many times on long trips (which we did a lot), my mom would say:

"driving is just like politics. 'd' means go forward, 'r' means go backwards".

The U.S. needs a third party to represent 'n,' if you want to remain in neutral.

The 1992 Presidential campaign was the first time I ever took an interest in politics and I found out rather quickly that I identified a Liberal Democrat through and through, mostly because of my father, who has been a Democrat pretty much all of his life. I paid a lot of attention to politics through the 1990's, sort of tuned out a little in 2000-2001 but then started paying attention heavily again once 9/11 happened and then Bush, et. el started talking about invading Iraq. That was when I found DU and have been a pretty active participant in online political forums ever since then- and I vote in EVERY SINGLE ELECTION, big or small. Being a Liberal Democrat in red-state Indiana has been challenging at times but as bad as it can be here, I can imagine life being even worse in a few other states.

I started going to political events in the late 80's but didn't get deeply involved until I moved to a swing state. My parents were always involved, I recall them having a picnic in the back yard for Hubert Humphrey when I was young. I grew up knowing that I would get involved someday but always saw it as something older adults did.

When I moved to a swing state, I met the right people to get involved in a Presidential campaign at the county level. Each election it seems I get further into it.

I would say that I am a political junky.

I've followed politics with interest for decades before that; but, I've been increasingly active in the sense of phonebanking and walking precincts door-to-door since 2000.

But I remember debating this girl named Ann, who was a big fan of Nixon's. And I was a big fan of JFK. I was a freshman in HS. Eisenhower sounded "foreign" to me.

The exact age but there were so many things I recall from my early childhood that prompted me to follow politics. Growing up Catholic my parents always had pictures of JFK and Bobby in our home. They were on the wall next to a picture of the pope. There was a copy of Profiles in Courage on the coffee table. My greatest memory was going with my mom to the voting booth.
To this day when I vote I get filled with pride and excitement. That was instilled in me at a very young age. I do not recall any hatred between the parties though like there is now. One of the reasons my parents moved from Indiana was the blatant racism. They taught me and my brothers and sister about civil right very early on. Of all the things I'm grateful for that I learned from my folks the awareness of equal rights for all is the one thing I'm most grateful.

... at a young age, partly because I'd see my parents sometimes argue with my paternal grandfather who was a loud-mouthed Republican. He'd bring up how FDR promised to not lead this country into "wah" (imitating FDR's accent) and my parents yelled back that it was unavoidable after Pearl Harbor and Germany declaring war on us days later. That sort of stuff.

I also remember watching the news at a young age when Carter was involved in the "SALT talks" about nuclear weapons. I asked what that was about, and my parents explained nuclear weapons and potential annihilation for the first time. My reaction was like:

I went through a brief rebellious phase as a self-described Libertarian as a teenager, but reading historical accounts of the abuses of private businesses cured me of that illness quickly.

I've never considered politics to be my main interest, however. I'm far more of a science junkie.

talking about Watergate when I was about 7. There was a politician in the family way back at the turn of the previous century. Political family. Political neighbourhood. And my parents had a radio on to CBC News downstairs and upstairs every night. Also at the cottage too while they gardened. The benefits of being quiet is that you listen.

I split my youth between Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan. Dad was in the air force.

to visit and a great place to retire, especially with real estate being relatively affordable. But it's a difficult place to make a decent living. The economy has been stagnant for a long time. A bit of a bump with a naval ship building contract awarded by the federal government a year or two ago, but otherwise it's a dry gulch despite being surrounded by coastline!

to try and get ahead. Lovely people.

As a kid I could understand the horrible way African American citizens were treated so I was all in for LBJ, the last truly liberal President we've had.

The civil rights, anti war and women's movement in the 60's interested me. The JFK assassination sparked my interest but I think it was when I was 13years old and I stood up in my jr high class and gave an oral book report on Margaret Sanger and the movement to legalize bc that I realized there was resistance to change when I was sent to the counselor because of the books I read.

I grew up in a very dem, politically active home.

The civil rights movement and then Vietnam kept politics on the front burner.
Then there was Nixon.........

and results from California. I also knew all about the Electoral Votes and what states had how many. My parents, and even Nuns in school, thought I was nuts.

