Happy Mother's Day!

This is a political blog and a short while ago someone asked me how I came to liberalism.  One can never be sure of all the things that make us who we are but I do know the two most important.  As I wrote in my earlier post, I was bullied as a child, severely. (Not Romney's use of severely I should add.) I was cross-eyed, both eyes, and wore very thick glasses until I was eleven and underwent surgery.  In addition, I was so skinny that in a generally skinny family, I stood out, a stick with only knees and elbows to distinguish tops from bottoms. The memory of being vulnerable to all types of teasing and physical violence still resonates.  Liberals, by definition, are strong believers in human rights and basic fairness.  Most people who have been bullied as children are strong advocates of fairness.  I know I am.

But the main reason for my views I attribute to my mother.  She came to this country at 14 from Ireland, alone without family, had limited education (two years of high school) before going to work. If all things were equal, she should have adopted the views of the right as so many immigrants did, and do.  My father was a registered Republican, one of the few Irish Catholics who voted for Nixon, and her oldest brother, the patriarch in her family, was also a Republican, a banker with the most conservative bank in the United States (U.S. Trust), and very well educated at NYU and Harvard. And in everything but her politics, my mother deferred to either my father or my uncle.  In politics, she was her own person. The only time I can remember my mother telling my father off was when he tried to control her vote. I hear her clearly, "Don't ever tell me who I should vote for." I never once heard her denigrate anyone because of their race or ethnic background. She hated the death penalty, thought gays should be permitted to march in New York on St. Patrick's Day, was a Democratic Committee Woman in Bayonne, New Jersey, and never uttered a mean word about anyone. She was a remarkable woman, and mother.

To all the mothers out there, you do make a difference.  Happy Mother's Day!