Notes from the campaign trail--"The Good Old Days"

(The following is commentary by decorahnews.com's Paul Scott)

In Iowa we love the 1950s and 1960s.  And why not?  Corn prices were good.  Gasoline prices were low.  It was a good time to be an Iowan.

Which might explain why a persistent theme among the presidential candidates who visit Iowa is how much better "The Good Old Days" were than the times we're living in now.

Normally, there's nothing wrong with nostalgia.  But in this case, there are two things wrong with mixing nostalgia and politics:

1)     The "Good Old Days" weren't as good as we remember.
Sure, the 1950s and 1960s were mostly good for white males.  But how were you treated if you were black or Mexican or any kind of minority?  How much pay did you get if you were a woman?  How did you get treated if you were gay?  I seem to recall civil rights leaders getting shot and a lot of protests by people who weren't white males.

And when Mike Huckabee complains, "Our enemies no longer fear us," my mind flashes back to the Korean War and the Vietnam War.  How did those turn out?

As a news reporter, I can make one statement without fear of being contradicted: "There are always good things happening and bad things happening."

2)     We can't go back to "The Good Old Days."
Unless you are Dr. Emmett Brown and own a time-traveling DeLorean, you aren't able to go back to the 1950s and 1960s.  The future of the United States is that the country will become more and more diverse, with Asians and Hispanics and blacks and gays and transsexuals and everyone living in a giant blender that used to be called the "melting pot."

What we need are suggestions of policies that will lead us in the second decade of the 21st century.  And talking about how great we had it gets in the way of discussing where we need to go in the future.

So let's give up the nostalgia and concentrate on the near future instead.  You have to admit that this nostalgia has led to some pretty stupid ideas.  Really, Jan Mickelson, "bring back slavery?"