Politics Is In My Blood

Growing up, I learned about politics sitting at the knee of my paternal grandfather. He lit a fire deep within me with his in-depth explanations of the 1980 Republican National Convention and why Ronald Reagan would change the world. Although I've come to disagree with his beliefs about just how great Ronald Reagan was, I still love politics today. In fact, it runs through my blood. The political game is in my soul. If not for my grandfather, I might never have gone to Washington DC in 1993. And we all know how well that turned out.

I have never missed an opportunity to vote. In fact, I don't think voting is a privilege. I believe it's a duty. I believe that we are all obligated to learn about our political candidates - local and national - and vote in every election. And I can't understand why people don't vote.

I have volunteered on numerous political campaigns at all levels, was even fortunate enough to work in a paid position on a state-wide campaign in 2002, and even worked on the Inaugural Committee after the 1996 Presidential Election. I LOVE POLITICS.

Politics is such a part of my soul, I even named my cats Betsey and Ross.

What I love even more is how people get involved and it becomes so personal for them. I have a young friend who worked for Obama in Iowa and got out 90 votes for him in her precinct (34 came out for Edwards and 9 were undecided). She's 19 and this was her first election. I'm so proud of her for being so involved. When I saw her this summer, I recognized the way her eyes danced when she spoke about the candidates - it's in her blood too. She was very knowledgeable and obviously put a lot of thoughtful consideration in her choice. It had become personal for her.

I also love the people of Dixville Notch in New Hampshire. They have the first in the nation voting tonight at midnight (eastern time) and then again on November 4th. Dixville Notch is this tiny town in Northern New Hampshire, just south of the Canadian border. They have 16 registered voters. And at midnight, all 16 will vote. You read that right - Dixville Notch has 100% voter participation. And it's a big deal. Whole families come out. The kids are excited. Once all 16 voters have exercised their right, the ballots will be counted and the results will be made public.

You may be familiar with Dixville Notch from The West Wing, although in The West Wing, Dixville Notch was called Hartsfield's Landing. One of my favorite episodes.

If you haven't decided which candidate you will support yet, I urge you to familiarize yourself with each of them and to vote on February 5th (or whatever day your state primary is held).

Here are some links to help you:

Transcript of the ABC/Facebook Democratic Debate - January 5, 2008
Transcript of the ABC/Facebook Republican Debate - January 5, 2008
Meet The Candidates from ABC News

And some quizzes that think they can help you narrow down the right candidate for you:
Match-O-Matic
Glassbooth
Select A Candidate
Presidential Candidate Selector
The Vote-by-Issue Quiz

For even more information on the candidates in many races, check the list of political websites at the left.

UPDATE 1/7/08 11:10pm CT: Dixville Notch voted. Voting started at 12:00am ET and ended at 12:02am. 17 votes were cast because minutes before voting started a new registration was received. Here are the results:

Democrats
Obama - 7 votes
Edwards - 2 votes
Richardson - 1 vote

Republicans
McCain - 4 votes
Romney - 2 votes
Guiliani - 1 vote