Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v03n16)
Poetic Thoughts - Cooter and Carter for President - by C.W. Pruitt II
posted: Aug. 11, 2006
Cooter and Carter for President
We had hit the jackpot! The fifth graders at Prichard Elementary in Grayson, Kentucky, had been chosen to greet President Carter at the Huntington airport during his re-election campaign. We were psyched-up!
On the day we left, Marcia Kirkland was decked-out with Reagan campaign pins and such. The rest of us we giving her the business. We were saying that she was being rude to the President. Mrs. Stamper told us to leave her alone. She said that it was Marcia's right as an American to express herself in that way.
When we reached the airport, we joined the throng of supporters. There was great anticipation when Air Force One landed. Then the most incredible thing happened: Cooter [actor Ben Jones] from The Dukes of Hazzard came to the microphone to speak. As fifth graders in Kentucky, seeing Cooter was bigger that a tribe of hippies running in to Tommy Chong. We went totally ballistic. I have never been around such happy people in my life.
When we got back to school, we really started in on Marcia again. I will sum up what we said, "There is absolutely no way that Reagan can beat Carter with Cooter as his opening act."
We all know that Reagan smoked Carter in 1980, but I still love Jimmy Carter. If Jimmy Carter was running for President in 2008, I would vote for him. In fact, I would help out with the campaign - just like I did when I collected signatures for Ralph Nader in 2000.
To this day, Jimmy Carter is my favorite American - along with Ralph Nader and Tommy Chong. Cooter served in Congress. He must have achieved his success after being such a smash-hit as the opening act for a President.
cw@broadripplegazette.com