Devastated when JFK was assassinated.

And first paid real interest at age of 17. Went to work at JFK headquarters the day after he smiled at me from about 3 feet away. Probably was a teen age crush (he WAS handsome) but that blossomed into a real love of politics and governing. Still at it......

My parents were interested in politics, plus we lived in Missouri, Truman's home state.

My grandparents came home from voting for Dewey and I questioned them because I thought "who could NOT be for a Tru(e)-Man.

I can't remember my exact age at the time but I do remember sitting in front of a small television watching a man named Joseph McCarthy...my mother, a Holocaust survivor, said " Watch, listen, and do not forget. This should not be happening in America". Fast forward to 2016 Donald Trump and the GOP... This should not be happening in America.

Politics were always discussed at home when I was a kid, but I remember the Watergate hearings were a big deal for my parents. They watched the hearings and there was a lot if discussions. They were both Democrats. Since then I have always had an interest in politics. BTW my father who passed away 7 years ago loved Hillary Clinton, and would be ecstatic if he were here and got to vote for her.

2007, when Obama was running for election against John McCain. I'm a millennial through and through, which makes me quite a bit younger than quite a few of you amazing folks. I still remember talking to my teacher about the first election I had actual interest in, and seeing for the first time history being made with an African American President.

My interest in U.S. politics has been thorough, and it was about that time I actually saw the differences in our political system. Republican, Democratic, left-of-center and right-of-center, etc. I'm an Arizonan which gives me some personal insight in regards to McCain.

Always been a prowler here for my political news and the interesting satire, so that's about that.

When did I take an interest in politics? In 1980, after I voted for Reagan, and people told me "YOU DID WHAT?!?!?!? YOU IDIOT!!!!"

For admitting you voted for Reagan. It's not too late for any of us to reform and see the light!

It's admitting that I was voting without a clue as to who the people were, what the issues were, or even what the differences between the parties were. I was the lowest of the low information voters. That ended in 1980.

Only mis-vote of my life. My excuse is that I was doing very well and listened to President Reagan's line, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" I was but it turned out it had nothing to do with the Reagan policies.

Ugh. Sometimes I hate myself!

Had I been of age in 1980, I'd have voted for Carter.

as long as I can remember, my mom was always talking about FDR and JFK. The campaign I most remember being interested in first was 88 with Dukakis/Bush. Since then, it's pretty much been a political addiction to me

I am 77 years old and grew up in a family that was always involved in unions and Democratic politics. I signed up to vote as soon as I was old enough - so far back that the first time I voted I had to pay the poll tax.

I have only voted for a Republican one time in my life (Nixon) - what a mistake that was! I read the Dallas Morning News every day, the Dallas Observer every week (to find out what the DMN leaves out). I read all the on-line editions of major newspapers everyday. I love politics, love watching cable news and talk shows - I try to watch some Fox News to hear the other side of the story, if I am out in the car I try to listen to Rush to hear what he has to say(can't stand too much of him). My favorite is MSNBC and the RMS, now I have been impressed with Joy Reid.

I early vote in every election, local, state and national. All states should have early voting like Texas has, it makes it so much easier to vote. I remember the first time I voted, we lived in San Antonio, you could hardly get to the door of the voting place, you were accosted by people trying to get you to vote for their candidate or give you a banner or something, lots of loud speakers and music. That is now outlawed in Texas - Thank Goodness, same for Poll Tax.

I get a thrill every time I go vote, I know what a precious right this is. Same for serving on a jury, although, I am now too old for Jury summons. We are so lucky to live in the good old USA and as citizens we have a responsibility to vote and see that we get the best people elected. In Texas, we have a sleeping giant that I hope is finally awakening and that is the Hispanic voters. Democrats could take over the state if we had better turnout with the Hispanic population. I think that day is coming very soon. I just hope Ted Cruz get voted out in 2018. I think one of the Castro twins is going to run against him. I'd love to see that contest..

