Politics; My pleasure, my passion, my obsession. My entire life has been surrounded by politics, and I have loved every minute of it. It all began on November 5, 1986 when I was born, the day after the midterm elections. Six years later, in 1992, I had the privilege of meeting my first politician, Senator Al Gore. Only a few months later, President Bill Clinton was elected and I turned a precocious six.
Over the next four years I paid little attention to politics until October of 1996, where at a rally for President Clinton, I sat high upon my dad’s shoulders. Hillary walked by shaking hands, looked up at me and said a chipper hello. After his speech, the President himself came by, spotted me and also called out a nice “Hi, sweetie!” On November 5th, both Election Day and my 10th birthday, I celebrated by hosting an Election/Birthday party. My friends and our parents watched the returns come in, and shouted with joy as state after state continued to light up with the President’s face. The reelection of President Clinton was the greatest present this ten year old could receive.
Another four years later, after Monica and Kosovo, the infamous 2000 election began. I educated myself on how primaries worked, rooting for Al Gore all the way. He was after all the first celebrity I had ever encountered. As it was narrowed down to Gore and Bush, I predicted that if then Governor Bush were to be elected, the United States was to go to war in Iraq. Little did I know how much of a political prohet I would become. The debacle in Florida only intensified my passion for the political field, as I would argue with my peers and even my Sunday School teachers.
A few months later my family and I moved from Lexington, Kentucky to Richmond, Virginia. The close proximity to our nation’s capital only fueled my excitement for politics. When I first laid eyes on the city after crossing the Potomac, I knew that this was where I belonged. I have since continued to build up connections, meeting Senator John Kerry twice, John Edwards, Wesley Clark, and even a brief hello to Al Sharpton. My road to Washington has just begun, and it should be a fascinating journey.
