I remember, as a child, who knew nothing of politics, singing on the playground, because it was catchy: “Johnson, Johnson he’s our man; throw Goldwater in the garbage can”. Other than Kennedy’s death, this is my earliest political memory.
My earliest political memory is being sent home from a public playground near our house in California. I think I was 6. There was a giant sand box shaded by a wisteria arbor, and the director come over and sent us home because she was closing the playground for the rest of the day. When I got home, I learned that the reason was that FDR had died.
I was a little upset, wondering what would happen (we were in the middle of WWII.) That was when I learned that another President was ready to step in — Truman. So, everything was going to be OK. This was about the same time that I thought that the words “one nation indivisible” meant one nation INVISIBLE — IOW, the Japs couldn’t see us, so we were safe from the bombers.
My next political memory was going to school in the morning with the election undecided and coming home for lunch to learn that, against all predictions, Truman was re-elected. I was about 9 then.