How did your parents affect your politics?

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

If at all

(grammar issue - I never can get affect and effect right :) )

[wryter2000]

1. You got affect right

Effect as a verb means to cause.

My parents were fairly liberal, but the strongest effect (affect as a noun means emotion) they had on my politics was to make sure I got an excellent education. That means, I understand our system of government. I'm appalled at the lack of understanding the average 'Murikan has of our own Constitution.

[ClassWarrior]

2. Dad - blue collar union Dem. Mom - civil rights crusading Dem.

Me - about as far left as a diehard Dem can get.

24.

[proud patriot]

3. My parents are Hippies , we lived in a commune when I was a baby

:D I'm a bit more conservative then they are. I
suppose because my grandparents raised me from
the time I was 5 to 12 years old .

[babylonsister]

6. My folks didn't always agree,

but elections were always important for them both. Dad's a librul, as am I. He always told me I wasn't allowed to have a say in anything or express an opinion until/unless I voted. This now applies to our kids and they both, after many years of apathy, are now registered.

[Jackie97]

44. I'm going to disagree with that.

How can you expect kids to be empathetic towards causes when you don't allow them to speak their opinions?

My parents always allowed me to speak up for my opinions, even if she didn't like them. As a result, I registered at the age of 18, and I've voted in every election ever since then. I've also worked on specifical political causes.

I also want to bring up the fact that one doesn't have to be old enough to vote to participate in the political process. Fifteen year olds have been helping out the Democratic party where I'm at. My teacher in 11th grade encouraged us to get involved in helping out one of the two parties.

I think the idea that kids shouldn't be allowed to have a political opinion is one thing that brings apathy. Why should kids care about something they're not allowed to express an opinion about?

[babylonsister]

46. You've got a point but...

my folks meant it. I'm now 48; when I was 17, I got thrown out of my parents' house for expressing an opinion. Maybe because I was one of 5 kids, and they couldn't stand all the 'lip', which I gave my fair share of. But we all outgrew those negative feelings.

[Jackie97]

55. I understand.

Nobody wants to put up with too much disrespect out of their kids; but there's a difference between disrespect and expressing an opinion. A lot of adults don't realize that.

Personally, I would probably have been resentful towards my parents if they tried to silence me in any way. Seriously. I don't think I would have been the only ones either. Also, as somebody born with baby boomer parents, I just can't help but think it's very very wrong for a very very opinionated generation to tell their kids to "Shut up". I also think it's wrong for them to complain about their kids' apathy years later as a result of telling them to shut up. I don't think anybody has a right to complain about apathetic kids if they made their kids shut up while they were growing up. As far as I'm concerned, it's keeping a kid from growing politically.

Sorry, I guess I just can't help but find your stand to be really offensive.

There *is* a difference between the disrespectful kid that needs to be taught a lesson and the kid with an opinion.

[babylonsister]

60. I wasn't expressing 'my stand'

so you shouldn't be offended. I was merely explaining how my parents dealt with politics and their kids.

[Sarrek420]

9. None

My Parents had zero affect on my politics. Politics is one of the few things my parents let us form our own opinions on, without any influence from them..


BTW Chavez, nice name... :)


<---- Jimmy Chavez

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

28. That's wild.

I have a good friend whose parents were also hippies that lived in a commune when she was born, and she was also raised by her grandparents.

[proud patriot]

38. I'm sure there are a lot of us

My parents were young and my grandparents offered
to be that stable family that I needed . I'm so glad
they were there for me . As a mother I appreciate
them more and more .

[GliderGuider]

54. Cool, I was a hippie too

I lived in a small urban commune in downtown Toronto, but I never had kids. Ah, those were the days!

[TN al]

4. My mother was raised by a conservative father...

...and, perhaps unknowingly, raised me with the same values. At about 27 I started questioning the conservative values and have progressed each day further into the wonderful world of being a democrat.

[ClassWarrior]

11. Welcome to the bright side of the force!

24.

