"Democrat born..."

"Democrat born, democrat bred, and when I die, I'll be democrat dead." That is what the old cross-stitch said. I remember reading it on the wall of our living room wall when I was young and wondering about it.
A couple of years ago, one of my professors asked me to write about my "personal culture". I quote from that assignment: "Being raised in this country I was taught to place my hand over my heart for the flag, pledge of allegiance, and the Star Spangled Banner. I vividly recall attending assemblies in grade school where I was taught that the United States was a great nation (the best), and that I should be very proud to be a part of it, that I should have great respect for it. [...] I grew up very accustomed to a bipartisan democracy. [...] Growing up in this country has helped me to see the value of freedom, individuality, hard work, and many other ideals. [...] On the 4th of July, my parents would decorate their backyard in red, white, and blue all over the place. One could hear my dad's collection of national music (songs like I'm proud to be an American) blasting from the outdoor speakers. My family and invited guests would all gather for an old fashion barbecue as we waited for the sun to go down and for the fireworks at the stadium to begin. We used to have a great view of the fireworks from my backyard, but new houses and trees have gone up, so they are hard to see now. We used to climb onto the roof of the nearby church to get a better look."
I have many fond memories of riding on lonely (though I didn't know they were lonely at the time) democrat floats. I would practice my wave, try to eat more candy than I would throw, and look forward to Popsicles at the end. Those were good times. I didn't know any other kids who got to be IN the parades!
I remember becoming acutely aware of how strange it was to be a democrat in Logan. It was in the 5th grade when the presidential elections were upon us. The school decided to have an election. I was one of only 2 (TWO) children in the school to vote democrat. One of my friends came up to me... for her sake I'll just call her M. Poole ;)... and said something to the effect that I only voted democrat because of my dad. While that was true, I'm sure, I recall thinking that she was doing the same thing by voting republican... and so it began... my life as a liberal.