Did you grow up in a "political home" ? just curious

[steve2470]

"Political home" means, to me, that one or both of your parents/stepparent/guardian/whoever took care of you was either a publicly-elected official, a party official (like local Dem official), or that politics was simply a regular topic of conversation.

After about age 13 or so, I remember us talking about politics (Nixon and Watergate specifically, mostly) regularly at the dinner table. My dad was never elected or a party official but gave regularly to the local, state and national Democratic party. He grew up in Florida so he was a Democrat from way back. My mother was also a Democrat but more conservative than my Dad. My older brother became a very liberal Democrat, and so did I. I never had any sisters.

So, this political stuff practically runs in my veins. How about you ?


Moderators: Yes, I am obeying the "no political arguments rule".

[northoftheborder]

1. Yes - a major topic of conversation In my home. Dad's position was appointed by Dem. administration

[flying_wahini]

2. My Dad was an administrator for Adult Education in Texas, my Mom was a PA & worked at FCI

A minimum security prison. So Yes, politics came up frequently.

[LuvNewcastle]

3. My dad is a Republican who claims to be an independent.

My mother was indifferent about politics when I was growing up, but now she's a Republican too. My grandmother kept me a lot when I was growing up , however, and she was a staunch Democrat and she had the biggest influence over my political awareness.

My dad used to bitch about how Nixon was treated, how he didn't do anything that all the other presidents didn't do. He still gripes about Democrats and watches Fox and all of that. My mom watches all of that shit with him and now she's brainwashed too. We just don't talk politics when we're together. It's the same with my estranged brother.

My grandmother has been dead for 34 years now, but I still think about what she would say about recent events. She would have been horrified by Trump. Her favorite President was FDR and she always told me from a young age that the GOP was for the rich and the Democrats stood for the common people. I think she'd really like Biden.

[Solly Mack]

4. Yes

A very Liberal household.

[MaryMagdaline]

5. Politically oriented family

A lot of political discussions in the home. My mother belonged to League of Women Voters. She told us about the Cesar Chavez boycotts - she would not break any strike - no California grapes or lettuce in our house. She became a liberation theologist and got the Catholic Worker and America magazine. My father was less political but challenged us on civil rights - not to go to any restricted clubs, etc.
my great grandfather was an Irish immigrant who gave stump speeches for the Democratic Party in Michigan. Great uncle ran for state office. Our family believed that politics was a worthy pursuit.

[Fla Dem]

6. No. I know we were Democrats and my Grandfather volunteered at the polls,

but I never heard politics discussed. There may have been a casual reference to the daily news, but all we had was 3 network news channels and the daily paper. I'm not sure there was even any talk shows on the radio.


I'm sure there were discussions, particularly with Kennedy's campaign, after all he was from Mass and that's where I grew up. But never as intense as discussions are today.

[GemDigger]

7. Not at all. My step father was in the military

and his motto was that he is there for the country not for any president. Presidents come and go but the military is for the country.
My mom was a hard no because she thought the politicians are corrupt. She was dead on when it came to asshole but I still couldn't convince her to vote.

[Siwsan]

8. Not really. Dad was an 'Eisenhower' Republican. Mom was far to the right of that.

They never really discussed politics when we were growing up. I became VERY political while still in high school and definitely not a follower of any sort of conservative politics.

Dad and I could have calm, reasonable discussions, despite our differences. He was an educator and not an extremist, by any sense of the word. Mom ended up to be an frightening extreme right winger. This became very apparently after Dad died. Although she would have found trump* to be morally repugnant, she likely would have held her nose and voted for him because of his policies. (She was an extreme Islamophobic who thought Dick Cheney was an 'honorable man'.

Both parents came from strong 'Roosevelt' Democratic families. I think Dad was strongly influenced by Mom, who had a very strong personality and was very much a 'my way or the highway' kind of person. Mysteriously, I managed to avoid getting disowned by her, although it was threatened a time or two.

[MANative]

9. Very political

My grandfather was the mayor of our small town and well-acquainted with the Kennedys. My mother briefly worked for one of JFK's offices when he was a Senator. My uncle was in the state legislature for at least a dozen years and my dad's best friend was the mayor of the neighboring largish city. I remember stuffing envelopes and mailing postcards from about age 7. Politics was a constant as long as I can remember.

[Bmoboy]

10. More importantly, a Union home.

My grandfather ran for City Council (lost).

My father was president of his local.

I have been in the Teamsters, 1199-E, and Teachers unions.

Workers of the world ...

[CatMor]

11. Yes, both parents Democrats ...

father was a local elected official. Both parents always went to the local party meetings.

[mia]

12. Yes, my father was passionate about politics.

Born and raised in the D.C. area, I grew up listening to political conversations. I remember watching the McCarthy hearings on television when I was in the second grade.

[kairos12]

13. Very political and activist.

The hate for Republicans was a force in my house.

[Atticus]

14. My Dad was a union laborer and Democratic precinct committeeman. Mom was a federal

civil servant.

The first dollar bill I ever made was for tacking up campaign signs for a Democratic congressional candidate: George Shipley of Olney, illinois. I think I was six.

I recall that the first time I ever saw Mom cry was the evening the radio announced that Ike had defeated Adlai Stevenson.

My white parents would not have batted an eye if I had told them I was a communist or gay or marrying a woman of a different race or religion. But, if I had told them I was a Republican, they'd have hung their heads in shame and asked each other "Where did we go wrong?"