My earliest recollection of politics was the 1948 election. Truman was running against Thomas Dewey of NY. I lived in the suburbs of NYC in a strongly Republican area. Everyone in my family was for Dewey, but I as an infinitely wise 8 year old insisted that Truman would win. Even a Chicago newspaper got the results wrong when they published the paper saying "Dewey wins".

The first election I was eligible to vote in was 1964. My mother and I both voted for Goldwater. New York used to have liberal Republicans like Nelson Rockefeller and Jacob Javits, who were fiscally conservative, but somewhat socially progressive. In 1972 I moved to WV and registered as a Democrat , so I could vote in the primaries. The WV Republican Party back then didn't even field a candidate in many of state and local elections. Now we've turned from Blue to Red.

Over time I watched the Republican Party change, until I didn't recognize it any longer. I didn't leave it, it left me. My 100 year old mother never voted for a Democrat until Barack Obama. She thought he was a gentleman. High praise in her eyes. She didn't tell me that until last year, and now she is horrified to hear that Donald Trump is running.

I supported Obama for President and became a WV State Delegate in 2012 and again in 2016 when I supported Bernie Sanders. I intend to vote for Hillary, but I am going to the meeting Aug.24th for Bernie's new organization. We need to fight to get Hillary elected and we need to channel the energy and passion of Bernie's supporters to make positive changes for the better for all our citizens.

I've been interested in politics quite heavily since JFK ran for office. Of course, I was devastated by his untimely death. I dropped out by having little to no interest during the Nixon and Reagan years. Surprisingly, I paid a lot of attention to the Bush era, as it was so incredibly unbelievable, I didn't want to miss anything. Thank God we've had Democratic presidents in between the folly of Republicans or I'd have gone nutty.

Been politically "aware" since I was 16.

.. I got interested in politics. I took a bus over
to LBJ's Houston HQ and did some blockwalking
as I remember it.

Later, still in college, I went to Miller Outdoor
Theater to hear Barbara Jordan, and i voted
for her in my first election.

In my second election I voted for the Democratic
candidate (McGovern?) for president and Barbara
Jordan again.

I also joined the League of Women Voters and
worked the voter rolls at a precinct on election
day. They were big stacks of paper, and the
machines were those huge clunky things with
the knobs you turn.

Boy have times changed!

I actually saw JFK when I was 6, the day before he was killed.

I had some awareness of politics as early as 1968 when I was 11. We went to the Unitarian church and there were a lot of McCarthy supporters. My parents were Goldwater Republicans. My mother had Ayn Rand paperbacks in the bookcase.

I remember being rather upset when Nixon was re-elected in '72 because of the Watergate break in. I was like "Wait a minute!" My circle of friends was quite into politics. We even had a TV watching party when he resigned. My first time to vote was in 76 for Carter. I can't say I was all that enthusiastic about him. I liked Jerry Brown. Though I've always been a Democrat, I always seem to support the underdog. This year's not much different.

I vaguely remember the 1976 election, but more in images and emotions than actual interest and following along...

My political awakening was upon JFK's election.

and would have just turned 21 when he was assassinated. That's how long I've been involved in politics both locally, statewide and nationally.

I've always existed within the maelstroms of politics and religion, especially religion. I don't remember religion or politics NOT being significant in my life.

Religious warfare is a family tradition. It's always National Brotherhood Week in our homes. God only knows why, but opposites attract. The fiercest opponents end up sleeping together.

Nevertheless, we lean heavily to the anti-authoritarian left and matriarchal anarchy.

Altruists the entire bloody lot of us. Even the occasional soldiers among us are there to save the world.

When I was young, my parents were Republicans of the Eisenhower type. I tried to talk them out of voting for Nixon!

They switched parties and voted for Obama.

I worked for Gene McCarthy in the 60's.

Assassination of Robert Kennedy rose my awareness and while my parents were republican, I gravitated toward Dems right off. My older brother had a political memorabilia collection so I learned history of campaigns through that. We also had a board game "Convention" so I learned how the electing process works. Have been hooked ever since!

My family was very involved in the Kennedy campaign. I have been very interested since then.

Certainly to JFKs assassination

tv in early 50s, he watched the McCarthy hearings during the day.(he worked evenings then) I never under
-stood why he backed Republicans. And I remember Truman firing McArthur, another big event that sparked my interest. So I was between 8-10 yrs of age at the time.

