ABSTRACT
I was born into a family where political discourse mattered. My parents, grandparents, and siblings all relished spirited discussions of the issues of the day, and newspapers, news magazines, and books about both contemporary issues and history littered the living room. My parents watched the news each night during “martini hour” and afterwards happily lured our friends into the living room to get their opinions about what was happening in the world. My father was a college debate coach in the early years of his university career, and my mother taught high school government and journalism in addition to being the sponsor of the high school newspaper, The Spartan. Not surprisingly, this was a family where to care about politics-deeply-and to engage in discussions about what was and what should be going on and why, held real cachet.
