The Birth of an Activist

I was born April 18, 1968, two weeks to the day after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, and two months before Robert Kennedy was killed on the road to the White House. It was the height of the war in Vietnam, and the thick of the war here at home for gender and racial equality. The nation was highly attuned to political and social issues. My parents brought me up in a home where information and discourse were sacrosanct. Dad was a first generation Italian-American, veteran officer in the Army, and a passionate "Eisenhower Republican". He was utterly and completely patriotic, and by the time I could walk I would race to the living room before every televised ballgame to put my hand over my heart for the National Anthem.

Progressive politics have been my passion since I was three years old, when I fired off an angry purple crayon missive to President Nixon. To contrast my father's staunch and vocal conservatism, my mother was a much more quietly left leaning Independent (though today she is a loud and rowdy old leftie!) Dad believed that everyone needed to form their own opinions about politics, and to do that had to be informed, so I watched every political convention since 1972 for both parties. My childhood heros included Abbie Hoffman, Cesar Chavez, Morley Saffer and Jimmy Carter. Though it saddened my father that I registered as a Democrat the minute I turned 18, he was very proud of my political activism.

The Roaring Twenties

After moving to New Mexico in 1987 I quickly became involved in local politics. My first experience was with Shannon Robinson, who was running for State Senate in our district. It was through this campaign that I got to know Amanda Cooper. She and I became friends immediately and I started helping out with her dad's campaign, Tom Udall for Congress. I also joined the Dukakis campaign and traveled the state with other young democrats to canvass for the campaign, and worked advance for Lloyd Bentsen's visit to Las Cruces in 1988. It was a great time!

I worked a few legislative sessions, one as a tour guide to the roundhouse (by far the most fun job I have ever had), one as a clerk in the Senate Leadership office. I really enjoyed getting to know the legislators and local politicos professionally and socially, and developed some lasting relationships.

In 1990 I spent the primary season working for Ernest Ortega who was running for Lt. Governor, and Tom Udall, who was seeking the office of Attorney General. Ortega lost, but I gained a lot of experience networking within the party, surrogate speaking, and making media contacts throughout the state. During the general election I worked with Diane Denish on the coordinated campaign supervising the phone banks, which led to the election of the entire democratic slate. It was a great campaign!

In 1991 I was elected President of the Bernalillo County Young Democrats, and Ward Chair for Ward 31A. Since it was an off year, and I needed to work, I took a job with Diamond Publishing Company, as Senior Editor of "Your Host...New Mexico!" This publication is a family owned travel guied to NM, and was published roughly bi-monthly, centered around statewide events. My job was to sell advertising to support the magazine and write copy about events, review restaurants, etc. It was a great experience, my clients were wonderful and ecclectic, and my boss, Joanne Bess. I did "YHNM!" for about four or five years, off and on, with breaks for college and campaigns, including Clinton for President in 1992 and Shannon Robinson for State Senate in 1992, and the 1994 Coordinated Campaign. I had another opportunity to do advance work during the 1992 race, during Al Gore's October visit to Albuquerque I attended a day's worth of events with him, including the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

In 1996 I took on Anita Miller for State Senate as campaign coordinator, and worked full time organizing volunteers and activities, fundraisers, and mailers. Though Ms. Miller was not elected, it was a really wonderful experience working for such a thoughtful, powerful and progressive woman. Following her campaign my husband and I relocated to Kansas City, MO, so that I could finish my degree in political science at the University of Missouri at Kansas City.

The Best Laid Plans

So, Charles and I loaded up a U-Haul and our car and our cat and the three of us headed to Kansas City. I had been accepted to UMKC for undergraduate studies as a junior and was excited to complete my undergraduate degree. Three days before registration I was informed that my file was not complete and due to this I would have to sit out a semester. I was disappointed, but took a temporary job at a local hospital in the medical records department and stayed busy. It was just five months later that I learned I would be embarking on a new, long term assignment...

Parenthood and Health Care

...yes, I was mit bebe. I also was sans insurance, so, I applied for a part-time job at the same hospital, North Kansas City Hospital, as a unit secretary in the float pool. This was really exciting, because I was cross-trained to work in every unit from Emergency Services to Labor and Delivery. This was a non-profit medical facility, level one trauma center, with a level two (intermediate care) nursery. I continued working there after the birth of little Amanda, until Charles was transferred within the law firm where he provided IT services, to the new office in St. Louis. I loved NKCH, and it was hard to say goodbye.

Once in St. Louis I played the role of stay at home mom for a while, but realized that I needed adult stimulation when I found myself thinking Mr. Noodle was hot. I took another job in a local hospital, Forest Park Hospital, working in the dialysis unit. I also was pregnant with our second child, and an injury forced me into early leave. My distaste for the profit health care industry and psychologically unstable supervisor helped me to decide to stay home for a while after Sarah was born, and quickly thereafter we had Madeline.

My mother came to live with us, and so I went back to work, this time at a pediatric medical center, Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital. I was assigned to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, helping the nurses with the most amazing patients, preterm and critically ill newborns. During this time I learned a lot of things about the health care system, how it is failing our patients, sucking our resources dry in the least efficient manner possible, and creating inequity and resentment between patients, families, medical staff, and support staff. Universal, non-profit health care is truly the only answer, and I will be a loud advocate until it happens.

During this wonderful time our little children became bigger children, and we added one more, William, who sometimes calls himself Gus, and realized we didn't really like St. Louis that much, and wanted so much to return to New Mexico, so we came home.

Enter the Blogosphere

I have been known in the progressive blogosphere as Liberaltruthsayer for about two years now. I began writing the Liberaltruthsayer blog, and followed with New Mexicans for Richardson and then a third blog, Why My Husband Hates Me. Liberaltruthsayer is my generic political blog, a clearinghouse for my random political thoughts and ideas, my "firstborn" if you will. New Mexicans for Richardson is an unofficial support site for Bill Richardson's campaign for President, and Why My Husband Hates Me is my most creative, fun blog, about life as a mother of four small children who just wants to make the world a better place for them. I also frequently posted diaries at Daily Kos as "Liberaltruthsayer" and on its sister site, Mothertalkers. Before joining the campaign officially, however, I unofficially coordinated the blogging efforts of several other supporters, working closely with great bloggers like Ken Camp, Steven Cassidy, and David "Venice Dave" Buchanan. My husband and I, along with a team of Richardson supporters and bloggers, created a support website for his candidacy, Richardson Brings Hope, launched in January 2007. In August 2007 I represented the Richardson Campaign at Yearly Kos with Ken Camp and Joaquin Guerra. and it was one of the most exciting experiences of my life, being among all these creative, brilliant progressive writers.

On the Campaign Trail

In October 2007 I was invited to take my support for Governor Richardson to a higher level and joined the campaign officially as Volunteer Coordinator for Richardson for President. I specifically coordinated the remote phone banking program, where supporters could use their own home or cell phones, access to the internet, and personal passion and contact voters in the key early states of Iowa and New Hampshire. It was a very exciting program, and I worked with people all over the United States who were as enthusiastic about Governor Richardson's candidacy and I was, and I am so grateful for that experience. The Richardson campaign was a whole family affair for us, with Charles serving as IT Director, and the kids making homemade signs and standing proudly with them at rallies and being photographed for campaign lit. The Compton Kids make a stellar campaign team!

The Best is Yet to Come

Though I don't know for certain where life will take me yet, I do know that it will involve writing, politics, and working to make the world a better place for my kids...