[Patiod]

5. By encouraging discussion of world news at dinner time

My dad is a self-avowed "liberal democrat" who has really always been a moderately conservative Republican. He just likes to be contrary, and argue with the rich Republican neighbors.

My mom is a life-long Republican who changed her registration after watching "what they did to that nice Anita Hill."

They're both voting Kerry, in spite of what their deeply-felt religion is telling them.

[ClassWarrior]

14. It's not their religion telling them. It's the phonies...

...who profess to speak for religion.

24.

[nickinSTL]

7. Mom's a Dem, Dad...

My mom is a Dem, in some ways more liberal than me, in some ways, less so. My first vague memory of politics was my mom voting in 1976 (I would have been almost 4)

My Dad is...probably a libertarian, though he doesn't really identify as such. Hates Bush, so for once we agree on something politically.

[Coventina]

8. They brainwashed me into being hardcore Republican.

I was in my early 20s when I became educated and deprogrammed enough to break free. Even then I was too lazy to change my party status for several more years.

I'm feeling much better now.
:-)

[Itchinjim]

10. Mom and Dad grew up during the Depression,

FDR was like a god to them and my grandparents. Plus they had the Irish-Catholic Democrat thing going. So I was weened on Democratic politics.

[radwriter0555]

12. I didn't want to be racist, myopic, idiotic republicans like they were....

:)

[calico1]

13. My Dad was a Democrat until Kennedy died.

From Nixon on he became a sheep. Everthing good=Republicans. Everything bad=Democrats. My mom reads, watches, listens, doubts, questions, and forms her own opinions. She also doesn't think politicians are perfect or gods. I took after one of them. Guess which one? ;-)

[snacker]

15. Taught me by example

to be the proud liberal Democrat I am today.

[zappaman]

16. Interesting question

Both of my parents are conservatives-my father more so than my mother. My first presidential election was in 1980 and I voted proudly for Reagan. Did it again in 1984. And then, something happened. I started paying a bit more attention to what was going on. I distinctly remember Reagan doing some kind of primetime speech where he showed a blurry picture of some guys and said "I'm sure all of you mothers out there are concerned about drugs. Here is a picture of some drug dealers in South America moving there drugs into America".

That's not exactly what he said, but it's pretty close. I remember laughing out loud. The combination of a blurry photo and the scare tatics really pissed me off.

Also, I had to register with the selective service and there was a real fear that these cowboys would go into Nicuaragua or some other SA nation. I proclaimed that, if drafted, I would not go. My father told me I would no longer be welcome in his house.

Since then I have always voted Democratic...with the exception of Nader in 2000, which I feel bad about.

[alarcojon]

17. I remember an early conversation with my dad

I must have been ten or so....I asked him what the difference between the Democrats and the Repugs was and he said that the Dems are the people's party and the Repugs the business party. I then asked him why the people's party wouldn't win every election, since "the people" way outnumber the fat cats. He kind of said that the business class controls advertising, the media, etc.

I have disagreed with my dad on many political issues since, but I still remember that that conversation influenced me greatly.

on edit: my mom has always been largely apolitical, but she loved Clinton - I think the only two times she voted were for him. This time around, she wasn't going to vote for anyone, but I finally got her to get in there and vote for Kerry.

[Jivenwail]

18. My parents raised a Dem

One of my fondest memories as a child growing up was the Kennedy for President sign on our front lawn. And the Kennedy buttons we all wore. I'll never forget it.

My father was a political junkie of his time and taught me how to read beneath the surface, to study and to learn. Not just accept what is said. I owe my political beliefs and my advocacy to my father. He would be proud of who I have turned out to be, politically. But I am certain that he is turning over in his grave at what has become of our country over the last 4 years.

I proudly stand as a progressive Dem thanks to both my parents and my vote on Tuesday will be in my father's name and in his memory.

[Mandolinista]

19. conservative parents

My conservative parents, both school teachers, inadvertantly raised 3 liberals and 1 moderate. Haven't been able to discuss world events with them since the build up to the Iraq war.

