I tend to lean left of center. My political influences are Peggy Noonan, Benazir Bhutto, Isabel Allende, and Martin Luther King Jr. This election was the first that I was able to vote in, and dammit, I did! I'm taking this course because... well, I have to, but aside from that, I hate living in the world's leading democracy and knowing so little about it. I hope to gain some insight into its workings to be able to participate in them with knowledge and confidence.