Memories

"Strategery." "Lockbox."

The year was 1988. Republican Vice President George H. W. Bush was running against Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts for the highest office in the land. This was the campaign of "Read my lips: no new taxes" and "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy: I knew Jack Kennedy; Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."

In 1988, I was as strongly in the corner of Michael Dukakis as I've ever been for any candidate since, for one crucial reason. We had the same first name.

I was four years old.

Believe it or not, that's one of my first memories - unlike my wife, who basically remembers every life event since her birth, I have a terrible memory. Yet for some reason, that's always stuck with me; presidential elections are simply fascinating. Growing up, my parents had little interest in politics, so I was free of the unspoken obligation to join the parental political party (for the record, my mom's a Republican and an NRA member, and I think my dad's an independent). When I try to think back on what has shaped my personal political leanings, there are really no compelling factors. I've led toward liberalism as long as I can remember; it's always made more sense to me. One thing's for sure, though: the politics of the presidential election have always been much more compelling to me than local or international politics.

I remember little about the 1992 and 1996 elections. It may be that I supported Bill in '92 out of a desire for revenge on Bush I's victory over my beloved name-sharing candidate, and I vaguely remember liking Ross Perot in 1996, but the first real election for me was 2000.

2000: Bush v. Gore. I was a high school senior when the election took place. One of the first times I became aware of my mom's politics was her horror when I pulled my '92 Ford Taurus into the driveway, proudly sporting a Gore-Lieberman bumper sticker. The Gore campaign was badly run by all accounts, but I will always have a cold, hard place in my heart for Ralph Nader and Katherine Harris. I was never particularly enthusiastic about Gore, but I'm proud to say that I've thought Bush II was a poor choice ever since his entry into the national scene. If you take the Al Gore of 2008 and send him back to 2000, I think he wins handily (interestingly, the exact opposite may be true about John McCain, whom I probably would have crossed party lines to vote for in 2000, had he been nominated). My high school classes were heavily populated by conservative Mormons, so this made for some interesting - though always civil - discussion. I was a great sport, too, as evidenced by this picture. That's me, my old hair, a shirt I still wear, and KWS, by the way.

I vaguely remember being at a football game the night of the election - strange, because if I properly recall, games were on Fridays and the election was held on a Tuesday, so I could be wrong. Wherever I was, I remember instructing my mom before I left the house to call me when the important states were called. I remember jumping for joy when she called me to say Florida had gone for Gore. I remember swearing loudly when she called me back, later, to say that they'd taken Florida out of the Gore category. And finally, I remember the whole hanging chad fiasco, Bush v. Gore in the Supreme Court, and all that mess. Stunningly interesting, but ultimately disappointing. I blame the Democrats for nominating (that incarnation of) Al Gore.

In 2004, I was a Deaniac, a Howard Dean guy through and through, like many of my collegiate colleagues (hehe). I managed to go see him speak and answer questions at a community college during the primary campaign and was convinced by his speech as well as his responses to the questions he took. As you might imagine, Kerry's wins in Iowa and New Hampshire and Edwards' win in South Carolina were bad moments for me. And you better believe I remember the Dean Scream, which basically torpedoed the campaign. Though I doggedly supported Kerry over Bush, I had no enthusiasm for the guy - did anyone? He was the establishment choice over the fresh face. Does that sound familiar?

It should; it's happening again in 2008, except this time the fresh face just might pull it off. While I'll never underestimate the ability of the Democratic party to nominate the wrong candidate, I can't help but be hopeful, even more so than in 2004. Let me reiterate what I've said before: I don't hate Hillary Clinton. But I can't ever picture myself being enthusiastic about her. I'm enthusiastic about Barack Obama. Dems like me, with painful memories of '04 and '00, are cautiously optimistic; but we've been stung before, so we're waiting. Obama looks inevitable - but it's the Democratic party.

Republicans: you picked the wrong guy this time around, if you ask me. Romney was the fresh face, the one who could have engendered enthusiasm given the chance. McCain is Bush Redux, and he's not yet truly faced that accusation from his Republican opponents. The Democratic nominee will put this sticker on his forehead and never let him take it off, and he'll lose - I think.

In English class, I learned to close with a call to action, so here goes: what are your strongest memories of politics? What shaped your own views? And now, if I remember correctly, I'm supposed to have some conclusive statement, or something, but I've got nothin', so here's a vid.