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ProudNewEnglander's avatar

The first presidential election I really followed closely was 2008. I've never predicted a Republican presidential victory either, but then again the Republicans have never won the popular vote in that time...

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michaelflutist's avatar

I never make predictions of presidential contests, but it didn't look the least bit hopeful for Dukakis. I don't think I allowed myself to think Mondale would lose until he did, and then by almost 50 states! But it was hardly surprising that he lost, and I understood that people who had voted for Reagan in 1980 wouldn't have enough of a motivation to change their votes, even though they should have. Carter also looked in bad shape in 1980. Since I was 15 in 1980 and wasn't even in the country in 1976, those were the only elections I was aware enough of to see in advance that they were unlikely Democratic wins. Every presidential election since 1992 has looked winnable.

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DM's avatar

The first presidential election I followed had to have been and hopefully remains the most unusual. I was about 10 in 1968, and my Dad had me following Nixon. Of course in the spring of that year MLK was assassinated, then Bobby Kennedy the night of the California primary.

My dad was a big Nixon supporter, but didn't get to vote for him. On Nov 1, he had a massive heart attack and was hospitalized for almost 2 weeks before he died. The day after his funeral mom decided to relocate to Arizona against me and my brother's wishes.

Quite the year.

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michaelflutist's avatar

How did things turn out in Arizona?

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DM's avatar

My brother and I both left Arizona at the first opportunity we had. I've been in California for 43 years, my brother in Illinois/Wisconsin for 50 years, and Mom in California for 3 years, and she likes California better.

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benamery21's avatar

My 3 older siblings were all leaving AZ after high school in the early 80's as well, but none ended up in CA despite that still being the promised land for AZ teenagers back then. I did come to CA, after college, for what I then thought was a temporary sojourn, 26 years ago now, by which time the huge net influx from AZ had begun reversing.

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S Kolb's avatar

just an anecdote about CA: lived here for all my 79 years; a high school buddy who was badly poisioned by Agent Orange in Vietnam was living in FL when he contacted me out of the blue a few years ago. Said he had everything but cancer from Agent Orange. He wanted to leave FL (because of the weather) and I asked him if he was moving back to CA. Hell no, he said, their politics suck so bad I am going to live in a senior community near Lake Havasu, AZ: I love the fact I can carry a gun! He died 6 months after moving to AZ.

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ProudNewEnglander's avatar

Did he die from the Agent Orange, or the gun?

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Mark's avatar

Wow. Your dad must not have been very old. Had to have been horribly traumatic for you at that age.

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DM's avatar
Oct 12Edited

45. Yes it was rather traumatic.

Mom just turned 98.

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Jonathan's avatar

Good luck to your Mom

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DM's avatar

And Mom just cast a vote for Harris, Schiff,Min, and D all the way down, plus just took a cross country airplane trip by herself. I'll never get that old, lol.

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Jonathan's avatar

Correct me if I'm wrong; she was in Pasco County??Maybe I am thinking of a different relative?

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DM's avatar

Orange cty CA

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Jonathan's avatar

How many offices on your ballot?? Excluding judges??

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DM's avatar

9 offices, 10 propositions

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Jonathan's avatar

9 offices for me alsoЁЯСН

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SanJoseAJ's avatar

My first was 2008 as well. I wasn't particularly interested in politics at that time (just a first year PhD student) but was stunned by how dimwitted Sarah Palin sounded during her interview with Katie Couric and even more stunned when finding out she was the VP nominee for a major party. That was when I started paying attention.

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benamery21's avatar

I was shocked by Palin's nomination as well, she made Dan Quayle look like an inspired choice. Thankfully by the time she was nominated I was both "Never GOP" AND already sure Obama was winning so I didn't ever have to sweat her proximity to the Oval Office.

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Jonathan's avatar

I took a different tact with Palin; I just laughed hysterically every time she'd give an interview

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DM's avatar

I've wrongly gone through this thought process several times. My first election was 1980 (I was almost 22), and I couldn't believe people saw presidential material in Ronnie, let alone twice. Then W Bush came along who I thought was too stupid to get elected.

Then came Trump and he made Reagan and Bush look good.

What in the hell has happened to my country?

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benamery21's avatar

Yeah, I never thought the late war criminal and plutocrat GHWB was a genius, but by comparison with Raygun, Shrub, and the Oval Office Orangutan he's a gentleman, a scholar, and a statesman.

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Jonathan's avatar

And a legitimate vet unlike those other wannabes

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Mark's avatar

Wouldn't we be dancing on the tables about a Palin Presidency if it was a choice between her and Trump? At the very least, I don't think Palin is a sociopath.

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