A Story - My Story - Your Story?
I hope this isn't off topic. I think who we are - and where we come from - explains a lot about why we support the candidate that we do. And I'd like to hear other people's stories. It's just one thread, after all, so hopefully, it's okay. I don't post often (but have read here for years and years). I'm trying to get more involved, but it takes me a long time to read what's here, let alone comment (old eyes aren't what they used to be).
On July 29th (along with 100k of my dearest progressive friends) I attended a local Bernie Kick-Off Meeting.
A man arrived a little late, with his son in tow. The boy looked to be about 8 or 9. Tears found their way into my eyes when I saw them.
In 1960, at the ripe old age of 8, I was introduced to politics. My mother took me into the voting booth with her that year in November and patiently explained what she was doing - and why. As she marked the "D" to vote the straight ticket, and I asked why she wasn't marking the other boxes, she explained that if you voted for someone to be president, they needed people who they could work with in the congress, otherwise they wouldn't be able to accomplish much. She explained why it was important to vote and why she voted Democrat. On the way home she told me some of Wisconsin's political history, and talked of discussions she had when she was young with more conservative relatives. And so on. I remember that day as though it were yesterday. I can close my eyes and see the old Town Hall; I can hear mom's voice.
Eight years later I worked on my first campaign - for Eugene McCarthy in the Wisconsin primary. I went to that kick-off meeting and armed with flyers, buttons, bumper stickers, posters, and pages of our local phone book for phone calls, went about learning how to work on a campaign. (As it turned out, after Johnson dropped out and Kennedy wasn't on the WI ballot, McCarthy won easily - but I still like to think I helped).
In 1972 I proudly cast my very first vote for George McGovern.
Over the years I've aided various campaigns (to varying degrees), but that first campaign was special to me (nobody forgets their first, eh?).
UNTIL NOW.
This year I happily checked the 'willing to work full time to get Bernie Elected' box on the form at the meeting, and my first objective is the Nevada Caucus in early February. I've gotten my husband to participate, he changed his Independent status to "D" so he can caucus and he checked off several things he was willing to help with as well.
I can't think of another candidate that matches what I believe in, what I want for this country - now and in the future, and I sincerely believe that if we don't see radical change in the near future, we will miss the opportunity forever. It's pretty much now or never, in my opinion.
So now THIS is the campaign that is most special to me.
My mother was as close to a Democratic Socialist in her politics as anyone could be. For her there was no doubt - people should help the less fortunate and if we left it up to big business, it wouldn't get done. There was a need for government programs because of this - and because often people didn't know how to help themselves, they sometimes needed a leg-up. She was a young girl during the CCC days, came of age during the New Deal, and started her family during WWII. She was pro-union, even though she had to cross hateful picket lines at times to work to help feed the family.
My mom died this past June at 93. Over the last 6 months, during our daily phone calls, we always talked politics. When she could no longer remember the names of the individuals, she would call Bernie 'your guy - you know the fiery one from New England'. We'd discuss the news of the day and she would end every political conversation the same way (as she had for more years than I can count) - she'd simply say 'let's see if we can get it right this time'. If I could have one more phone visit with her, I'd tell her 'We're trying, Mom ... we're trying real hard.'
And we need to be teaching our children as well. I was so happy to see that man with his little boy. I would have loved to have listened to their conversation on the way home that evening.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Thank you for sharing it. 
grew up painting strike signs with my dad. I was a teen in the 80s so Reagan-mania was going on around me while I read Marx in high school (on my own, even Wisconsin schools weren't that progressive). I thought Marx made a lot more sense than Reagan based on growing up in a poor rural area but I wasn't ultimately convinced until I graduated from college (first in my family) and then started working in a major city. I started meeting children of the 1% - parents paying for their first apartments, etc, and realized how lucky I was just to get hired versus all these private school kids with connections. No matter how good your grades and how hard you work you're never really in that club. And I know the only reason I had that chance to raise above my station, so to speak, were the Pell grants and other programs that helped out working and middle class kids. Today's kids don't have the opportunities I had thanks to Reagan's "Revolution", and tomorrow's kids may not even have a planet if we don't make drastic changes NOW. I am supporting Bernie because I think he is the only one who will seriously try to make the structural changes we need.
K&R for your OP 
