Terry and Sam Goddard Interview -- Why a Democrat?

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TG = Terry Goddard

SG = Sam Goddard

TG (T. Goddard): Why did you become a Democrat?

SG (S. Goddard): Perverseness, I guess. Uh, I was down in Officer Candidate School in Miami in Florida. And, uh, we had -- when I was just turning old enough to vote. And Franklin D. was in his last term and uh, he was a, a, tremendously interesting person. And I, I liked Harry Truman too. Who was from Missouri, uh, and it was because all my family were Republicans. I mean all of them. And they thought Democrats were a little bit, uh, smelly, I think, generally. Uh, and I just upset with that whole idea, so I started my first vote -- for Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his last term. And, uh, and then it, I began to see more of it.

I was sent to, to uh a place near Wilmington, Delaware called New Castle. There's an Army base there. And the guy, first guy I met there was Barry Goldwater. Never had anything to do -- I never had anything to do with Arizona before. And, uh, Barry was my commanding officer's closet friend and, uh, I just didn't like the politics he represented. It wasn't good for me. And, uh, and it just got stronger over the years and uh, when you get into the things then you get more complicated and involved in more projects and so, it, uh, it just kept on going.

I imagine part of it was because I had been raised in such a pure Republican environment. And atmosphere that -- it was a reaction against that, I think.