[LazySusanNot]

15. Non-political for me. Hubby exact opposite.

Last edited Sun Jan 24, 2021, 07:03 PM - Edit history (1)

My hubby and I were both born and raised in the same ultra-conservative Texas county. My upbringing was totally non-political. My Mom divorced with 2 pre-teens at a time when divorced mom's were frowned upon. She had a lot on her plate. I became a political junky in the early 70's during Watergate. How could you not. Have not looked back since.

Husband's was totally different. Raised in a "mixed" influence household where his Mom and Dad canceled out each others votes for 30 years. Mom finally brought him in from the GOP cold after the kids grew up. She was active in the League of Women Voters for decades and encouraged all 4 kids to take an interest in Civic responsibility. It took with 2 of them. Dad was not very political but encouraged the kids to think for themselves. That took with 3 of them.

Thank you for posting. Interesting and timely topic while we are in the process of rebuilding.

[Midnight Writer]

16. Yes. My parents were politically liberal and we discussed politics a lot around the house.

[choie]

17. Oh yes!

Both mom and pop were rabid liberals. We used to lovingly call my mother “commie mommy”

[subterranean]

18. No, I don't recall my parents ever discussing politics when I was growing up.

I didn't even know what party they supported. Now I do. My dad's a hard-core Republican, and my mom can't stand Trump.

[mwmisses4289]

19. Air Force Brat...

...so politics was often discussed at dinner and in school. Both parents considered themselves Dems, but would vote for an occassional repub back when there were decent repubs (way back in the dark ages).

[Bradshaw3]

20. My father taught government in HS and Pol Sci in college

He was a child of the depression and an FDR/LBJ Democrat. The 60s split us on the war but he was a staunch proponent of civil rights. My mother's family was old line repub and conservative. I believe both my parents voted for McGovern over Nixon in '72.

[luv2fly]

21. Not in the least

Never knew how my parents voted and they never spoke of political issues. My brother and I turned out to be Dems, my sister a Repuke. Sighhhh...

[Buckeye_Democrat]

22. Somewhat. Mom was an elections poll manager for years.

I can't remember if the job title was "manager", but she had received extra training and generally presided over the other poll workers around here. That included me a couple times when a Democratic poll worker was needed somewhere (to balance the numbers). I still recall her "deadly serious" facial expression while she did it, which was different from her default look of relaxed/jovial.

Her father was also a Democrat and he kept getting re-elected as Justice of the Peace in his farming community despite never campaigning for it. According to Mom, he never cared if he lost because he didn't really enjoy doing it. Then he finally refused the position when he was older and more feeble. He'd tell Mom, when she was a young girl, which families he wanted her to avoid because he'd often deal with them repeatedly during their domestic disturbances and whatnot. He referred more extreme cases to actual judges with law degrees, of course.

Dad was a Democrat too, but he was more quiet about it unless arguing with his religious parents who were Republicans. They were always the ones who brought up politics and he'd inevitably be flabbergasted by their stupid arguments.

My father apparently had a "mid-life crisis" before I was born and he moved out of the house for awhile. His religious parents were upset about it and addressed it with various moral and Biblical arguments, which had no effect. He didn't respect them anyway. Then Mom's father later talked to him in a non-judgmental manner, but told him what was going to happen to him financially in a matter-of-fact manner if he decided to abandon his family. "It seems foolish to me, but do as you wish. I've laid out the facts for you." Then Dad returned after that conversation and they remained married for 63 years, until his death, with their happier years together in the latter-half.

I had a "rebellious" period during my teen years when I was espousing Ayn Rand Libertarian nonsense. Then I came to my senses with more education and experience.

[NNadir]

23. My family talked politics all the time. My father was right wing; my mother a swing voter.

My father and I had a lot of arguments, since I never voted Republican in my life.

We loved each other dearly, and I miss him to this day, but we were political opposites.

[rurallib]

24. No except when Kennedy ran in '60

we were catholic and my Dad was a month older then JFK, so it was like JFK was therefore a long lost friend.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

25. Yeah as a 15 yr old I used to argue with my Repub dad about Vietnam war,

civil rights, Watergate. One day he said to me - yes, I've been thinking and youre right, Nixon should resign

It was he who told me - you can disagree with someone and still respect them and enjoy debating them. In retrospect I think that sentiment was a huge influence on me. To this day while I vote totally Dem I remain an independent thinker and dont totally follow strict party line about some things.

He died young - way back in the mid 1970s - I think hed roll over in his grave if he knew what the repub party has become. I spoze its possible he wouldve gotten sucked in to some extent by Fox News.... but... I don't know. I honestly cant see him being a Trumpster. He was also a strict Catholic and the "p-grabbing" would have been totally unacceptable. Probably would still be a Repub but one of the Never Trumper persuasion.

[yellowdogintexas]

26. very much so. My mom's father and one of her uncles were very strong Democrats

and she was fiercely so.

Family joke story: My birthday is Oct 27 1948, the year Harry Truman was elected. Back then moms and newborns stayed in the hospital for at least a week , and my mother did not get to vote. She never forgave me, so I had to be the Democrat child.

My other two sisters are nowhere close to me; the middle sister is rather apathetic from years of living in a CT where Democrats pretty much always win. They now live in a swing state (North Carolina) and are much more interested in voting especially in hotly contested races. I think she enjoys having a choice.

our youngest sister is more conservative than I would have ever thought a child of our mother could be! We don't talk about politics.

[Turin_C3PO]

27. Kind of.

My parents were slightly conservative and would complain about welfare occasionally. They voted Reagan but then for Clinton. GW Bush made them liberals, now they’re full on lefties like me. It’s been a joy to watch their transformation.