the best for this country. The Democrats just believe that they can achieve that goal better.

As I looked at the tens of thousands gathered, I saw the strong and the weak, the fat and the thin, the young and the old, the rich and the struggling. Their common denominator is that everyone in attendance was there because they care, and they want America to maintain its leadership role in the world, with a level-headed person at the helm of the ship of state.

I am convinced that it will be interesting to watch the Republican convention, a group of equally dedicated citizens who, at least theoretically, want the best for the nation although the proof of the pudding lately has been no proof at all.

What has become abundantly clear is the need to “fix” a laundry list of issues that have not been satisfactorily addressed:

1) the need for affordable health care

2) adequate care for veterans, and homeless veterans

3) better educational opportunities for young people

4) the need to end our reliance on foreign oil and to develop alternative, renewable sources of energy.

5) and the wish of the American people to leave Iraq and the financial waste it is causing.

Viewing the overall picture of what is currently “wrong” with this country, it would seem that greed is at the root of a lot of the problems. Corporations have a lot to do with bleeding the public on every level.

The lack of knowledge about sound money management is the other side of the coin. My father, John E. Grace, was a very astute man who founded no less than 17 Credit Unions in the state of New Hampshire. He did so to give the little guy a hand up. His sound ideas about money are invaluable lessons that I learned as a child. These include:

1)� Save for a rainy day.

2)� Don’t borrow what you can’t pay back.

3)� Work hard, and live within your means.

4)� If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it.

5)� The concept of “shop and save” is a stupid one. If you are spending, you are not saving.

All of that advice has stood me in good stead. Other Americans were not so lucky as to have a parent like mine. If we look to the federal government for a good example of how to manage money, we will not find one. Social Security could be endangered, something that goes against the grain of every hard-working American who thought that he or she was earning the right to retire. Soon, as we Baby Boomers continue to age, and will need nursing home care. Just who will provide the cash for those places that only the rich can afford now?

Yes, it is “time for a change.” In November, I hope you will vote. Whatever your political affiliation, get to the polls and help make a difference by letting your voice be heard via your ballot. As just about every person who spoke at the convention said: “God bless you, and God bless these United States of America!”

Patricia Cummings

The current “race” for the White House was not supposed to be about “race” but somehow, that has become the overriding issue, right alongside its sister: “gender.”

We have all watched for months now while Hillary has talked “tough” to prove she is not a weakling, and that she has the right “stuff” to be president. She watched her words, for the most part, but her recent slip about “whites” – “middle class whites” – was just the ammunition her opponents needed to start calling doomsday for her campaign. They said that she had alienated four states, yet to vote, who are heavily populated with African-Americans.

Since when did Americans get so touchy about words? It seems that everyone has been watching and waiting for a slip, not just from Hillary Clinton, but from any of the candidates. With McCain, he is now the person who will keep us in a “100 year war” in Iraq (if that’s what it takes … ).

I have not heard much of what Obama has had to say ever since I realized that much of his rhetoric was borrowed words from his friend, Duval Patrick. I guess the theory was that whatever worked to get Patrick elected, could work again! Perhaps they were both right!

Each of the candidates has endurance, and it is endurance that is keeping Hillary in the race, in spite of the odds. She was, and is, my favorite candidate. Yet, the American people have been voting for “change” over “experience,” for “youth” over “dotty old senior citizens.” When all is said and done, my hope is that both parties can come behind their true leaders to bring America forward in this century, to keep us safe, and to begin to straighten out some of the problems that have plagued us, but have been put on the shelf during this time of political process.

I favor turtles more than jack rabbits. “Slow and steady wins the race.” May the best turtle win.

Patricia Cummings

Nothing is clear cut about this year’s upcoming presidential election. Now, to throw a little more confusion into the matter, Ralph Nader has announced his bid as an Independent, on the ballot. Some political pundits would charge that Nader’s same action in the last election cost Al Gore the presidency. Yet, at 74, Nader is compelled to try to make a difference and give the American public a more viable choice, as he sees it. Earlier in his career, Nader made headlines by setting up consumer rights groups in Washington. He’s set up a website: votenader.org

Goodness only knows how all of this political bantering will finally pan out. I wish that the election were more clear-cut among the two major parties. The truth is that in November, America will have to elect a new leader. Who is best qualified to lead the country?

Anyone who watches the news on television can see that the candidates are all beginning to look a little bedraggled. Deep circles are setting in under the eyes, they are a little thinner than when they first started, and their personalities are getting a little testy. At the same time, the media is digging for dirt, and zeroing in on every casual and not so casual remark caught on camera. “What does it mean/ What does it mean,” they ask themselves.

Running for president is kind of like being a bug under a microscope. As soon as you are found unworthy, whether the allegation is true or a trumped-up one, you are dissected until you die. Trouble is, everyone is looking for the weak spots and vulnerabilities of the candidates.

