BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.)
How/where are you celebrating your birthday and with whom? “I am celebrating my birthday with my husband, who is taking me out for dinner.”
How did you get your start in politics? “I got my start in politics in the 1970s when I was a young mother and felt that I had to do something about ending the war in Vietnam, the environment and women’s equality.”
What’s an interesting book/article you’re reading now or you’ve recently finished? And why? “I am finishing up a book by Jill Lepore called ‘These Truths: A History of the United States.’ This book shows us some uncomfortable facts of our history, especially as it deals with matters of race. Growing up I never learned that unvarnished truth in school.”
What’s a trend going on in the U.S. or abroad that doesn’t get enough attention? “A trend that isn’t getting enough attention is the amazing awakening of young people in America. I fear that there will be a GOP plan to suppress that vote and we need to be ready to fight that kind of anti-democratic activity.”
How’s the Trump presidency going? “President Trump is clearly a threat to American democracy. He is taking a wrecking ball to the free press, to equality and fairness, to the value of public service and the truth, and threatening our critical alliances by playing footsie with dictators and tyrants.”
What’s a fun fact that people in Washington might not know about you? “Two fun facts that people in Washington might not know about me are that I started off as a stockbroker on Wall Street after getting my economics degree. I also love to write funny lyrics about politics such as: ‘It’s not easy being green … When people love their SUVs ... And their lights on high and the air on low and the heat on high ... and everything like that.’”
