i might be a major league dork, but election day is my favorite day of the year.
on that day im filled with all kinds of anticipation, even if there isnt a major race in my state, i know there are major races elsewhere.
i can remember being filled with nerves on both election day 2000 and 2004.
like many of you, i became obsessed with politics and elections at a very early age. i can vividly remember my mother picking me up at school on election day, just so i could go in the booth with her.
I used to go into the voting booth with my dad.
I watched him vote for Gerald Ford in 1976. He flirted with the idea of voting for Carter, but my mom threw a fit, and brought him back to the proper way of voting, at least for then.
She had a particular dislike for Jimmy Carter. She said he was nothing but a hillbilly, that his wife was nothing but a hairdresser, that the whole family was very uncouth, etc. Her instincts were not always right, but in that case, they sure were.
Other than Carter, her greatest dislike was reserved for ultra-liberal female politicians, generally from New York City. People like Liz Holtzman, Bella Abzug, etc. She could rant on about them for hours.
I grew up in a political family, in that my grandfather and uncle were both involved in politics. My mom was pretty interested in politics, though she hated the actual practice of it, and would have nothing to do with things like campaigning, other than going to a few dinners, and even that she complained about bitterly.
I feel pretty much the same way. I like politics at the strategic level, but I don't think I'd ever run for office.
