Voting is Cool

[READER]( As I may have mentioned before, I was never what you would call cool back in my not-so-glory days. In high school, I was on the White Sox Fan Club, for goodness’ sake. My idea of a great song was Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie by [Jay and the Techniques](. C’mon, everyone together . . . “Apples peaches pumpkin pie/Who's not ready? Holler I . . .” Outside of Bulls basketball, my greatest passion was politics. I was the kind of 12-year-old who could recite the whole Democratic ticket—from president to water rec. Why, I can still tell you my first vote . . . 1974. I rode the Greyhound from college in Wisconsin to vote for Abner Mikva. And my first presidential vote . . . 1976. Proudly cast for Jimmy Carter. And the last time I voted Republican was in . . . you know, maybe that’s enough reminiscing for the day. Point is—I was a freakin’ geek. But here’s the thing. Every geek has his day because to my utter amazement, voting suddenly has become cool. It’s all the rage—like vinyl. At long last—I’m hip! I realize, of course, this has nothing to do with anything I’ve done. Credit it to Trump. Nothing like a fascist in the White House to scare people—even the super cool and above it all—into voting. If this keeps up, Beyoncé will do a cover of Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie. By the way, 1980 . . .The last time I voted for a Republican, that is. For Bernard Carey over Richie Daley in the race for Cook County state’s attorney. Still proud of that vote. Carey lost. Let’s hope this time I’ll be voting for nothing—and no one—but the winners. Sincerely, [Jamie Ludwig]( the feel-good music of the Damned . . . [Jacob Arnold]( on remembering Benji Espinoza . . . [Ben Joravsky]( on Aaron Sorkin’s Chicago 7 . . . [Rummana Hussain]( on Jeffrey Toobin and other things . . . [Sergio Mims]( Borat 2 . . . [State senator Robert Peters]( on getting out the vote . . . [Listen to The Ben Joravsky Show]( By [Ben Joravsky]( [@joravben]( [What happened to YOUmedia?]( The Chicago Public Library's flagship teen program was a refuge for Black and Brown youth. Recent layoffs put that in jeopardy. By [Taylor Moore]( [@taylormooresays]( [Get me rewrite!]( Aaron Sorkin rewrites Chicago history to help beat Trump. By [Ben Joravsky]( [@joravben]( [Issue of Oct 15-28, 2020 Vol. 50, No. 2]( [You’re going to be OK]( [The Mental Health Issue]( [Download Issue]( (PDF) [DONATE]( [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2020 Chicago Reader Store, All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from Chicago Reader Store Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader Store 2930 S. Michigan Ave.Chicago, IL 60616 [Add us to your address book](