Hey DU! How long have you been politically active?

[mdmc]

I wasn't really active in the Dem party until the 2000 election. Prior to that, when I was in college, I had worked on Jerry Brown's 1992 run, and did volunteer for a Halloween Al Gore public speaking event in 92, but I wasn't really active in the party until 2000.

For 6 years now I have had lawn signs, petitions, phone lists, lit drives, propaganda, maps, and stats for at one local race each year. I even ran for office in 2001.

All Du'ers love politics; It is our nature to be political. Most of us have always been interested in political discussion, even as kids. My question to you here now is this - How long have you been active in the Democratic Party or other party, or in organized issue activism / lobbying? When did you go from observer to participant?

I voted for choice 6. Like I said, for the most part, I've been involved since 2000, more or less. How about you?

[MrCoffee]

1. 2000 was when i was old enough to do anything about it.

[helderheid]

2. 3 yrs - registered to vote 1st time at age 28

[mdmc]

6. I was inspired by your sign OP

I have some signs in the back of my car right now. When I read your sign OP I thought, "Fuck that. The oil will mess up my car. Let them take the signs." It is a very good idea if you are having theft trouble.:toast:

[yellerpup]

3. Since the National Guard killed students in Ohio

during VietNam.

[GCP]

5. Bingo nt

[yellerpup]

25. Never again.

Or so we thought.... Peace!

[WCGreen]

8. I organized a walk out at my Junior High in 1971to commemorate

the 4 dead in Ohio...

More than a third of the kids walked out to join me at 11:00...

We stood silently for five minutes then went back in...

Well, they didn't let me back in...

I was suspended for three days....

From that time on, I have been active....

[yellerpup]

26. Good for you

That's a brave thing for a kid to do. Peace!

[supernova]

4. Approaching two decades.

I can't believe it's been that long! I started out working with Prince Georges Dems in Maryland because I lived there in the late 80s.

I don't have as much time or energy as I used to, but I'm still interested, it's still enjoyable to me, and I help out whereever I can.

[mdmc]

7. nice sig line

:web:

[supernova]

10. Thanks!

:-)

[damntexdem]

9. A third of a century ago, I was STILL involved in the antiwar movement.

I haven't been a Democrat all that time -- I was Peace & Freedom in California. But I have NEVER supported Republicans (grew up in a Democratic, working class household). The first election where I was aware of Dems versus GOPs was 1956; and I knew that we were Dems.

[nosillies]

11. It all happened in 1992

I turned 18, registered to vote, moved to Arkansas, and decided to work to get Clinton elected.

[blm]

12. High school activist for Dennis Kucinich's 1972 primary campaign.

And boy did I ever have a crush on him.

When he became mayor a few years later, I became an anti-corruption Democrat.

Then I fluffed off for a few years, then re-activated , especially during IranContra and BCCI - no turning back after that.

[GliderGuider]

13. I come from a small scale left-wing political dynasty

My grandparents were founding members of the CCF in Manitoba (friends of Tommy Douglas and JS Woodsworth). My mother has campaigned in every election, federal and provincial, either as a worker or a candidate, for the last 50 years. I spent a long time inactive due to being poisoned by the entrepreneurial high-tech worldview, but got back into it recently when my new partner reminded me of whey we're here (to defend and improve the social fabric through socialism :-) ).

[Quantess]

14. Never gave a darn about politics, until

the Iraq invasion in 2003.

I had been seething about the pretzeldent from the start, but I had always considered the situation that yucky spot in the fridge the roommate caused and hasn't cleaned up yet. I had better things to do.
Until the US went ahead and invaded Iraq. I've been hopping mad ever since.

But, I'm still not formally into politics. Mostly I do a lot of blathering and bonding with other disgruntled Americans.

[savemefromdumbya]

15. since ancient times

former Labour Party and then Democratic Party > 30yrs

[Earth_First]

16. After watching what happened during the first three years...

I felt that something needed to be personally done to affect change. It started in the streets with me, attending a few anti-war conferences and several back to back demonstrations for over a year before I actually became 'politically' active. It was in late 2002 when I began reading DU and began searching out whom I felt best represented my views politically.

It was a sad day when I found out that Paul Wellstone had lost his life. In fact, I was in Washington, D.C. that very early morning attending a demonstration with a group of students that I went to school with at the time. I felt that I had lost complete control when I first met Dennis Kucinich personally. From that moment on, I knew that I would toil in the trenches and on the streets in order to assure that America knew this man.

I spent most of 2002 preparing myself politically to engage in street level politics. Reading massive amounts of U.S. history and such. Consuming quantities of current events that to this day somehow seems to increase as scandal after scandal requires great amounts of time to keep track of.

In 2003 when the circle around Dennis knew that he would be making a bid for President in the 2004 Democratic Primaries, I knew it was time. I spent about 10 weeks in both Iowa and New Hampshire on the trail with Dennis as a campaign volunteer. I learned impressive amounts of campaign strategy in phone banking, GOTV operations and street level canvassing.