My debate partner talked me into volunteering with the Gary Hart for Senate campaign. Dem headquarters was across the street from where I worked part time. I caught the political bug that year.

I've always been a dem until recently. I don't like the rightward drift of the party. I still vote dem, though. The Green platform aligns more closely with my views but, Stein is – fuck, I have no words for her. Right now I'm a citizen without a party. I think this election there are a lot who feel that way. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out. I see sane republicans voting democratic until the crazies either go away or break it all. That will lead to the dem party shifting even further to the right & the left will have less of a voice than they have now.

I got involved, at age 15, knocking on doors for LBJ

I remember being really absorbed by the primaries for the 1980 presidential election.

When I was 13. My mom took me with her when she met Ann Richards. I left that event thinking that Gov Richards was the coolest woman ever.

it seems that JFK was the impetus for a good number of people to follow politics. What an inspiration he was. Prior to that, from the forces of evil, came the McCarthy era that also motivated people to get involved because they needed to stop that monster! I hope Donald Trump has that same effect.

I remember helping my dad hang literature on doorknobs for Stevenson. My dad was union.

I saw someone not long ago who remarked that she had not seen me since we were both nineteen. She remembered that I was going door-to-door for something. I said it was a candidate. She noted that not much had changed with me.

I will never stop helping get Democrats elected.

Last edited Mon Aug 22, 2016, 03:19 PM - Edit history (1)

I recall my grandpa's anger when I called nixon a bum - he asked me where I learned to talk like that and I responded that it was from him. Funny in retrospect, on the one hand he was prone to calling politicians bums, but on the other hand I didn't know anything but what I saw on the 6 o'clock news we watched during dinner, and didn't really have any business being outspoken.

Ford was kind of an uninteresting shambles, but I was a big Carter fan. I recall watching the "sacrifice" speech and it making perfect sense, the first time I heard a president speak truthfully. Watching his defeat to Reagan was the prelude to a long period of disillusionment with the ability of people in general to make good decisions based on higher principles and realities, rather than their "gut".

would have taken offense to the invectives that come from Trump's mouth, and perhaps he would have quickly deemed Trump a bum too.

My father taught me to read before I went to school, by reading the news paper with me. Gradually that grew into asking questions about columns in the editorial section. Then we starting watching political shows together on TV. Back in the days of land lines and long distance phone bills, we could really rack it up during an election years. While most kids whined about Watergate canceling a summer of TV, I was glued to it, taking notes even. So let's call 1972 the year I was politically awakened.

I voted in 1984 for the first time age 26..
Voted for Reagan.
FAIL.
utter fail.
I had no idea about politics . I just didn't like Mondale.
By 1988 I was a die hard Democrat and voted for Dukakis and have voted Democrat ever since.

Ps. My parents were not political
My dad was USAF, mom was in the Army
They were to into sports and not politics....not multi- taskers.....

I remember paying attention to politics starting with the Iranian hostage crisis. That said I started becoming involved oddly enough in the 92 elections with the rise of Ross Perot. That odd little bastard got me thinking much more seriously about the effect the political decisions actually had on life in america.



LOL on edit I got my age wrong....Weee !

that you know you're getting old when you can't even keep track of your age anymore. But 50 is a milestone, one that should be easier to remember (but maybe one you want to forget).

I'm choosing no party affiliation as soon as this shitshow, embarrassment of an election cycle.

in the house. My first real interest began with John Kennedy. Since then I have had a huge interest in politics. I have always voted from the time I was able to.

My first interest in politics was in 1963 when my childhood idol, President Kennedy, was assassinated. It was horrible.

I was raised in a Democratic household and really started to follow the daily news closely when I was about 13. God, did I hate Richard Nixon! Whenever he spoke, I knew he was lying. And I hated that he was president when Apollo 11 landed on the moon and he took credit for the accomplishment; after all, it was President ended that inspired the moon landing. I remember the summer of 1974 when the drip-drip-drip of Watergate made it clear that he would never make it to the end of his second term.

