If you ever decide to visit real life, we'll try to make you feel welcome.Quote:
Originally Posted by UltraliteAngler
Printable View
If you ever decide to visit real life, we'll try to make you feel welcome.Quote:
Originally Posted by UltraliteAngler
Likewise! hahaQuote:
Originally Posted by LDAHL
I can tolerate plenty of differences in political opinion. What I can't do is countenance fascism. Donald Trump represents a unique historical threat. His getting elected would be bad--not George W. Bush bad, but Fort Sumter, Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, 9/11 bad.
What's happening on the Democratic side in this campaign isn't remotely comparable to what's going on with the Republicans. The Dems are engaging in the usual sniping, and will kiss and make up in short order and field a candidate who is sane, whether you like her politics or not. The Republicans are about to nominate a demagogue who represents an existential threat to the country.
Cruz/Fiorina almost makes Trump look good though - a theocrat and a war monger. But I wouldn't expect the targets of Trump's hate to be ok with it. If you think your white liberal hippy friends get offended by a Trump hat, wear it in front of one of the groups Trump hates - and no it's not them.
which to an Iraqi is George W Bush bad (actually death toll of Iraqis in the Iraq war is of course orders of magnitude higher than most of those, well I don't know how many the Great Depression killed maybe a lot but ...).Quote:
His getting elected would be bad--not George W. Bush bad, but Fort Sumter, Great Depression, Pearl Harbor, 9/11 bad
I see an equal disgust for the lack of quality available in both parties. And I see a reluctance to open up a conversation any deeper than who is least likely to make things worse. The people I am with are normally very conservative but they even see themselves unrepresented almost like the train is off the tracks so no use complaining about the conductor. We are now just being entertained.
My defInition of friendship has possibly gone awry. It more closely resembles an alliance. Mark Twain mused, "The proper office of a friend is to side with you when you are in the wrong. Nearly anyone will side with you when you are in the right." That kind of friendship while not inspiring romantic visions of sharing similar views will survive almost anything except being asked to lend money.
Still the next month or two might expose weak friendships because you can't continue to spread imbecilic rhetoric without a large group catching cold. California just might be the Petri dish where bacteria will grow.
I honestly don't have a lot of political diversity in my friends and family. I work in an urban school district in a community that is gentrifying. I also work under grant funding so my colleagues and I are in it for the impact we have on low-income, diverse communities. Pretty liberal, also supportive of bringing your lunch every day and shopping at goodwill. I think my brother and family are pretty conservative, my nephew posts on FB but doesn't appear to like Trump. I have one FB friend who supports Trump and I decided to keep that bit of diversity.
What I have been saying for months though is that the republicans and conservatives really have no one. I feel bad for them, there is no real debate about issues with Trump around. I hope that a lot of conservatives stand up for a real conservative agenda that is not about hate, then I have something real to argue against.
One of my brothers is VERY opinionated about his political views. EVERY family get together is one long dialog of his views, with name calling to me because I do not agree. I pretty much am not around him unless my other brother is there to handle him. Other brother is much more diplomatic, altho we don't agree 100% he respects that is the American way. The right to have your own opinion.
Unfortunately I can not think of a single friend locally who isn't of the party that "obviously ALL Christians" would pick... I try to keep my mouth shut and sit where I can leave if I can't stand it anymore. And I have slipped out on many occasions. I moved back to this very conservative part of the country 10 years ago. I knew it would be hard, but it has been harder than I expected. I can take differing opinions, but I get tired of feeling like I am not entitled to a differing opinion. It is a constant topic of conversation here, rarely not coming up at every get together and particularly bad during an election year when it is pretty much the only topic.
Edited to add: Luckly, my dog shares my political views. At least he never says anything against them.
AB, I feel for you. I know my parents think that I could just move to Iowa if Denver wasn't working (mostly housing cost) but I KNOW I could not. I have lived places like you have and it was terribly difficult. Even in the most conservative places I found a couple people that I could relate to. I also got a reputation in that small town for my views and personality. Sigh,
I can't imagine it being a constant topic, at least with my group I know which people want to have the conversations (and we mostly agree) and don't talk about it to others.
We live in a very conservative area. I have to pass two trump signs on the half mile drive to buy my hay.(from a guy who put out a trump sign)
When dd went to high school she got into a discussion about a political issue with a classmate. She made a comment that caused her classmate to say "Wait! Your parents are DEMOCRATS?!" To which dd replied " no, my father is a republican and my mother is insane." (Like Bernie Sanders, I think we can own guns and provide a social safety net!)
but here, dh is no longer a republican. Because he's not a Christian, and he believes in gay rights (only he calls them human rights and applies them to anybody who can score higher than a bonobo on a dna test) also access to health care for women. So the republicans don't want him anymore.
i'm not very good at being friends with anybody, so politics isn't so much a deciding factor.
Thanks for the kind words. I have found myself becoming more and more a recluse here. It is easier than dealing with it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zoe Girl
I actually thought I was pretty middle of the road until I moved back here. I do believe that all persons should have the right to the pursuit of happiness, so I believe in gay rights etc. I am personally against abortion, but really think it is a rather non issue. The Republicans give lip service, but they were in office for 8 years and nothing at all changed. I don't think that every poor person is out to milk the system, some are just poor. I think there should be some safety nets available.. I like Obama and like Obama care, which is just about intolerable around here.
All I can say is don't go back to Iowa!!