I owe it all to Dennis and Dot Maver, for without them, my activism would hardly be as keen. Truely remarkable people, the entire campaign in all reality.

[femmocrat]

17. Since the 1960s.

[Webster Green]

18. 40 years...

Old fart here.

Started with anti-war protests in 1966.

[Dhalgren]

19. My first brush with "legitimate" politics was with the McGovern

campaign in Cullman Alabama in 1972. There were about four of us, I think...

[mdmc]

20. the lonely days

:kick:

[davidwparker]

21. It started with the Supreme Court-sanctioned coup d'état

[Hangingon]

22. Stuffed envelopes for JFK in '60

[yellerpup]

30. Very impressive.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[devilgrrl]

35. Then for Reagan in '80 & '84 and Bush I in '88 & '90, etc...

am I getting warm?

[mdmc]

36. .

!

[devilgrrl]

39. D'oh! Forgot to add Barry Goldwater, Nixon and Ford!

My bad. :blush:

[mdmc]

43. .

:bad:

[StellaBlue]

23. since birth

basically

[mdmc]

24. I wanna hear from the non-invloved

I was interested, yet uninvolved for about ten years...

[Quantess]

29. You called?

I posted in #14. Although I have always loved to write letters to companies, organizations, LTTEs, that remains about all I do. The difference is that I am now more informed about politics than ever. The internet has greatly helped my quest for knowledge.
When Clinton was in office, I felt content that things were going fairly well, and I felt carefree. Back then, I concentrated on other interests and mostly ignored politics, simply because I wasn't angry enough to care. Since the 2000 stolen election, it has been a slow boil, for me. The beginning of the Iraq invasion was a breaking point for me. A breaking point of anger, that is.

Getting really *involved* in politics is something I might consider in the future. My level of increased awareness of politics is more than I had expected for myself, when I look back 10 years ago.

[mdmc]

31. I would consider any sort of organized activism as being "political"

thanks for checkin in and reminding us of the Good Ol' Big Dog years!

[stevedeshazer]

27. 38 years

I handed out bumper stickers for Sen. Wayne Morse at the county fair.

He lost to Bob "WineBox" Packwood. I've been pissed off ever since.

[never_get_over_it]

28. I became a raging feminist and politically

active in the mid 60s when I was a very little girl. My mother ran for town council as a Dem - I was at the nominating meeting and fascinated by all these people clapping for my mother. Then some idiot man came to our house and asked my mother who was separated from my father - if you can't hold your husband how do you expect to hold political office - truthfully I was way to young to really understand all this except to know that it was wrong - and that for some reason "girls" weren't allowed to play in this game....anyway went on to get a degree in Political Science worked in many elections - worked to get the ERA ratified - been to more ERA, Pro-Choice and anti War rallies than I can remember, precinct captain in Virginia for probably 10 years helped to get the first woman member of Congress elected in Virginia etc etc etc now I'm in FL and a bit lost here with the political activity - but am trying to spread the word and do what I can to oust Tom Feeney....

[LWolf]

32. Define politically active.

If politically active means educating myself on issues and ballot initiatives, writing letters, showing up to hear people speak, demonstrating, discussing them with people, and always voting, then I've been active for 4 decades.

If politically active means registering with a party, and taking part in party politics, then I've been active for 3.5 years, and the last 3.5 years have soured me on politics in general. I feel less connected now than I did before. :shrug:

[mdmc]

33. kinda both

I define "politically active" as working on issue based activism or party involvement.
In today's world, knowing what is going on certainly qualifies you as being politically active.

[Reader Rabbit]

34. Politically active from my stroller!

Ever since a redneck mowing his lawn threw grass clippings all over me when my mom attempted to give him a flyer in support of Tom Bradley as mayor of Los Angeles.

Been fighting for the good of all humankind ever since! Woot!

[raysr]

37. Reagan did it for me. n/t

[im10ashus]

38. Since I was eligible to vote.

In 1983.

[Cooley Hurd]

40. 34 years for me...

I started w/ stuffing envelopes for the McGovern campaign in '72 at the age of 7:

[Rhiannon12866]

41. I'd always voted, but it was 9/11 that did it for me.

I had a dentist appt. that day and, not being an early riser, I was running late. All I knew was that something really terrible had happened, but not the details. I was held hostage in my dentist's chair, for what seemed like hours, watching the TV overhead on CNN, seeing that second plane slam into the South Tower, over and over and over. By the time I walked out of that office, into the warm September sun, I was scared witless, sure that the world was about to end.:scared:

That was the day that woke me up. I became determined to really understand what was going on in this country, and the world, that would allow such a horrific thing to happen. So I read and paid attention to the news and asked questions and eventually found DU. So I understand what''s going on now, and why. I haven't much liked what I've learned, but I'm unlikely to ever be blindsided again...:grr:

[movie_girl99]

42. I became active the summer of '04

i just knew that I had to do something.