How did you come by your overall political outlook?

I know I didn’t get mine from poring over the constitution, and I bet you didn’t either. Setting aside what you see as the obvious merits of your political ideal, what were the influences in your upbringing that settled you into this particular way of seeing things? Did you have some kind of political epiphany, or has it just always seemed so?

How important were family influences, church, regional culture, travel, education, circle of friends, popular figures, individual politicians, world events, a particular cause dear to your heart?