The most amusing segment of “Meet the Press” this morning was a discussion of candidates borrowing words from other people’s speeches. Tim Russert delineated a long record of the use of statements using “I see …” by a number of presidential candidates going all the way back to ten years after the Civil War.

So, nothing is new under the sun. We have the contenders and we have the spoilers, and we have the vulture-like media ready to add their observations, polls, and conclusions.

I would never mention politics on this blog, if I did not care about this country so much. Right now, I feel as though the nation is “going to the dogs.” We need strong and determined leaders to make a difference. When all is said and done, I still support Hillary Clinton and wish her well. I think that this country needs her leadership.

At the same time, I don’t agree with any one candidate on all of their stands on issues. Just last night, a farmer in Texas was complaining that a fence through his land, to keep out “illegal” immigrants, would cut off a great deal of farm land that has belonged to the family for generations. As a result, he might have to stop farming and doesn’t know what he would do then.

So, for one “solution,” we always seem to create another “problem.” We can’t even come up with the right flu vaccine at the right time. So, consequently, we are under attack by microscopic organisms that can be more deadly than any bomb.

Pat, with the Flu, dreaming of springtime blossoms and the call of Orioles

If you haven’t noticed, politics begin in grade school. The most popular children are usually the most physically attractive, perhaps the most physically agile, the most intelligent, and often have every toy or advantage that money can buy. There are the children who stay home to help mom clean out the refrigerator, on their winter vacation, and others who visit Austria and do a little skiing.

For awhile, it seemed as though one multi-millionaire thought that he could buy the election. In this country, luckily, that is not how the system works. I have watched many television shows about the political scene this year, and must say that I have noticed, to a very great degree, how the media tends to sway public opinion. One way in which they do this is by revealing “surveys” conducted by this or that research group (of whom we’ve never heard before), or by commenting on “exit polls.”

As if they had a crystal ball, or a direct line into the brain waves of millions of Americans, the press “predicts” who will “take” this state or that one.

Campaigning for office is not a good choice for the weak of heart or those who lack determination. Have you noticed? Now that the field has narrowed even more, Democrats and Republicans alike are getting into more sniping of each other and are talking less and less about the issues.

I like to envision what political campaigning used to be like, when “stumping” actually meant standing on a stump, that was a little higher than the crowd, to give a speech. Perhaps it meant riding on a horse, to get from here to there, as did Abraham Lincoln, at least some of the time, if my memory of a PBS show a few years ago serves me.

One main campaign tool was the poster. Another common artifact from campaigns of the old days is the campaign button. Of course, old examples of those types of items are “collectible” today. Then again, there were political textile bandannas, today much sought after by collectors.

What did not exist was the constant bombardment of opinions via the air waves, and every news broadcast one turns on.

Has life improved or worsened? It’s hard to say. While it is interesting to listen to the pundits on television, I wonder if they are not swaying the voters far too much. I believe it is a fine line sometimes between reporting and trying to convince. Sometimes, it is not even what is said; but rather, the snarky way that the comment is made.

In a previous blog, at the very beginning of this primary season, I predicted that John McCain and Hillary Clinton would become the two main contenders for the presidency. In spite of the current train of thought in the news, I believe that I have predicted correctly. With baited breath, we shall just have to wait and see.

Patricia Cummings

Today, I have added to our website the second of a series of articles that feature quilt blocks and other textiles made to honor presidents and famous wanna-bees. This time, the focus is on just one person: William Henry Harrison. If one listened to his presidential opponent, incumbent Martin van Buren, Harrison lacked both education and class. That was simply not true and some of the quilt blocks diminished those charges by making fun of them, as would a good cartoon.

A “Harrison Rose” block, in the process of being hand quilted.

What I love about political quilt blocks is that they gave women a voice, at a time when they had no vote. After 1920, when women first were allowed to vote in the U.S., the tradition of making quilt blocks with a political bent simply continued.

While revisiting this article that I’d first put together more than three years ago, I began thinking about the political process in this country. I am struck by the fact that many of our nation’s leaders previously served in the military.

Our first president, George Washington, did so. Teddy Roosevelt and his “Rough Riders,” served during wartime in 1898, and Dwight D. Eisenhower distinguished himself during World War II. Harrison was known for fighting the Indians at Tippecanoe. In fact, the campaign slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler, too,” has a catchy ring to it.

In choosing those who have held military leadership positions, perhaps the voters think that their loyalty, love of country, and abilities as warriors, makes them apt candidates for the presidency.

Politics are ever intriguing, and though we may have a slightly imperfect system, we make a stab at fairness and the continuation of a democratic process of elections.

I hope you enjoy the article: Quilted Tributes to William Henry Harrison, Our Ninth President.

Patricia Cummings