[TahitiNut]

20. My father was a fire-bomber ...

... who'd fire-bomb 'scab' barber shops at night in the South. My mother was (and is) almost clueless when it comes to politics. She voted for Perot. This year, she'll vote for Kerry. My uncle is/was the 'New Deal Democrat' on my father's side of my family. On my mother's side, her first cousins were the liberal democrats, friends of Walter and May Reuther, and activist 'intelligentsia' Democrats. (They went 'green' in the 60's.)

I was essentially left to find my own political viewpoint, but living in the South in the 60's left me with a very bad taste in my mouth about partisan Democrats - people who bore no resemblance to "northern liberals."

[Kitsune]

21. My mom is a lefty...

...but I make her look downright moderate. :)

[Maiden England]

22. Conservative parents here too

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

23. Parents no. Grandmother and uncle, yes.

My grandmother was born and raised in Ireland. Told me long stories about poverty and Brit colonialism and repression. She migrated to England, then Canada, then the USA, with her 6 kids. Always a socialist and hater of privelage. My uncle returned to England, then volunteered for the Spanish Civil War. He was killed there.

But, the Civil Rights Movement, 4 years in the marines, and the war in Vietnam had a helluva lot more to do with my political awakening.

[yellerpup]

24. Parents both Republican hypocrites

I rebelled early and often, supported them during the first oil crisis (the first one I remember anyway) in the 60's with one of LBJ's Neighborhood Youth Corps jobs ( was 14-15 at the time). I brought home more money working after school for minimum wage ($1.60/hr. back then) than they both did together in our "right-to-work" state. My dad never forgave me for paying the rent and buying the groceries, either. Never forgave Lyndon Johnson for making it possible. We fought over civil rights, Viet Nam, and every possible intervening wedge issue until he died. He refused to help me go to college because of my stand on Viet Nam. The way he put it was this, "I always said I wanted you to go; I never said I'd help you." We never reconciled. I learned all about alienation from one's family when you go against the grain--or against your raisin', as my mother would put it. All in all, I'd rather be a Democrat. I vote my conscience and damn the consequences.

[Javaman]

25. Dad was a traditional republican, vowed pacifist, mom not political at all

[movie_girl99]

26. my mom was single until I was 10

she struggled like hell to make it in a male dominated industry back in the 70's. She's always voted Democrat.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

27. My father was very anti-republican.

He was constantly pointing out to me how republicans policies were design to help the rich, not the poor and the middle class.

My father was very active in our hometown's politics. He was on the town planning board for a long time. He voted in every town election. He explained to me several times that the reason why my school was so underfunded was because the majority of people that showed up to vote in the town were elderly people that were only interested in paying as little taxes as possible. I got a good understanding of how my town functioned based on the type of folks that lived there because my dad was familiar with a lot of people in the town, and he knew about their political inclinations.

He always taught me to never be scared to voice my opinion and speak up for myself. He would write letters to my teachers when he didn't agree with what they were doing in the classroom. I noticed a lot of other kids didn't have parents that did this, or at least not nearly as often as my father did. I used to think my dad was weird for this, but I realized when I got older that he was right and he wasn't weird at all.

My father was a union member of MSEA SEIU and a Maine state employee (he worked for DOT). He took our whole family to an organized union protest at the state capital once. We were protesting Gov. Jock (John) McKernan's policies. He had government shut down days every month where most state employee were not allowed to work and get paid in order to help balance the budget. I think that the teachers and police, who were also state employees, had to take a pay cut, but they still had to show up for work every day. (BTW, McKernan is married to Senator Olympia Snowe.) That was really fun and there were tons of people there.

My dad also had an incredibly large billboard for Clinton (the first time he ran) on our property, which was right on a major state route. We were the only ones in town with a sign like that. Of course someone stole it, but it was cool while it was there (we replaced it with a smaller sign). I remember all my friends liked the sign, even if their parents weren't going to vote for Clinton.

[smirkymonkey]

29. I became exactly the opposite.

My parents, and my whole family, are strong to moderate Republicans (not exactly crazed freepers, but still). I came back from college one semester and declared that I was going to register as a Socialist. My dad said, "Oh no you don't" and we compromised on my registering as a democrat.