I've voted for Republicans exactly four times: President Reagan's reelection in 1984 (major mistake) and three times for a local judge in suburban New York (he was an excellent jurist and always supported local youth programs when my son was growing up). Never again.

I've volunteered for several local and state-wide politicians and frequently contribute to various campaigns when I could.

Your observation about younger people not participating in this website is hard to quantify but I have the impression that many younger people are more politically connected through social media rather than traditional websites. We'll see how the votes break down after the election but I suspect that the Republicans are not going to be pleased with the demographics.

was actually made by somebody else in another thread. I'm too much of a novice here to know much about that, but my limited exposure has led me to believe the majority here are middle-aged to older adults. And that's why I asked forum members to include their age in their posts, so we can get a better idea of where the median lies.

It's a good post, True Dough, and the responses were good reads.

Enjoy your evening.

I have enjoyed reading about forum members' paths to political involvement.

Enjoy your evening as well, PJMcK.

I became interested at 11 years old because I LOVED JFK! He came to my town to campaign and I adored him from that moment on. Nixon came too, but did not have the same effect, LOL! He looked swarthy whereas JFK looked like Prince Charming.

I also remember Truman's daughter giving a piano recital in the White House but I did not become actively involved until JFK was president. My younger brother worked with Bobby Kennedy and drove a car in his funeral procession. During the years I raised my 7 kids I did not have time to be avidly involved but have always paid attention and voted. I now work the local poll on election day and read things everyday.

Kennedy was murdered when I was 10 in 5th grade.

The next year I went with a friend and his mother to a Kennedy memorial and traveling collection at the San Francisco Municipal Auditorium.

My parents weren't that political; Mom claimed to be GOP, Dad a Democrat but Dad liked Reagan and Nixon and Mom voted Democrat.

I was sent to an Episcopal owned boarding school in Marin county Fall 1966 (8th grade). The dorm masters were Episcopal seminarians and were liberal and anti-war. Haight Ashbury was thriving and I visited. I have been liberal and anti-war ever since.

I changed boarding schools in 1968 and my roommate Eric had a mother who was very active in Democratic party politics, Maya Miller of Nevada. The first time she visited Eric, she took the two of us to an anti-war rally at the Marina Green in San Francisco. I was an antiwar supporter of Eugene McCarthy and went to POTUS rallies for McCarthy, Humphrey, and Wallace - actually protester at Humphrey and Wallace and also anti-war rallies in San Francisco and Berkeley. I first identified as a Democrat in 1968 and have considered myself a Democrat ever since. I first registered and voted for McGovern in 1972. I have voted exclusively for Democratic candidates except I voted for John Anderson in the GOP primary against Reagan.

I maybe have been around more politics than some because I have a BS and Masters from Cal and was a career federal employee that resigned under Reagan. I was in Graduate Assembly student government at Cal but have never and would never consider political office. I was a Resource Conservation District Board member and served as a state officer. I have been on state appointed advisory boards and testified as a hired consultant for government agencies before several Congressional subcommittees back in the 1990s. I once was asked to be part of a panel for a political dinner where the audience was Chamber of Commerce and Rotary regarding a proposed industry-backed state initiative. Nobody asked me beforehand my opinion and I said that the proposal was poor legislation and the status quo was preferable. Some got upset with me but I got to explain my reasoning. My boss was totally cracking up when I came into the office the next morning. I am accustomed to not getting my way in politics.

In my age and with the internet, I have more time and access to political related items.

29. Since high school.. I loved History, both US and World.

Incrementally became political as years passed.

Started with opposition to Vietnam War and siding with Yippies before high school.

Developed into feminism and rallied and marched for reproductive rights, no fault divorce, fairness in employment for women.

Developed further into saving the media to save democracy.

Finally became a social democrat as the democratic party was in inertia as far as progressive legislation.

I remember the deep sadness and the cheering too. I began to listen to the split among people I loved. I've never looked back.

My mother was very politically active. Helped elect a governor back in the 50s. I worked on that campaign.

Then I dropped out until 2000.
The Bush sElection got my attention.

and started being aware of current events. I recall the election campaign of 1968 - my Dad took us along while he campaigned for a local office candidate. He was pissed that Nixon won.

