High school classmate Mark Parkinson makes U-turn
First we laughed.
And then we laughed again.
The big news that former state GOP Chairman Mark Parkinson had turned Democrat to run as Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' running mate came as no surprise to us. The big surprise was that Parkinson — a former high school classmate of ours — had ever identified himself with the Republicans in the first place.
When we read the banner headline, "Parkinson makes full turn; Former GOP chairman turns Democrat then joins Sebelius," our first thought was, wait a minute, Parkinson isn't making a full-turn — he's making a U-turn!
In the 1970s, Mark Parkinson was my high school classmate at Wichita Heights High. He was, at that time, the most liberal person we knew.
News of his political switches have been a great source of amusement.
My first guffaw came several years ago, upon returning to Kansas after living out of state and out of touch with Kansas politics.
When I read Parkinson had become state GOP Chairman while I was away, I shouted to wife, Claire, who was in that same high school class.
"Claire! Guess what?"
"What?"
"Mark Parkinson is a Republican!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
Ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
"Guess what else?"
"He's a lawyer living in Overland Park and he's head of the Republican party!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
Ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
We liked to die.
I wondered, what could have changed my tie-dyed classmate so much that he would choose to live in Overland Park?
We figured he must've gone over to the dark-suit side. We laughed again last week, when we read the big to-do about Parkinson's U-turn.
I opened the paper and there he was, splashed across the front page, arm stretched to make a point. I said to myself, "Yes, the passion still burns."
Seeing Mark brought back fond memories of our school days together, back when we were political rivals and our desks were side by side.
Our debates occurred in math class, or English class, I don't recall. We were too busy jawing to pay attention.
Acorns don't fall far from the trees, and our arguments were no doubt informed by our family homes. As I recall, Mark's father was a politically active liberal.
My dad was an Archie Bunker type, who performed his civic duty by yelling at the evening news.
Which is to say that Mark and I were very different. We ran in different cliques (I was a jock; he was a debate guy) but, we spoke every day.
Actually, we argued.
About the election.
"Nixon!" I said.
"McGovern!" he said.
About Watergate.
"They're guilty!" he said.
"They're innocent!" I said.
And, of course, Vietnam.
"Our country, love it or leave it," I said.
"Hell no, we won't go!" he said.
Final shots came as the class bell rang.
"You're a big, fat idiot!"
"No, you're a big, fat idiot!"
The Vietnam War was winding down by the time we graduated in 1975.
Nixon had resigned.
I went to journalism school.
Mark went to law school.
Until I saw his picture in the paper, I hadn't seen him since graduation day. I noticed he no longer has long, hippie hair. I no longer have much hair at all.
I'm willing to give Mark the benefit of the doubt on this switching-party thing.
People have a right to change their mind, and then, change their mind back again. I've changed my mind once or twice through the years.
While I'm not liberal, Mark would be happy to learn I'm less set in my ways.
I'm willing to concede that Nixon was guilty, and that Vietnam wasn't a very good idea.
In case you haven't figured it out, it seems obvious to me that Mark wants to be governor. The switch to become Gov. Sebelius' running mate makes him her likely successor.
In my opinion, Mark would be a good governor, or even a Senator, or, can you say President Mark Parkinson?
You read it here first.
In an era when our brightest and most capable citizens eschew the political arena and good candidates are few, my classroom adversary will shine.
I'd probably vote for him because I trust him. And I respect him more, not less, for coming out of the closet and announcing his true political leanings.
As a voter with no declared party affiliation, I agree with Gov. Sebelius, who said of her new running mate, "Good leaders and great ideas don't come with a party label."
— GRANT OVERSTAKE
