For two full weeks I spent long hours glued to the TV watching the proceedings of the Republican and Democratic conventions and endless follow-up commentary by media talking heads.

My inability to resist the political hullabaloo is written in my DNA.

I come from a line of die-hard Democrats, going back to my great-uncle Morgan Hoyt who was a close friend and political associate of Franklin Roosevelt.  I was born and raised by parents of strong liberal leanings who became political activists in the hostile environment of Colorado, a traditionally conservative state where Democrats have only carried the presidential vote four times in my lifetime. 

My earliest memory of national politics was the 1956 Democratic Convention. My father attended as an alternate delegate. My mother stayed home to take care of the children, although she actually spent most of the time watching the live convention broadcasts from Chicago on our brand new television set. 

Please login or subscribe to view the complete article.