1980 was when I became interested, although I had helped my mother when she volenteered for the Carter campaign.

I was terrified by Reagan...the esculating Cold War...the Middle East...I had a bad feeling he was going to get us all killed...I have the same trepidation about tRumph, except many times worse...

I'd venture to say about 2 years into Carters administration.

Body bags from Vietnam, Nixon/Watergate, touring DC post-riots, and the pic of RFK on my father's office wall are some early memories. Voted for Carter, and really started paying attention under Reagan. Will never forget the mentally ill living on DC streets thanks to deinstitutionalization, or his administration's shameful response to the AIDS epidemic. Jesus... Iran-Contra. Ollie. Caspar. Poindexter. Fawn Hall. Ah, good times.

Great, now I'm onto '80s protest music with "Ghost Town" running through my head:

http://www.inthe80s.com/protest.shtml

Tramp the dirt down, indeed.

JFK, LBJ, NiXON, FORD, CARTER, REAGAN, BUSH I, CLINTON, BUSH II, OBAMA .. AND NOW MS CLINTON. POLITICAL AWAKENING: HAD TO BE THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT IN THE 60'S AND THE U.S INVOLVEMENT IN VIETNAM.

and it was December 18, 1964 the night my father died from wounds sustained in the Vietnam War (although we as a nation were in denial about the fact that we had many military personnel there) I got excited by politics when in 6th grade (Nixon vs Humphrey) and out class in September voted 23-9 for Nixon and by the end of October I got them to re vote and they voted 24-8 for Humphrey.

following politics intensely at 14, but I was already interested in history and current events at 12, so I was generally aware of what was going on politically by that age--but not a serious political junkie yet until I was 14.

tracking votes, making calls, etc.

The 26th Amendment!! I was eighteen and could vote!!!!!! wrote in Barry Commoner I was way ahead of the times (the environment has always been my driver)

I am, however, interested in government. Now if we could only remove the politics from the job of governing...

the local Democratic Party. He would hand me the street list and tell me which streets to canvass and to only go to the address where a person was a registered Democrat. I was paid 25 cents .

Later that year, I remember being allowed to stay up and watch the election returns. I was hooked since then.

Grandmother canvassed for JFK.

my family in England always leaned towards Labour, but I don't remember being politically aware in America until the Anita Bryant saga, where I came down firmly against her (I remember thinking, gay people don't bother me but SHE sure does) - that's when I realized I was a solid Democrat, and that has not changed.

early in the morning. Been paying attention to politics a few days after arriving in country Vietnam in mid June of 1969. At the moment that I realized that what we as a country were doing there was as wrong as Wrong can get. My eyes came wide open and have been ever since.

In late 60s. Then came Munich..George Wallace and much more....by Watergate I was a wonk....my hero's were Cronkite, Harry Reasoner..Howard K Smith..John Chancellor to name a few.

I was 14 or 15 and remember watching the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago and the protesters and bystanders getting the shit beaten out of them by Mayor Daley's blue meanie forces. I remember the crowd chanting "the whole world is watching," and thinking this can't be happening in the United States. All of the lies I'd been told in school became obvious to me. I was never the same after that.

Of course, I quickly became a huge Kennedy fan & supporter that year.

1970 Berkeley. VietNam. I have a pic of me in a proper mini skirt and pantyhose with rifles and bayonets 2 feet from my ponytailed head. We didn't have cars, tvs, phones, computers, money...but we still managed to stop a war. Remarkable, eh?

but I prefer the current era where you can have close friendships and also reach out to people around the world with common interests, like on this forum.

tinkle down sounded stupid to me in high school. and i hate math. i just have good economic theory sense. then i discovered span. about 1983. NPR/PBS kid. i listened to the iran/contra hearings at art school. only thing i missed was ollie north.

I was a big Dukakis fan

The summer I turned 14. I'm 42 now.

ETA. Though, I've been politically aware since the age of six when I sat holding my sobbing mom's hand with when Reagan won in 1980. I was too young to know anything other than this was a man that made my mama cry. Never ever have been tempted to vote Republican.

