Are you more or less politically active/aware now than in 2000?

And if so, why?

I'm more politivally active/aware. 2000 was actually an anomaly for me, I followed the 1992 and 1996 elections like a hawk, but in 2000 I was escaping a very abusive relationship that August and for some reason I never got "into" the election.

I couldn't stand W.rong and I definitely voted for Gore that year, but I wonder if everyone is more politically involved this time around since W.rong's theft of the WH. I know I am.

Because my fears about a Bush Admin have come true.

before. Bush is the single biggest threat to the USA in history - and we are responsible for changing that - let's not fail.

I was very aware in 2000, but never got active. Never even donated money. In retrospect, I can hardly believe how inactive I was. I'm hoping to make up for that this time around.

--Peter

Definitely more.

I was naive in 2000. I didn't like Bush, but I thought he would be no worse than his dad.

Boy, was I ever wrong!

This year I actively campaigned for a candidate for the first time in ages.

waiting to get my life back

my husband is annoyed by my obsession for the next 2 months...I can't wait for November 3rd...when we find out Kerry is our next President and we can breathe a sigh of relief

I plan on pulling an all nighter, after which I will either celebrate or weep hysterically and book a flight to Canada.

But I know what you mean. I feel like a freakin' Jehovah Witness.

"Excuse me, friend, do you know John Kerry."

"NO!" (slam!)

I went from voting Democrat and nothing else to a diehard Deaniac, giving money, tabling at events, doing door to door in Iowa (twice), going to the pro-choice march in DC.... 'Nuff said?

I became hardcore seemingly overnight. And ashamed for being so apathetic for so long. I guess I'm trying to make up for it all at once!

FSC

since that day in Nov 2000 when I left my polling place and tore up my voters card in frustration throwing it to the wind-it activated me-i started calling Randi Rhodes and C-Span and writing letters to congress and calling .Joined up here as oustemnow until my computer crashed and I had to change monikers.I even got a Christmas card from John and Teresa Kerry after telling JK that HE should run(this was in 2001) b/c of his creds compared to monkey boy...yea alot more involved.

I have always voted as a democrat, but I've never been that interested. I voted for Gore but I didn't have any real problems with W four years ago. I've never given money to a political campaign before this election.

I am WAY more political than I used to be. I detest W and think he is quite possibly the worst president in history. My husband and I have contributions to the Kerry campaign budgeted into our regular budget. This is not how we used to be.

I am now a news junkie extreme. I got so bad I eventually became an opinions columnist and a magazine contributor for awhile. Couldn't take all the negativity from reading so many newspapers daily, plus books and websites. Blood pressure had to be busting out of the roof last spring I'm sure. I couldn't even hear the words "Republican" or "Conservative" without feeling like I was about to have a heart attack, lol. I am much calmer now. Kinda. November might be the death of me.

I was quite politically aware during the 2000 election season. But the stealing of the election, not only under the "watchful eye" of the media but with their aid, turned me into an activist. I had been a member of the Dem party for about four years before that but never active. Now I participate as much as I can in my spare time. I put together a news letter for my local Dems, with a lot of help from DU, and work to keep them as informed and involved as possible. I've sat on two different campaign steering committees and volunteered for several other campaigns since.

My county went to the chimp last time. I'm determined to work hard to prevent that this time.

I agree When Bushit stole the election I knew I had to do something. I left sales. I fundraised for 1 1/2 years for the DNC/DCCC trying to win back the Congress. I have spent the last 1 1/2 petitioning to pay the bills and spent 10 hours a day talking to people about the need to remove Bushit. Have written dozens of letter to Congree & The media. In the last 33 years I have spent 10 hours a day online reading everything I can get my hands on about 9-11 and Iraq and all the other Bushit he has done.I needed to be informed to educate others. I have registered over 100 people to vote and countless others have been on my email list.
I ususally don't go to sleep until 2-3 am after I have read all the news of the day.

