It's the height of the Cold War, but I grew up in apolitical family and politics wasn't on the agenda.

I'm not disappointed in [Barack] Obama. He said who he is; he's doing what he said he would do.

I do think [Barack Obama's] strategy for re-election is so misguided. He's counting on the Republicans to self-destruct, and they might, you know, but they might not. So he might be a one-term president.

Certainly my parents were Dr. [Benjamin] Spock-driven parents. So they were tolerant.

[Students for a Democratic Society] it's a social democratic program.

To me, activism requires you to try very hard to open your eyes to the world as it is. See as much as you can, knowing that whatever you see is going to be partial. That you possess a partial consciousness in an infinite and expanding universe.

In a wild and diverse democracy each of us should be trying to talk to lots and lots and lots of people outside of our own kind of comfort zone and community, and that injunction goes even further for political leaders. They should talk to everyone, they should listen to everyone, and at the end of the day they should have a mind of their own.