My Political Roots

Were you interested in politics when you were growing up?

I grew up in a family that regularly discussed politics and current events at the dinner table and at family gatherings. I remember hearing issues being discussed from my earliest years, when I'd be playing under the table as my parents and other older family members talked.

I spent the first ten years of my life in New England, then, as now, a strongly Democratic region of blue states. My parents, like a good many people in our area, were yellow dog Democrats; that is, they'd rather vote for a yellow dog than vote for a Republican. So, it's not surprising that I grew up to share my parents' liberal values, though, admittedly, I've taken them further than they did, adding some libertarian ideas into the mix as well.

I can remember watching election returns on TV as a kid, probably from the 1968 election onwards. 1968 was a turbulent political year, with the King and Kennedy assassinations, the Vietnam war and its protesters, women's rights, and other controversial issues often being in the forefront of the news.

We discussed all these things in school, and we even had a mock election in my fifth grade class. Like my parents were to do in the real election, I voted for Hubert Humphrey. I remember being totally appalled to find out that my best friend's family was Republican and would be voting for Richard Nixon.

I remember that even in our art class, the election was covered. They had us to design political signs for the candidates. My best friend and I each did one for our respective candidates, then we got together and did a parody sign for the George Wallace campaign, covering it with swastikas. Naturally, we didn't show this one to the teacher, but took it home as a shared private joke.

I continued to follow the elections throughout the rest of my childhood and couldn't wait until I could vote for real. I was lucky enough to turn 18 in an election year, 1976, when I proudly cast my first vote for Jimmy Carter.

My siblings were largely indifferent to politics for most of their lives. My sister had never voted until 2004, until George Bush's abysmal first term shook her out of her apathy and she finally cast her first vote at the age of 56.

My son has been similarly apathetic, but, he, too took an interest in the issues in 2004, discussing them with me and watching the returns, though he doggedly refused to vote. He told me his vote would be "wasted" in the red state we live in, simply one blue drop into a red sea. Even though I told him that if everyone who felt that way voted anyway they could make a difference, he still refused to vote. Pity.

Thoughts?