Where I came from, just nodding and smiling when someone expressed views was the ultimate insult. If people weren't yelling about politics in our house then they were arguing about music, or movies, or food.

I was really lucky that I came to puberty at a time when music and politics were completely intertwined.

Where I came from, no one was a writer.

I think politics are going to play a big part this year. The movies and the people that don't pull punches are getting a lot of attention in the races.

The situation around Terri Schiavo was a deeply held conflict over what to do if someone isn't going to return to consciousness or competence. Who will decide? Even there, where we had settled legal rules, we still had disagreement. We're torn about these things.

Then I came back and restarted at the UW that fall.