What impact did Vietnam, Watergate, and Ronald Reagan have on Americans?
For my baby boomer interview, I interviewed my father Jerome Lyle Rappaport, Jr. Born in 1957, being able to vote for his first president Jimmy Carter -- in 1975, when he was a senior at Noble & Greenough. He was a strong democrat, like his family at the time, due to the betrayal they felt by the Republican Party due to Watergate, Nixon and the Vietnam War. Since he was in the early stages and years of the "baby boomers" he was not truly affected by the Vietnam War, because he and his friends were not drafted. Being one of 11 kids (two different mothers after divorce), his older siblings were greatly impacted by the Vietnam War, when their friends and teachers were drafted. One sister disregarded the war and the betrayal of the Republican Party and studied law, then to become a Republican Senator in Minnesota, along with my Uncle Jim running for Lieutenant Governor and losing against Republican Carrey Healy in Massachusetts. When Jerry's dad (my Grandpa) became affluent enough to not agree with the Democrats tax reduction for the poor, and increase for the wealth, he became a very conservative man. However, my dad and his family always believed in Civil Rights and the importance to undergo Affirmative Action, and had ties to the Democratic Party.
The impact of Watergate on my father was the then betrayal he felt for the government officials for breaking into the Democratic Headquarters. He saw the beginning stages of disappointment in the government followed by Reagan. He did not vote for Reagan in the 80's election, due to the fact he thought he was just a "face" and says, "no one really knew what his policies were about, all he wanted to do was be 'simplistic'”. My father did not agree with that, which caused divisions among his family. One of his sisters was as “liberal as they come,” she was apart of the anti-war marches in California and the division in the family caused tension throughout his late college years to the present. His family being divided politically forced him to choose which direction to chose. Even though he has been very successful in the Real Estate industry, he doesn't always want to concentrate on what would soley benefit him, but more the public in general. He votes Democrat and his heroes will forever be Democratic leaders like John F. Kennedy and even Martin Luther King.