15 Comments
User's avatar
⭠ Return to thread
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.

Expand full comment
michaelflutist's avatar

How did things turn out in Arizona?

Expand full comment
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.

Expand full comment
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.

Expand full comment
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.

Expand full comment
ProudNewEnglander's avatar

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

Expand full comment
Mark's avatar

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

Expand full comment
DM's avatar
Oct 12Edited

45. Yes it was rather traumatic.

Mom just turned 98.

Expand full comment
Jonathan's avatar

Good luck to your Mom

Expand full comment
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.

Expand full comment
Jonathan's avatar

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

Expand full comment
DM's avatar

Orange cty CA

Expand full comment
Jonathan's avatar

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

Expand full comment
DM's avatar

9 offices, 10 propositions

Expand full comment
Jonathan's avatar

9 offices for me also👍

Expand full comment