When did you first hear of....

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

I have heard good things about Obama Baraka, but I know relatively little about him other than that he is running for Senator from Illinois.  He is half white and half African (as opposed to African-American), so he doesn't quite fit the "minority" mold, but I guess he would pass under the "one drop" rule that many people have unfortunately adopted from the old southern bigots.

[Wake Me Up When The Hard Border Ends]

David Cameron: 2008, around the time I became a McCain supporter.

Ed Miliband: 2010, around the time of the UK election.

Tony Blair: Early 2000s.

Gordon Brown: 2007, when he became Prime Minister.

Ken Livingstone: 2008

Nick Clegg: 2010, I remember the "Cleggmania" of the polls in the lead up to the 2010 UK election.

Boris Johnson: 2008

Kevin Rudd: 2007, in the run-up to the election. The politically naive AK, who thought John Howard should go because "he was in for too long" (mind you, he should have retired in '06 with hindsight, but that's from a different angle) was a massive Rudd fanboy at the time.

John Howard: Around 1999.

Julia Gillard: 2009

Tony Abbott: 2009, not long before he became Liberal leader.

Stephen Harper: 2008/2009

Justin Trudeau: 2012/13

Francois Hollande: 2012, when he won election as French President.

Nicolas Sarkozy: 2009 I think

Angela Merkel: 2009/10

Vladimir Putin: 2012

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

David Cameron: 2009, but I became aware of him in the weeks leading into the 2010 general election.

Ed Miliband: 2012, when I began watching PMQ on CSPAN.

Tony Blair: I remember him as early as 2000. I came to know him by 2004 due to his relationship with President Bush.

Gordon Brown: 2007, when he replaced Blair as Prime Minister.

Ken Livingstone: 2011, thanks to AH.com.

Nick Clegg: I saw him on Fox News during the 2010 campaign.

Boris Johnson: 2011ish.

Kevin Rudd: 2008ish, I still can't really picture him in my head.

John Howard: Like Rudd, I really don't remember.

Julia Gillard: Whenever she took office.

Tony Abbott: A few weeks before the last election.

Stephen Harper: 2008 after he won a second victory.

Justin Trudeau: 2011, when reading about his father on Wikipedia.

Francois Hollande: The last election.

Nicolas Sarkozy: 2007. Bill OReilly made a big deal about his election.

Angela Merkel: 2005. My grandma really liked her.

Vladimir Putin: 2002, though I really didn't come to know him until the Ossetia War.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Barack Obama: 2004 Senate campaign against Alan Keyes

Hillary Clinton: 1992

Joe Biden: 2000 or maybe before... I'm not sure

George W. Bush: 1997 or so

Dick Cheney: I think I was vaguely aware of him during the Gulf War.

Mitt Romney: 2006

John McCain: mid 1990s, from some glowing profile on him on 60 minutes

Rudy Giuliani: 1998 or so

Ron Paul: late 2002, noticed him on C-SPAN as one of the few politicians critical of the War in Afghanistan

Sarah Palin: 2007, when she was being put forth as an example of a reformer in the party by Ross Douthat and other people who can't stand her now

Michelle Bachmann: I think she spoke at the 2008 convention

Newt Gingrich: 1994

Rick Santorum: 1994, after the election, TIME magazine had a picture of him and Arlen Spector, noting the contrast

[Mordecai]

Barack Obama: When he became the Democratic nominee for President in 2008.

Hillary Clinton: When she was running for President in 2008.

Joe Biden: When he was chosen as Obama's running mate.

George W. Bush: When he was elected President.

Dick Cheney: About 2008.

Mitt Romney: When he was running for President in 2012.

John McCain: When he became the Republican nominee for President in 2008.

Rudy Giuliani: When he was running for President in 2008.

Ron Paul: When he was running for President in 2012.

Sarah Palin: When she was chosen as McCain's running mate in 2008.

Michelle Bachmann: When she was running for President in 2012.

Newt Gingrich: When he was running for President in 2012.

Rick Santorum: When he was running for President in 2012.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Barack Obama / Hillary Clinton: Late 2007, when the French media started mentioning the dem primary campaign.

Joe Biden / Mitt Romney / John McCain / Rudy Giuliani: Right after the Jan 2008 Iowa caucus, when I became really interested in the US primary process.

George W. Bush: With the Irak War.

Dick Cheney: Some time after Bush.

Ron Paul: Not sure, probably at some point in the 2008 campaign.

Sarah Palin: When she was selected for Veep.

Michelle Bachmann: I first saw her mentioned on someone's sig in this very forum.

Newt Gingrich: I read a book that mentioned him around 2006.

Rick Santorum:: Read a book that mentioned him around 2008.

[Antonio the Sixth]

David Cameron: Not sure exactly when, but it was several years before he became PM, so presumably 2006 or 2007.

Ed Miliband: 2010, after he became Labour leader.

Tony Blair: 2003, with the Irak War.

Gordon Brown: 2007, when he became Prime Minister.

Ken Livingstone: 2008, when he was defeated.

Nick Clegg: 2010, during the election campaign.

Boris Johnson: 2008, when he was elected.

Kevin Rudd: I think around 2008 or 2009, when he was already PM.

John Howard: Not sure, maybe after the 2010 elections by reading about Australian political history.

Julia Gillard: 2010, when she became PM.

Tony Abbott: 2010, during the campaign.

Stephen Harper: Probably 2009, when I read Hash's first rant against him.

Justin Trudeau: 2009 or 2010, when Hash educated me on Canadian politics.

Francois Hollande: Probably somewhere around 2004.

Nicolas Sarkozy: Probably around 2003, when he first made himself known as a fascist asshole.

Angela Merkel: 2005, during the election campaign

Vladimir Putin: Probably around 2003 as well.

[MATTROSE94]

Barack Obama: I remember my mom watching portions of his DNC convention speech in 2004 on our old 1995 Sony Trinitron TV. I did not know too much about him until late-2006/early-2007, when I read a Time Magazine article about him around the time he announced his candidacy.

Hillary Clinton: I have some vague memories of Hillary Clinton during her time as First Lady around 1998 or 1999. In 2008, I initially supported her candidacy and even convinced several family members to vote for her in the Democratic primaries.

Joe Biden: When Obama picked him as his running-mate in 2008.

George W. Bush: When he was running for President in 2000.

Dick Cheney: At the same time that Bush picked him as his running-mate.

Mitt Romney: I first read about Mitt Romney in late-2009 when looking up the prospective Republican candidates for 2012 on Wikipedia.

John McCain: When he announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in 2007.

Rudy Giuliani: I first heard of Rudy Giuliani around the time that 9/11 occurred. Like many others, I was impressed with his handling of 9/11.

Ron Paul: In mid-2007, I went into the local Quick Check and saw several Ron Paul signs in place on the bulletin board. One of them said that he was the “Taxpayers Best Friend” or something to that effect. I did not research Ron Paul’s policy positions until 2009 however.

Sarah Palin: In early-2008, I did a school project on Alaska and remember reading that Sarah Palin was the Governor of the state.

Michelle Bachmann: I first learned about Michelle Bachmann on an episode of the McLaughlin Group from February of 2010. She was being discussed by the panelists as a rising star in the conservative movement.

Newt Gingrich: Shortly after Obama was elected, my 9th grade history teacher told me that Gingrich would be his top choice in 2012 and went over his achievements as House Speaker.

Rick Santorum: Around 2005 or 2006. I remember being put-off by his strong support for the Iraq War/neoconservative foreign policy views and his vocal opposition to gay marriage.