{b} Very simply....I may not be able to stop them from stealing my country......but I damn well will know they did it!
As frustrating as it has been; I sleep KNOWING I am right!

.. DU and the blogosphere has helped.

I still can't spell, use proper puncutation or syntax but I can refute any BS the bushies have now. I knew he was the Devil himself but I had no idea he would be this bad. Molly Ivins I salute you.

I'm not active in terms of canvassing or that sort of thing. But I am more aware, I used to not really follow politics until the 2000 election controversy happened. I mean I wanted Gore to win and was always a Dem, but I didn't pay that much attention to it. Now it is like a hobby for me, and I follow the politics races, for instance the Senate races and presidency, avidly.

I followed elections...found them interesting..I turned 18 in 1992 so I was excited when Clinton came around..and voted for him in 1992 and 1996 and for Gore in 2000...but I was blown away at how clueless I felt when that election was stolen...I couldn't and still can't believe how we let that election go and didn't fight like we should of...* should of conceded based on the popular vote but i believe he knew he woudl get FL before it was so blatantly obvious he would be handed FL...so...I am much more aware of the real stories...not duped by media like I felt i was back then

I always thought I was politically educated, until after 2000.
Since the 2000 fiasco, I have been continually tuning my political knowledge and have been running a small grass roots campaign of my own to educate those around me. My kids don't stand a chance!
In 2000, I just watched the news and hoped for the best, this year, I am talking to people, going to events, sending email and mail.

...this is the most important election of our lifetime!

In 2000...no Democratic committee in my community because I'm in right-wing rural Virginia. My husband and I got some big signs at the headquarters in Richmond and put them up on the 75 mile stretch between our two homes. Bumperstickers on our cars and that was it.

2004...huge Democratic committee in our rural community. Over a hundred members and growing. We have monthly meetings (two a month starting this month) and additional sub-committee meetings. House parties and receptions. Phone bank. We've ordered a hundred signs to put up. We have enough money in the till from donations to rent a billboard for the month of October. We have a booth every Saturday at the local farmer's market and booths at local festivals in the area. We've given out hundreds of bumperstickers, buttons, rolls of stickers. For many of us...we live and breath the election.

I couldn't have imagined Bush being THIS bad. I also didn't even think the election would be close. This time, I won't be caught unaware again.

In 2000 I was still reeling from the death of my son and frankly didn't care if I lived or died much less about politics. The years have softened my grief, but hardened my heart towards poeple like BFEE, Rove, etc. and I want to see them OUT of power.

I am so sorry about your son. I always think that the people who show some of the greatest courage are those who just keep going after the loss of a child. I truly can't imagine anything harder in this life, and yet you are doing it.

And the fact that you are working for the greater good in your son's memory is so wonderful.

I was before especially when they tried to railroad Clinton. I remember spending days in bed watching T.V. I was supposed to be studying for an exam. Today I ordered bumper stickers and yard signs for all of my family members.

called the late '60's I was very much active (anyone here remember the Weathermen?). I can relate to Senator Kerry on that.
For years I was...apathetic... because it was as if nothing mattered.
But now I'm fed up. This is worse than the Nixon embarrassment!
So I spend most of my free time online, scoping out the stories,
and talking to folks. I wish I had more than one life to give to my country!

During the 2000 election I was pregnant with my first child and gave birth slightly before the election. My mind was not on the election at all even though I did vote for Gore with my newborn in my arms.
Now, I am obsessed. My friends are starting to think I have some magic or something for knowing all this political stuff before it hits the mainstream! I keep telling them "Democratic Underground."
So, not only am I more aware, but I pledge to NEVER again be apathetic or not pay attention. I'm even thinking of starting a signature site where people take a vow to never let up guard against the RW again.
One of my favorite sayings from the forefathers was something like this:
"Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom."
(anyone know who said it?)