The only rabid freeper in my family is my Sister's husband, and he's turning her into one of them. It's disgusting, I almost can't deal with them at all.

[Eugene]

30. Liberal Democrat parents

They told me that the Viet Nam war was wrong,
and that Nixon should be impeached.
They also taught me to be skeptical about
radicals like the Nation of Islam.

:dem:

[American Tragedy]

31. Great question

I would like to say that I come by my opinions totally independently, since I have done literally thousands of hours of research in politics and American history, but I guess it would be disingenuous to say that my parents had no effect.

I don't want to come off as being brainwashed, but I am very close to my family, both nuclear and extended. It's a great big Catholic family with loads of children, and almost all of them are classic bleeding-heart liberals, with the exception of a few misguided in-laws. All of us would get together on a daily basis and talk about current events from a very early age, and my elder relatives would talk about being Dems, but also about the circumstances that justified their votes for Roosevelt, Stevenson, Kennedy, McGovern, Carter, etc.

Perhaps most importantly and most vividly, they taught me that to whom much has been given, much is required. Just because we've inherited a good deal of money and have been professionally quite lucky doesn't make us better or more valuable to society than those who have less, and that the 'welfare queen' is largely a myth. There are many who spend their lives in the public sector, working hard but receiving little for their efforts. My grandfather said that we should never complain about the level of income tax, because we still live very well, because the entire economy benefits when everybody has enough to participate as consumers, and most importantly because it's right.

[IrateCitizen]

32. My parents were educators -- they encouraged me to have an open mind

My Mom was always a liberal. Dad tended more toward the conservative -- but in an old-school, Northeast conservative way. But the one thing they taught me was to make up my own mind and to be skeptical -- things that have propelled me past liberalism into the realm of progressivism /democratic socialism.

Funny thing is, I've turned my Dad into the fire-breathing progressive over the past several years. He voted for Reagan twice, and even voted for Poppy Bush in 1992, but the whole Gingrich revolution turned him off to the Republicans for good. Now, he reads The Nation, is a huge fan of Howard Zinn (borrowed and read my copy of People's History of the United States), and will likely NEVER vote Republican again.

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

33. My dad still has paper from day Nixon resigned...

That was a joyous day for him. They are proud liberals and taught us children compassion for others. All 3 of us are proud Democrats as a result.

[Paxdora]

40. Welcome to DU, Cyndee_Lou!

It's great to have you with us!

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

41. It is my honor to be among such a fine group!

I am in a 'red' county of a swing state (WI). I need daily affirmations that the polls are wrong and WE WILL WIN this thing!!

[Cyndee_Lou_Who]

48. THANKS! Glad to be here!

[skygazer]

34. My parents were both conservative Republicans

They were passionate about politics and our frequent family get togethers were always punctuated by loud and excited political argument. This was during Vietnam when I grew up.

My dad's sisters and my grandmother all had different views. One aunt was quite conservative as was my grandmother (though she could be surprisingly liberal on some issues). Another aunt was a thoughtful liberal and the third was a card carrying Communist in the 50's. Made for some dynamic times but you know, they all got along and never let politics interfere with family feeling.

I listened a lot and watched what was going on in the world. It caused me to reject my parents' politics and embrace liberalism as the right thing for everyone. So I guess you could say they had an affect on my by showing me what I did NOT believe in.

I love my dad and still debate politics with him. We don't agree but we enjoy our discussions very much.

[FlaGranny]

35. By example -

they were kind, caring, people who were a young married couple during the depression. I knew they fanatically loved Franklin Roosevelt. As I grew older, I just understood., that's all.

[malmapus]

36. Dad White Collar Democrat - Mom Activist Democrat

My dad was the bread winner growing up. He was a programmer for Delta Airlines (IT sweat shop). My mom was really active in Amesty International writing letters to foreign leaders and what not, as well as Greenpeace and god probaly a few other organizations.