My father was a big Union man and hated R's with a passion,and discussed it quite regularly as far back as I can remember.

It was just a short bus ride to the French Quarter in New Orleans and there was a huge crowd in Jackson Square. Unfortunately there were about 10-20 idiots in the front row shouting him down with chants of "Reagan!' Reagan!" I thought it was rude, the president handled it with grace.

My father worked as a volunteer in '72 for McGovern. Little did he know his opponent was cheating in a race he was probably going to win anyway. It's funny, I don't remember my parents putting me in front of the TV for the moon landing, but my mom went out of her way to come get me to see Nixon resign.

(59 has been hell on earth - fortunately I finish my active cancer treatment on Wednesday; the two other family diseases I acquired this year are chronic. But I digress.)

Depends on how you define politics. I've been aware of, and working against injustice, for as long as I can remember (since age 4 or 5?). None of that was tied to politics specifically - although it is what motivates my involvement in politics. The first presidential campaign I was active in was McGovern's first run in 1968 (age 12).

Bloody Sunday (1965 - age 8), the assasinations of MLK, RFK, JFK from 1963 (age 6) through 1968, the reaction of my all-white town to our hosting an African American child as part of an interracial exchange (perhaps 66), and the Tinker family's black armband case (family friends of ours) all played roles. I grew up in a home where we lived our faith - and for us, in those times, that meant actively working against injustice (regardless of our age).

You kick cancer's ass! You haven't spent the better part of 59 years on this earth fighting injustice to let that stinking disease stop you.

March on and be well!

At every stage, the actual results have come back better than expected.

. . . I became private secretary to a big biz-politico who in 1960 helped convince JFK to campaign in West Virginia.

depending on which month you mark your birthday, and I believe that makes you the oldest poster in this thread so far. I've been keeping track!

Sounds like the 1960s were an exciting time for you. Thanks for contributing, Petrushka.

. . . my boss predicted JFK would be the 1960 candidate for President. It was the first time I heard of JFK.


Edited to add:
God willin' 'n' th' crick don't rise, I'll celebrate my 81st birthday in November.

It's only a fraction of people your age who participate in online forums. Good on you for embracing technology, Petrushka!

The Vietnam war had a lot to do with shaping my liberal politics. My parents were Democrats, too, and they had a mixed marriage--mom was Ojibwe, dad was French-Irish. They got some crap for that in northern Michigan, which shaped my civil rghts views.

2002 to 2003 the run up to the Iraq war (which I later served in for economic reasons rather than political reasons) so I had to be about 16.

I was a big time junkie in those days, watched Washington Journal every morning, CSpan. I saw the infamous O'Reilly, Franken, Molly Ivans book expo (Bernie Sanders was in the crowd).

Watched Crossfire a lot, saw Jon Stewart there when it was live. Used to e'm watch O'Reilly a lot just to get pissed off, the whole French boycott thing and so many moments. Was into Dean and followed his campaign but couldn't vote since I turned 18 in November, 2004, after the election.

You meant "political junkie." I was worried when you first referred to yourself as a big time junkie!

Thanks for your service, JonLP24. At 29, you are one of the youngest here.

Best Iraq war movie you've seen? I thought Jarhead was good. I wasn't on the ground there, but it seems like it was a realistic portrayal.

Seemed to be the most realistic portrayal down to a stack of water boxes in the middle of a tent.

I think Jarhead captured the boredom of it all well.

I was interested before then, as JFK had a profound influence on my generation, but the year I turned 21 and could vote was the year I became very active.

I know I'm not the oldest here. Welcome!

But many are straightforward with Liberal or Dem in them. Yours makes me curious. Is it pronounced He-Kate, or, I suspect, it's a Japanese word and pronounced He-Kaa-Tay, or something like that? What is the origin?

Back when I joined DU in 2002 I had just finished grad school in Mythological Studies, where a lot of my research was into the relationship between the goddess Demeter and her daughter Persephone. There's a rich trove there, and my daughter had been giving me hell (if you know the myth even a little, you'll get the joke). But by then she was out of the house and I was ready to move on from being a mother, and in that myth there is a third goddess, one of the oldest, Hekate. In mythology there are many Triple Goddesses, and they almost invariably are the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone (i.e. Old Wise Woman). In the Mysteries they shift places; they are not static, any more than the Moon is.

