As a kid, I thought politics was so cool. No idea why or what got me hooked on it, but back in the 2004 presidential election, I’d often be riding in the car with my dad listening to conservative talk radio.
There’s a big scene for in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. At least two radio stations now dedicated just to conversative talk radio. Back then, I think it was just one.
However, I loved listening in the car because I was always smarter than half the people they did man on the street interviews with. At ten, I could tell you that John Edwards was John Kerry’s running mate for the Democratic platform.
Sean Hannity had this bit where he basically led people on to believe the running mate’s name was “Stu Ped” or “stupid”. I thought it was funny - look at the smart kid.
I grew up in a pretty conservative household, a Catholic one at that. Every weekend at mass as a teenager, when we said our intentions I would always silently ask for an end to abortion.
I was that converative and that Catholic.
But I’m not anymore.
A big reason why?
The six months I spent working in Republican politics in 2016, a decade ago.
In order to understand why I ended up in republican politics, it’s important to understand my childhood and upbringing. Not only did I grow up in a conservative household, I grew up in a conservative town in a red, red state.
A millenial who’s earliest world memories were 9/11 and the War on Terror, I was still a kid and believed in what Republicans said about lower taxes being better for the economy and I had the belief in a smaller government. A smaller government just to protect and keep law and order. I didn’t believe people should be on wellfare for a long time or that the government should be providing anything (again, I need to stress, I was a child).
That time in life had me believing that conservatism, at least financially, was the way. And even socially, to a degree. I was pro-life, but at the same time, as a teenager, I began to question the reason why everyone around me was so mad about gay rights.
As a Catholic, I understood the church defined marriage as between one man and woman, and that was fine. But the government was not the church, why couldn’t gay people be married in the eyes of the law?