| About the author: Jeremy Zilber |
I've known I was a Democrat ever since I was about 6 years old, when my parents agreed to
host a fundraiser for presidential candidate George McGovern. They never told me that I
should be a Democrat, but they explained why they were supporting the Democratic
candidate in that election, and I'm grateful they did. My early exposure to partisan politics
sparked a lasting interest in political issues and American government, and by the time I
entered college, I was already a political activist.
After receiving a degree in government from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. in political science
from Ohio State University, I spent the next ten years teaching American government and
politics. Although I was teaching at some of the country's best colleges, it was apparent that
most of my students knew very little about their government or the people who ran it. Sure,
they'd all learned a few basic facts in high school, but most of them didn't really understand
how the political system worked, or why anyone should really care about it. Even more
troubling was the fact that many of them seemed perfectly content (and often determined) to
remain as politically uninformed and uninvolved as possible.
While I never conducted any formal surveys of my students, it was clear that most of the
politically active ones had been raised by parents who weren't afraid to talk about politics
around their kids. And my personal experiences merely confirmed what researchers have
known for decades: children raised in households in which politics is a frequent topic of
discussion are most likely to become politically active adults.
Given my strong desire to see more Americans take an active interest in politics -- and
especially an interest in the Democratic Party -- I self-published Why Mommy is a Democrat
in November of 2005. The response has been simply fantastic. With over 25,000 copies sold in
the first two years, Why Mommy is a Democrat is already one of the most successful
self-published children's books of all time. Encouraged by the book's success, I self-published
Why Daddy is a Democrat in 2007. Both books reflect my passion for progressive politics, my
sense of humor, and my academic training in fields such as political psychology and
socialization.
Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, I currently live in Madison, Wisconsin, with my partner
Julia, her daughter Isabella (age eight), and our cat Zach -- all lifelong Democrats.
host a fundraiser for presidential candidate George McGovern. They never told me that I
should be a Democrat, but they explained why they were supporting the Democratic
candidate in that election, and I'm grateful they did. My early exposure to partisan politics
sparked a lasting interest in political issues and American government, and by the time I
entered college, I was already a political activist.
After receiving a degree in government from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. in political science
from Ohio State University, I spent the next ten years teaching American government and
politics. Although I was teaching at some of the country's best colleges, it was apparent that
most of my students knew very little about their government or the people who ran it. Sure,
they'd all learned a few basic facts in high school, but most of them didn't really understand
how the political system worked, or why anyone should really care about it. Even more
troubling was the fact that many of them seemed perfectly content (and often determined) to
remain as politically uninformed and uninvolved as possible.
While I never conducted any formal surveys of my students, it was clear that most of the
politically active ones had been raised by parents who weren't afraid to talk about politics
around their kids. And my personal experiences merely confirmed what researchers have
known for decades: children raised in households in which politics is a frequent topic of
discussion are most likely to become politically active adults.
Given my strong desire to see more Americans take an active interest in politics -- and
especially an interest in the Democratic Party -- I self-published Why Mommy is a Democrat
in November of 2005. The response has been simply fantastic. With over 25,000 copies sold in
the first two years, Why Mommy is a Democrat is already one of the most successful
self-published children's books of all time. Encouraged by the book's success, I self-published
Why Daddy is a Democrat in 2007. Both books reflect my passion for progressive politics, my
sense of humor, and my academic training in fields such as political psychology and
socialization.
Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, I currently live in Madison, Wisconsin, with my partner
Julia, her daughter Isabella (age eight), and our cat Zach -- all lifelong Democrats.
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