·Voting for Bush (11.7.2000) ·Down the Home Stretch: Leaning Heavily Toward Bush (10.31.2000) ·After the Vice Presidential Debate (10.11.2000) ·After the First Debate: Both 'Boomers' Did the Generation Proud (Sort Of) (10.5.2000) ·Introduction (10.2.2000) Kim is 51 and works in public relations from a home office. He is married and has one child in college. In 1992 he voted for George Bush and in 1996 he voted for Bob Dole. decreasing the size of the federal government, taxes, candidate with maturity In 1981, People magazine chose Kim and his wife and daughter as the average American family.

My name is Kim Pepple, and I'm 51 years old. I was born, raised, lived my entire life in the St. Louis area. Even more specifically, Webster Groves, which is an inner ring suburb of the metropolitan St. Louis area

So I've made my nickels and dimes over the years writing and-- and trying to generate, publicity, marketing for people.

It was a dubious distinction back around 1981, and editors at People Magazine dispatched a reporter and a photographer to the St. Louis area to find the average American family. As humbling as that was, at the time, nobody ever thinks they're average, but People Magazine thought we were.

I probably started off more sympathetic or more in tune with the Democratic Party, and over the years have probably shifted a little bit more to some of the more conservative leanings of the Republican Party. But when its all said and done, I-- I don't think we have enough options, in terms of political parties in the United States. I sort of like, oftentimes, what I hear the Libertarians saying. Governments that aren't real involved in people's lives, I sort of like that idea.

I'm really more concerned about the day-to-day life of a community. Because it's where I spend my time. As you move up the food chain of the political process the federal government gets more and more and more involved. And I don't know if that's necessarily good. I think it was Jefferson who said "The government that governs best governs least."

I think probably the-- the Democrat who summarized the values of the Democratic Party best was probably Hubert Humphrey. And his classic line that always tugs me back to the Democratic Party is that "A society is measured by how it cares for its aged, its young, and its infirmed." I get caught in the conflict, in that respect, that yeah, I want less government and I want less government spending, and yet there certainly is a crying need for it. And the Democratic Party has tended to be the party that keeps wanting to reach out to people more and more and be more involved in people's lives.

The Republican Party, I think just generally speaking, it's a more conservative political party. And out of that conservatism will come things pertaining to positions on being more for right for life, uh--And yet on the other hand I have some problems with the right to bear arms issue, where the Republican Party tends to be a little bit more supportive of people's ability to own hand guns, and so forth. I'm vehemently opposed to that.

The last President I felt good voting for was actually George Bush, Sr.

There was a confidence level in prior presidents, maybe by their age, maybe by their experience, that I knew about. That they'd been involved in World War II or grew up during the Depression. And these are characteristics that neither Al Gore or George Bush bring to the-- to the event. But I am probably going to look as much at the Vice-Presidents as I am going to be looking at the Presidential candidates. And I admired so much that Lieberman was the first elected-- significant elected official to take Bill Clinton to task in the Monica Lewinsky matter.

I think I'm largely undecided as to who to vote for for President because I-- I may be waiting for something that isn't possible, on the basis of either Al Gore or George Bush, in that I-- I'm almost looking for either Al Gore of George Bush to demonstrate a sense of maturity and a sense of-- of vision that may not be possible.

I think there's a lot of undercurrents in the current Presidential cycle that I'm intrigued at. I'm watching. I'm-- I'm really fascinated by all of it. I just haven't made up my mind, as of yet.

·Voting for Bush (11.7.2000) ·Down the Home Stretch: Leaning Heavily Toward Bush (10.31.2000) ·After the Vice Presidential Debate (10.11.2000) ·After the First Debate: Both 'Boomers' Did the Generation Proud (Sort Of) (10.5.2000) ·Introduction (10.2.2000)