I watched the 2000 election nonstop. I applauded the bloodless change of administrations. Then as time went on, my applause turned to boos. Then anger and hatred for what really happened. And to this day, the learning of what really has happened continues to deepen. I now know what's going on. Bush really fucked up the pnac agenda. Now we all know what a complex mess it all is. Elections won't end this.

used to be very active in local politics but the Democratic Party in Orange County, Florida is a total wreck. The chair turns everyone off. Now still active but through the AFL-CIO.

I was always interested in and followed politics and did some activism.

The theft in 2000 (and the disenfranchisment of tens of thousands of voters there) appalled me.

I'd always followed things, but I'll admit I was asleep at the switch in 2000. The stolen election and the media's complicity really sent a jolt of lightning through me. My eyes are wide open now.

More! Unlike prior years, I've been on committees, volunteer groups, given $ to candidates, organized campaign events in my community...I never did any of that before. My husband was all over town delivering yard signs last night; he's taken election day off work so he can drive people to the polls, etc.

I know so many people who are participating for the first time:

- In our small Iowa community, we had 97 people attend the caucus in January 2004 - up from the usual 12-13 people.

- Our Democratic Central Committee meetings, which are usually held in the small Dem headquarters this time of year, have to be held elsewhere due to the large number of volunteers using the HQ for phone calls.

- At an Absentee Ballot Courier training meeting yesterday afternoon, the presenter asked how many in the room are involved in the campaign process for the first time this year, and 75% of the 60+ people in the room raised their hands. It was pretty amazing.

People are pissed, and they're motivated. Kerry in a landslide!! :)

I never paid much attention before that. What those bastards did to our democracy changed me forever.

so much so, it is an obsession!

Why - because I love our nation and I don't want * and the BFEE and the evil neo-con repukes to destroy it.

On 9/11 I was in federal court, helping my boss defend a man charged with money laundering in a reverse sting set up by a professional witness for the feds that gets paid to snag criminals. How repugnant is that! The judge never recessed the trial, we continued because the federal judge insisted we were safe. (To this day I wonder why he was so sure - he does hunt with Scalia, et al.)

The last name of the paid federal witness that set up the reverse sting is Blount.

I have personally seen how the abuse of power of this admin (and most repuke admins) destroy lifes out of revenge, out of a thirst for power and just for fun!

I became increasingly aware and concerned about what Bush had done in Iraq, and then heard Clark saying what I'd been thinking, which was that the president shouldn't be trying to cash a blank check dated 9/11.

Once Clark was out, I slowly but surely started checking out Mr. "Personality of Styrofoam" ("That good?" someone else piped in.)

Before I was anywhere near committed to Kerry, I decided I had to take a stand against Bush and found a Real Deal sign for my car window (making it the "Real Deal Mobile). I followed Kerry campaign HQ as it started off in an AFL-CIO office in June, then helped set up the main HQ in Milwaukee, and a smaller one closer to my house.

I've been reading like a fiend anything I could find on the net on Kerry, checking books out of the library that were pro-Kerry (best one is "A New War" by Kerry himself), anti-Kerry (so I could answer the charges made) and anti-Bush (best one is John Dean's book "Worse than Watergate")

The more I read, the more gungho I become about our man Johnny. Some of the best articles for me were the interviews conducted with Kerry before he even declared as a candidate. Quite humanizing, they were.

And every time I get anxious that we might not win, I go down to HQ and do something, even if it's just talk to people. If you don't want to canvas, just go and supply bomb your local office. They can always use paper, poster board, goodies for the troops and the like.

I was pleased as I looked over at the "what you can do" list at HQ and asked what "visibility" meant. They said wearing buttons, t-shirts and such things that identify you as a Kerry person and gets his name out. Hey, I'm on visibility patrol! Who'da thunk it.

Meanwhile, I find I'm starting to really annoy some of the Bushies at my local pub. Is that good or bad? Living in Bush Country right now sucks swamp water through a straw.

2000 was my wake up call