Anticipation

Anticipate – To look forward to, especially with pleasure; expect.

We are coming upon my favorite time of the year. I love the fall. I love the crispness of the air and the start of the football season. I love sweaters and apple cider. And most of all I love the start of a new congressional season. I’m a dork, I have accepted that and have moved on.

My first real political memory is from the summer of 1987, I was eleven years old and visiting my grandparents in Illinois for a few weeks before school started again in California (where my family was living at the time). I always loved these visits because when I was with my grandparents I was an only child and treated like the princess I thought I was! I got to sleep as late as I wanted and go for ice cream at the Dairy Queen with my Pa Pa every day. But during the day, it got kind of boring. I didn’t have any people “my age” around and my grandparents still worked full time back then. So I had a lot of time on my hands. Unfortunately, or fortunately as it turns out, they didn’t have cable, so there was no Disney Channel or Nickelodeon for me. One day, quite by accident, I stumbled upon PBS, they were showing live coverage of the Iran Contra Hearings being held in Washington. And for reasons I still don’t understand, I was hooked. I spent hours watching the coverage as witness after witness took to the microphone and said their piece. At the time I had no idea what the issues were or which side I should be on, (other than the fact that I had always loved Ronald Reagan because he had answered a letter I sent him about a school project) but I knew that the entire process was fascinating and something that I wanted to learn more about.

Many years have past since my first brush with the political world, and I have had the great opportunity of being in the midst of that world that fascinated me so as a child. It was great! And now I await with great anticipation, the beginning of yet another political cycle. Congress gets back from their summer break next week and I have to be honest I can’t wait! Why, you may ask - because they will take on an action that doesn’t come around very often; one that has the potential of changing the political and legal landscape of the country. I speak, of course, of the confirmation hearings for the next justice on the Supreme Court.

I have watched many confirmation hearings, both in person and on television and regardless of the position that is under consideration, each and every one of them has been interesting. Maybe it’s seeing our constitution in action or the fact that I’m a fairly nosey person and enjoy hearing things about people I don’t really know. Whatever it is, I’m sure this confirmation hearing will be no different. It is another opportunity to see the American political system do what is supposed to do.

At least that is the hope. Unfortunately, I also anticipate a rocky road for the current nominee. Not because of his qualifications or points of view, but because of who nominated him. It’s a common thing in politics to “shoot the messenger”, and I expect no different when Judge Roberts comes before the US Senate. However, I don’t find this to be a bad thing necessarily; it was just such a partisan display that caught the attention of an 11 year old and caused me to have the passion I have for my beliefs today. Maybe this hearing will do the same for some other unsuspecting child. One can only hope.