My "rebellion" as a teenager was to join the Army shortly after Saddam invaded Kuwait. I thought of us as the good guys who were going to liberate the Kuwaiti's. Of course my parents were against that, tried to put a stop to me going in but I held out.

Have to say that my time in service opened my eyes allot to the world and this country and kinda made me see that maybe my parents did know a thing or two heh.

[dean_dem]

37. I never was able to figure my parents out politically....

They were both pretty liberal through the 60's and 70's. My dad marched in Vietnam protests, Civil Rights Marches (in the Deep South), the whole bit. But after Carter, they converted to the right. My dad mostly voted libertarian, I think he may have been a rightie but he could still smell b.s when he saw it. But he was screaming for Clinton's head during the whole impeachment debacle (which played a large part of me finally seeing the light). He voted libertarian again in 2000, I just don't think he had it in him to vote for Bush, though he was pretty anti-Gore. I really wish he had still been alive to see what he thought of Bush after Iraq, the Economy, etc. I bet I could have converted him.
My mom, on the other hand, is just totally sold on the Republican party, and will vote for Shrub unless I can convince her otherwise in the next week. I don't get it either. She's a Professor, her background is in English, and their politcal beliefs aside, she always taught me never to just accept ideas without questioning them first. She's an real smart lady. Yet she supports a man who is just completely anti-intellectual, totally ideological, and who mangles the English language. I mean, my parents used to read the newspaper with a pencil in hand and correct all the grammatical errors. How she can tolerate Bush's fumbling with words is beyond me.
Luckily, my brother is an ally (and a fellow DU poster.) So all is not lost.

[shugah]

39. probably one of my first political memories

was watching shirley chisholm on tv, and not being able to figure out how she wasn't winning, because my mom voted for her. obviously i didn't have much grasp of politics at the time ;-) also obviously, i was raised by a rather progressive thinker :-) mom was always politically active - she was a precinct delegate, she's worked on numerous campaigns - always for dems. i grew up knowing i was a democrat even before i had any idea what it meant. i'm not actually a democrat as it turns out, because i'm too liberal, but my mother most assuredly influenced my political leanings. she made sure i was exposed to the process, and taught me the importance of being educated about what goes on in the world. also, the values i was raised with, while not intended as political lessons, definately influence to the way i vote. and i'd vote for shirley chisholm today, if she was running ;-)

[Jackie97]

42. They made me have compassion for the poor.

They helped me understand that poverty isn't as easy to get out of as Republicans claim. They also helped me understand that it's not as easy to get help from social programs as Republicans claim. They helped me understand that it's not always easy to be a goody good person when one is poor.

They helped me understand the issue of worker exploitation.

They basically persuaded me against the Republican party without meaning to, even though they personally did like Reagan.

My mom tried to encourage me to be pro-choice when I was anti-choice, but her tactics were bad. I didn't become pro-choice until later.

I'm sure there's something else they persuaded my thinking on, but I can't figure out what it is right now.

[Cleita]

43. Apparently, not at all.

They were Republicans and I am a social Democrat.

[camero]

45. They didn't

My parents were apolitical. Of course I didn't spend much time with my father and my conversations with my mother were centered on just how much power gov't should have vs. the private sector and I convinced her there should be a balance between the two.

She always asked me who to vote for because she never had time to study the platforms. Neither did I but I took the time to.

[paulk]

47. not very much

when I think about it. My parents were both Republicans - though my mom later in life said, "When you live in a small upstate NY town like this, you're a Republican. But nobody knows what you do inside the polling booth".

My early political motivations were formed in my teens by the Vietnam conflict, Nixon, and Watergate. The voting age was 21 back then, so I had a few years to think about what party I wanted to register under. That I registered as a Democrat had nothing to do with rebellion against my parents (or the rest of my family, who were also Republicans) although they saw it that way.

I would like to add that in the years since then I have converted the entire rest of my family (except my Dad, who died 5 years ago) over to my way of looking at things. They all vote "Democrat" now.

[The Great Deceiver]

49. My Father

always stressed moderation and comprimise. It colors my politics today.

