9780670033652

In a book that is at once deeply personal and intellectually savvy, Homegrown Democratis a celebration of liberalism as the politics of kindness.” In his inimitable style, Keillor draws on a lifetime of experience amongst the hardworking, God- fearing people of the Midwest and pays homage to the common code of civic necessities that arose from the left: Protect the social compact. Defend the powerless. Maintain government as a necessary force for good. As Keillor tells it, these are articles of faith that are being attacked by hard-ass Republican tax cutters who believe that human misery is a Dickensian fiction. In a blend of nostalgic reminiscence, humorous meditation, and articulate ire, Keillor asserts the values of his boyhood—the values of Lake Wobegon— that do not square with the ugly narcissistic agenda at work in the country today. A thoughtful, wonderfully written book, Homegrown Democratis Keillor’s love letter to liberalism, the older generation, John F. Kennedy, the University of Minnesota, and the yellow-dog Democrat city of St. Paul that is sure to amuse and inspire Americans just when they need it most.

Garrison Keillor is the host and writer of the Saturday night radio show A Prairie Home Companion, now in its 25th year on the air. He is the author of numerous books, most recently The New York Times bestselling novel, Love Me. He is a member of the Academy of American Arts & Letters, the Authors Guild, and the American Federation of Television & Radio Artists.

Preface

xiii

Don't Think You're Special

1

(18)

We Have Become the Tedious Conservatives

19

(18)

Where I'm Coming From

37

(22)

Anoka High School

59

(10)

1960

69

(24)

The Spirit of Equality

93

(18)

Real Lives, Real Consequences

111

(24)

At the Cafe

135

(24)

Ordinary Decency

159

(12)

A Civilized People

171

(16)

The Good Democrat

187

(32)

Republicans I Have Known

219

(14)

Arrogance

233

(6)

9/11

239

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DON?T THINK YOU?RE SPECIAL There was a young man from the City Who formed a Campaign Committee But gave up the race When he saw that his face Looked just like his butt?what a pity. I am a Democrat, which was nothing I decided for myself but simply the way I was brought up, starting with the idea of Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, which is the basis of the simple social compact by which we live and also You are not so different from other people so don?t give yourself airs, which was drummed into us children back in the old days when everyone went to public schools. Don?t be conceited. So you can write: goody-goody for you, but don?t think you?re a genius because, believe me, you?re not. The democracy of the gospel. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. All we like sheep have gone astray. These articles of faith, plus our common tongue and a fondness for jokes and the American landscape, bind us together in a union of souls, each one free, each one devoted to the union.These things were not so clear to me when I was young and immortal, but now I am part of the democracy of old age, impressed on me in 2001 when my mitral valve came loose and I was wheeled into a bright blue industrial room at Mayo and masked and eight hours later my little boat bumped up on a foggy shore and a young woman named Erinn said I would be okay and the next day my catheter was removed and that night a nurse in a blue uniform with a pager clipped to her lapel bent down to take my blood pressure and the weight of the pager opened the fabulous landscape of her breasts and my libido awakened, but I digress. I grew up among Bible-believing people in Minnesota, a cold weather state when the jet stream slips and the wind blows steadily from Manitoba; it gets so cold your skin hurts, your innards clench up, and a man?s testes shrink to the size of garden peas, but?Everyone else is just as cold as you are so don?t complain about it, this is not a personal experience, that?s what we say, and you comfort yourself with fried eggs and bacon and you bulk up a good deal by spring, but then everyone else is fat too, so it?s not a problem. Here we have the democracy of flatness: there simply aren?t so many hills for rich people to live on top of. We suffer less from the self-esteem issues that make people call on their cell phones and announce their whereabouts. There was no radio in The Spirit of St. Louisand nobody knew where Lindbergh was as he flew the Atlantic until some fishermen spotted him off the Irish coast, but a man on a train from New York to Boston must furnish frequent updates on his progress. In Minnesota, we get home when we get home, no big deal. And if we?re caught in traffic and miss the sales meeting, it won?t matter that much in the end. The marketing of widgets will go on, our impact on the world is slight, so take life as a comedy and play it for laughs. You die, there is a sort of decent grief and a few people really do suffer from your absence, but the impact on the greater world is negligible. You do not leave a big hole. They dig a hole and put you in it. The state was settled by no-nonsense socialists from Germany and Sweden and Norway who unpacked their trunks and planted corn and set about organizing schools; churches; libraries; lodges; societies and benevolent associations; brotherhoods and sisterhoods, and raised their children to Mind Your Manners, Be Useful, Pay Attention, Make Something of Yourself, Turn Down the Thermostat (If You?re Cold, Go Put on a Sweater), Share and Share Alike, Be Satisfied with What You Have?a green Jell-O salad with mandarin oranges, miniature marshmallows, walnuts, and Miracle Whip is by God good enough for anybody. I grew up in the pure democracy of a public grade school where everybody brought a valentine for

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Homegrown Democrat : A Few Plain Thoughts from the Heart of America

Homegrown Democrat : A Few Plain Thoughts from the Heart of America

0670033650

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

Excerpts