As I was driving down to McCormick’s Creek State Park today, I was flooded with memories from a time I was driving through the area trying get back to the Statehouse. So here’s a little political history, from this elder millennial’s perspective.

The year was 2008. I had taken a leave of absence from the Legislature to move down to Southern Indiana to work on House campaigns. Sooo doesn’t seem like 12 years ago.

I worked on 3 House campaigns total. The first was pretty shored up by September (the opponent was goofy), so I transferred to a bordering district that was struggling. I was also doing finance stuff for a third candidate, who’s district bordered the other two.

Most Democrats, especially back home in Indy, were really excited about Obama. I was too, but where I was working, things were not so good. Politics as I’d known it (for 3 whole years - I was 25) was changing in front of my eyes.

I was witnessing first hand what would become the tea party. The nastiness was so bad, a local newspaper admonished the campaign I’d moved over to, as well as our opponent’s campaign. Today, you wouldn’t bat an eye at negative campaigning on that level.

Come Election night, only two out of three of the campaigns I was working on prevailed. Not the aforementioned 63rd District. While Obama won the State of Indiana, we weren’t sure whether or not we’d hung onto the narrow Democratic majority for the Indiana House.

I was told that night that I needed to be back at work at the Statehouse the next morning to end my leave, in case there was a shift in power that might determine I couldn’t come back.

This was 2008, and I didn’t get my first iPhone until 09 or 10. With no directions or GPS, I just drove north, partially through the area I travelled today, until I hit I-70, and then figured out how to get onto the highway.

When all was said and done, we gained a few seats and lost a few seats, and the majority increased from 51 to 52, which isn’t a lot considering Obama won Indiana. And in case you didn’t know, that majority got slaughtered in 2010.

There’s not much point to this thread, other than a little perspective. Where we are now in politics has been brewing a long time. And here’s hoping that there are seeds of kindness and community being sewn right now that will last a lot longer than the next 12 years.