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No. My oldest and best friend is Conservative as are most of my other friends. (lone Democratic in a Red area.) It all boils down to respecting each other enough to allow for a friendly back and forth without getting so wrapped up that you forget it's just politics. One party is up while the other is down and in a lifetime they do and will trade places many times. We all need each other for counter balance. However, I could never marry a Conservative. It just wouldn't work for me. I have one Tea Party relative that I'd kill out of frustration if I had to spend 24/7 with him. I keep my opinion to myself when he's around.
Well, I have a worse problem. My dear Mother is a fundamentalist, rapture-believing conservative. We have to agree to not get into dogmatic discussions about politics. She loved George Bush...Regardless, my affection is not diminished a scintilla, she's a terrific Mother, Grandmother, and a great person. Although I have to manage the situation,especially when Mom starts spouting and my wife is around!
I enjoy arguing to a degree, and my friends have a healthy respect for my opinions and vice versa. Healthy, meaning they listen usually, though they don't necessarily agree. And I really hate yes men. I enjoy a dissenting view, well presented, much more than fawning group think. When I argue with folks I rarely give ground in the moment, but if a friend brings up an important issue, and after thinking about it, I realize I am wrong. I thank them and adjust my view, usually within a week.
What I cannot suffer is a person who insists on going on and on about politics, when it is clear that they are spewing horse pucky with no interest in learning a thing. That is just rude, and intellectually dishonest, and why hang out with friend who are rude,annoying, and stupid? In my case, the braindead politicos are usually relatives who never went college, live in the country, and who listen to Limbaugh. Family you have to love regardless, friends? Not so much.
Last edited by Fiddlehead; 10-14-2012 at 08:11 PM..
When I was younger I found that a lot of my friends were sometimes very liberal compared to me, particularly due to my involvement in the arts world. But I consider that I was not as cautious or conscientious about friendships then.
Today, I just don't naturally associate with liberal types as much anymore. So I can't say that I have any close friends who are liberal in that regard.
But if it were an older friend that would be different because of our past experience.
No. My oldest and best friend is Conservative as are most of my other friends. (lone Democratic in a Red area.) It all boils down to respecting each other enough to allow for a friendly back and forth without getting so wrapped up that you forget it's just politics. One party is up while the other is down and in a lifetime they do and will trade places many times. We all need each other for counter balance. However, I could never marry a Conservative. It just wouldn't work for me. I have one Tea Party relative that I'd kill out of frustration if I had to spend 24/7 with him. I keep my opinion to myself when he's around.
I'm kind of the same way. Since I'm an evangelical Christian, I'm kind of stuck settling for conservative women, but I couldn't stomach a tea party neocon for a wife or a far right fundamentalist. My aunt, however is a tea party Republican who regularly spouts off that Obama's a marxist who will drag us into a dictatorship. I don't have the heart to tell her I'm liberal, so I just smile and nod. She's a wonderful woman, and I love her dearly. I just avoid talking politics with her if I can.
And yes, West Michigan is quite red. Berrien County, where I live, hasn't elected a Democratic official since FDR.
After a long military career followed on with a second civilian career in Dept of Defense, I have many friends that are quite a bit more politically conservative than myself. My Best Friend is from a Southern State, her brother is a very Conservative U.S. Congressman and we have been friends for over 20 years; stayed at each others homes, vacation together, etc.
Life is too complicated and I believe we all have beliefs that careen in and out of Right/Left mantras.
Would you end a friendship(s) over someone's ignornant political beliefs? Do you tend to keep like-minded friends?
I have plenty of friends I disagree with politically. But I couldn't live with someone whose values were much different than my own.
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Friendship no....partner yes
