I've been interested in politics as far back as I can remember. I distinctly remember being horribly disappointed after the 1968 election, and fearing the activities and intentions of the new Nixon administration. (I was nine.) For most of my family, though, that's not been the case. That's why I was so proud a few days ago.
Four years ago, on the day before the election, John Kerry held a rally in town here. I had a couple of tickets, and asked my then-thirteen year old daughter if she wanted to go. Probably because it would mean skipping some school, she said yes.
It was an early morning rally, and we had quite a long wait in line. My daughter got a couple of campaign buttons (including the classic "Somewhere in Texas, a village is missing its idiot") while we waited. The rally really could have been better organized; I think there was something like a half-hour wait after the last warm-up before Kerry actually took the stage. But my daughter seemed to enjoy it, and proudly wore her buttons for the second half of the school day.
Cut to a few weeks ago. Out of a clear blue sky, she asked me if we could go to an Obama rally like we had before the last election. I told her we could, if there was one close enough to get to, and sure as the world Barack came to town. This time all three of us, wife and daughter and I, all went. Outside the convention center there was a lone anti-Obama protester holding a sign warning about Obama being a Muslim baby-killer. I kid you not, that's what it said on his sign. My little girl (well, not so little any more) walked over to him and offered him a drink, because he looked thirsty. He turned her down, rather rudely, but I thought about the Biblical injunction that "a soft answer turneth away wrath."
In spite of all the hoopla, my daughter still doesn't want to see Obama elected. She says he's too good-looking, and being President will make him old before his time. She was intrigued by the idea of early voting, until we explained they didn't mean "before you're eligible to vote."
So anyway, she seems to be showing some of the same interest in politics I've always had, and that kind of interest made me proud.