Your first interests in politics...

[Ernie]

What were your first interests in politics...

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[Ernie]

I think my first real interest in politics took place in 6th grade, when my school-teacher introduced me to the world of politics. We had all sorts of engaging conversations before school and at lunch time.
He was a young Mennonite minister at the time and has been a bishop now for many years. I wonder if he still enjoys it as much as he did then.

Then in my teens, I went to a book sale and found the book, "All The Presidents Men." by Carl Berstein and Bob Woodward.
I devoured the book and have been intrigued ever since... even though I have never voted in political elections, never was tempted to do so, and never intend to do so in the future.

I suppose this interest is a contributing factor as to why we started a news business about 11 years ago.

[Ernie]

Around the same time as reading All The Presidents Men, my uncle went to work for Chuck Colson at Prison Fellowship.
Chuck was implicated in the Watergate scandal, was Nixon's "hatchet man", and served time in prison.
In prison, Chuck embraced Evangelical Christianity and took an interest in prisoners.
We visited my uncle in Reston, VA at the Prison Fellowship headquarters and got to meet Chuck. This was my closest brush with a famous (or infamous) politician.

[Ken]

I remember Watergate but I was pretty young. My first actual interest in politics came with the Jimmy Carter Campaign which coincided with the Bicentennial and my family visited Washington DC that year as well. That was an interesting year and the entire country basically got absorbed in both politics and history. But not in the same divisive way as today. I would have been 12 in 1976.

I don't really recall ever reading any books about politics. I was a prolific reader, but on other subjects.

[barnhart]

I wasn't aware there was a president or congress until 1st grade. The older boys on the school bus were intrigued with the Carter/Reagan campaign. I remember wondering why they were so down on Carter because everything they brought up about him seemed to me like a good thing. My most consistent influences through the 80's and 90's were a US News & World Report subscription, Paul Harvey and NPR. Early on thought of Democrats favorably since there were so many of them around in rural GA in the early 80's. By the mid 90's that had shifted a little and I had more favor for Republicans but GWB sobered that up.

[eccentric_rambler]

I remember watching television with my Mom, to see the Clinton vs Dole results come in, and caring because she did. Later understanding that Clinton had done something bad, though not quite what, and having the impeachment process explained to me. I remember the Bush vs Gore recounts, and think I cared about the results because I had seen a mailer that claimed Gore would outlaw gun ownership.

Yes, I've read the book. I was probably in my very early teens and read it at my grandparent's house when I was supposed to be sleeping. A good read, but I was a bookworm and would read almost anything.

[JimFoxvog]

I remember losing a friend for a while in elementary school. His family was for Nixon and mine was for Kennedy. I think it was when Kennedy won that he wouldn't play with us for a few months. This, of course, encouraged me to be more aware of the issues.

I read the Washington Post regularly, so was aware of many details about the Watergate scandal before most of the country that didn't have Woodward and Bernstein in their newspapers. I grew up in the DC suburbs so had neighbors who were ambassadors, congressmen and senators, journalists, and public servants. The Vice President was a member of our church. A great place to live if you want to be aware of what's going on politically.

[ohio jones]

The first presidential election I remember was Nixon vs. McGovern. The school kids talked about it; we didn't really understand the issues, we just knew we didn't like McGovern and were happy when Nixon won reelection by a landslide.

But even in his first term I was beginning to be politically aware. Mom and I had a game we played when it was time for a haircut: I would hide behind the curtains and she would call for President Nixon to come out for his barber shop appointment. I think we discontinued that by the time Watergate came about.

[the-real-steve]

I always had an interest in world leaders and often read biographies and more recently, documentaries. As far as US elections, I followed the Bush/Gore fiasco a bit.

I wasn't a registered voter until Trump ran the first time, and I had a variety of reasons for taking that step. Local politics are just as interesting when the people involved are my own neighbors

[Ernie]

But even in his first term I was beginning to be politically aware. Mom and I had a game we played when it was time for a haircut: I would hide behind the curtains and she would call for President Nixon to come out for his barber shop appointment. I think we discontinued that by the time Watergate came about.

That is just grand!