Hekate is interesting in her own right. She is Eldest, one of the Titans, i.e. one of the original Greek gods. She stands at the triple crossroads of the Underworld, which is the largest of the three realms ruled by the brother-gods Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. Eventually we all go there -- it is very capacious. There is wisdom, and there are riches (think of mining). But Hekate does not rule there -- Persephone, being the bride by capture of Hades with her father's consent, becomes queen of that realm. Hekate, a Titan, travels where she will among the three realms: Olympus, Earth, and Hades. When Demeter searched and lamented for her lost daughter, Hekate was the only one who could or would tell her where she'd gone.

As Christianity spread through Europe, some old gods and goddesses were absorbed into the new religion by being called saints. That happened with St. Brigid, originally a Celtic triple goddess. Some were cast out as demonic. That happened to Hekate, who the Christians called Queen of the Witches, a very bad thing indeed in an era when "witches" were tortured and burned at the stake.

But that was then and this is now. Those of us who study archetypal psychology, mythology, and feminist spirituality, look more deeply into origins and meanings. She is a goddess of decisions (the path where three ways meet), and of the wisdom of age, and is ageless. This only scratches the surface -- suffice it to say, when I chose my name here I was ready to move on from Demeter's anguish and so chose this name, related but so different.

I knew nothing of that goddess. Thanks for the explanation (as long as there's not test accompany it -- the last time I learned about Greek history was in high school).

That did it, for me.

My dad used to take me on occasion with him to the Senate Press Gallery at the Capitol. I didn't get why my friends were named Jimmy or Billy or Joe or Bobby, and his "friends" were all named "Senator." What kind of a name was that, and how come they were ALL called that? Senator Humphrey, Senator Javits, Senator Dirksen (was HE a character! Even then, he made an impression, though I had no clue what he was talking about--grown-up stuff). I did get that this was some kind of special place just by the deference he showed these guys. Every other place, my dad was the supreme authority. Not here.

Then at age 8, he took me with him to the Democratic National Convention in L.A. and he told me to go up to Hubert Humphrey, whom he knew, since his mother had supported Humphrey since 1948, and say "hope you get the nomination." I had to repeat it a couple of times because at age 8, I had no earthly clue what a "nomination" was, or why he couldn't just go get it himself. He explained it to me as best he could, and I started to get increasingly involved in the subject.

A total junkie after the nightmare that was Dubya became apparent.

I remember the endless controversy regarding that election, which was definitely stolen by GWB with the help of his cronies in the SCOTUS and his brother Jeb. The country and the world would have been so much better off had Gore won. If only we knew what damage Bush and Cheney would do...

with "hanging and dimpled chads" at a fairly early age. Ahhh, politics...

Bonus question, why do you never answer?

As were my parents and my maternal grandfather. I cast my first vote for President for Lyndon B. Johnson, a vote of which I am still very proud. At that time, Georgia was one of only two states that allowed 18 to 20 year olds to vote.

1973 was especially hard to ignore with Watergate, Phase 4 and the Energy Crisis.

I graduated from high school in 1965, so the Vietnam War was when I first became interested in politics. After that, I got busy with my daughter, job and life. I had some interest during Watergate and the various administrations, but my real interest began again when Bill Clinton was running for president. I saw something in him that I'd never seen in politicians before... a person of my generation who spoke to me and thought much like I did. I've been hooked from that time on.

Unofficially, after having read through all the posts here, it appears that JFK was the number 1 drawing card that got people responding to this thread involved in politics. Vietnam would be #2 and Watergate/Nixon a close third.

My generation more than any other was affected by Vietnam. As for JFK, I was affected more by his assassination than his election, although I loved the popular comedy record "The First Family" by Vaughn Meader and probably still have that. It was a time when I knew people joked about a president without knowing how much hatred swirled around him. Watergate was big news but that was about the time I was having a baby so I didn't pay as much attention to it as I would today.

Interesting OP!