[musical-dem]

50. mine probably did

Dad's family were long time democrats. My Grandfather was the head of the democratic party in the Brooklyn back in the 20's and 30's. My Dad met FDR when he was a kid. Mom's family were lifelong democrats. I've been working for dems since 9th grade (1972).

:dem:
:hippie:

[pauliedangerously]

51. Very much so...

My parents are both liberal; they led by example. My dad quit his job with a pharmaceutical corporation when I was very young and he took up carpentry. My mom, who was a housewife during my preschool years, went back to school and is now a distinguished professor of political science.

Politics was always a hot topic at the dinner table, and yes, we usually ate dinner together. We, that's my mother, father, brother, and I, did volunteer work together, attended various political discussion groups, and took trips to various places in the US.

I was brought up by two very loving, but firm people with strong convictions. I was always encouraged to fight back when intimidated by bullies, to stick up for others, and to READ READ READ. We watched television togther, but not very much; usually MacNeil/Lehrer, Washington Week...sometimes 60 Minutes. Never had cable growing up.

[maveric]

52. Dad was a member of the Liberal Media. Both he amd Ma were

from humble blue collar upbringings in the Boston area. I was always told that republicans represent the rich and any workingperson that votes for them is an ignorant fool.

Both of my parents campaigned for JFK in 1960. They tell me that I even met him and shook his hand(I cant remember that though).

My Dad was a newspaper journalist for 40 years. In 1962 he was fired from the Manchester Union Leader, by owner William Leob, for writing praising and positive articles about JFK. He was told to write slime about Kennedy and refused.

[GliderGuider]

53. Lots - I'm a third-generation Social Democrat

My maternal grandparents were founding members of the CCF on the Canadian prairies (Manitoba), my mother has been provincial president of the Ontario NDP, and I've been a New Democrat since before the beginning. I tried to do the Alex P. Keaton thing in my thrities, but it just didn't take, thank goodness.

[Butterflies]

56. I went in the opposite direction politically

as many here have said. When I turned 18 my father demanded that I register repub if I wanted to live in his house, so I did and voted straight Dem in 1980 (against Reagan.) A couple years later when my sister registered as an independent - he forced her to change it to repub. He didn't realize that you can't force teenagers into a political mindset without getting some defiance. I think he caused me to look at the Democratic Party with more interest than I probably would have if he hadn't been such a dick about his partisanship. I'm a 100% Dem for life now. He lost. :-)

[Lone_Star_Dem]

57. My Mom was a Hippie and Dad was Bible Belt Conservative

It was a wild mix. My Mother was more influential in my political views. I grew up to hug trees too.

[eridani]

58. Both my parents thought of themselves as independents

Mom was a big fan of Margaret Chase Smith, and dad liked FDR, but commonly voted split ticket. Both had health problems that inhibited their earning capacity, so I grew up much poorer in practice than the gross family income would have indicated. Because they were sick and in business for themselves, they were uninsurable, so it was all cash on the barrelhead financed by second, third, fourth, fifth mortages. Which is why I am such a maniac on the subject of universal health care.

Dad in particular respected his kids' minds, and argued with us as an equal at the dinnertable. Don't know many people who find it possible to sometimes admit they are wrong to their kids, which did happen occasionally. I paid my own way through college via scholarships, work and loans (way, way cheaper in the 60s than now), and got into anti-Vietnam war activism. Have always been a generic lefty--had a high antibody titer against authoritarian movements as a result of 12 years of Catholic schooling. Politics has been mostly an issue and movement thing with me--it wasn't until this year that I have gotten really active in electoral politics.

A very significant thing in my childhood was a visit to a restaurant in Chicago where my dad knew one of the waiters. The waiters and cooks owned the business collectively, and he explained how that worked. I was immediately struck with a sense of complete rightness--that this is how things should be. The people who do the work should be the bosses.

[TOhioLiberal]

59. My Mom...

(god rest her soul) made me the liberal I am today. She brooked no nonsense from us. No bigotry, gave us a belief in fair play and tolerance. Mom, I miss you so much; I'll be voting Kerry for both of us.