It would be easier if we didn't care, if this didn't matter to us. But we care, it matters. The political world seeps into ours and it feels personal. So personal that we've had to make rules to keep ourselves in check and when I tell people that I am "passionate" about politics, I really mean that I become so angry during light-hearted debates with Mike that I regress to name calling and whimpered pleas of "just think like me and everything will be better". We are already making wagers on the political leanings of our future children (other people can make bets on how warped those future children will be because of this). Mike is pretty confident that he will be the winner here but I can't imagine giving life to an Alex P. Keaton. It's a little frightening to think that one day I may be outnumbered. Thankfully, I have a few years to work on my campaign strategy, I mean, child rearing techniques.
**Interesting. I say this now. Ask me in November 2012 how "interesting" things are in the lead up to a Presidential election and I'm sure I won't say the same thing.
Oh wow, yeah I would probably throw things, claw out eyes etc. John and I are pretty damn close on the political spectrum and I'm still tempted to do that sometimes.
ReplyDeleteYou two are brave! I definitely have friends with a wide range of political opinion, but it's much easier to just avoid talking about it altogether.
ReplyDeleteWe have a rule of not talking about it after 10 because it makes me so riled up that I can't fall asleep. In defense of Mike's republicanism, he's a pretty reasonable guy. And sadly for a person who loves politics so much, he is really not represented in our current political world (old school republicans don't fit in with the neocons/tea party). He couldn't even bring himself to vote in the last presidential election which, for him, is like telling a kid to skip birthday presents. I feel just a little bad for him. But not enough to stop yelling at him about government vs. states rights.
ReplyDeleteI also feel bad for rational republicans - they are such a rarity right now. And if they are not a rarity, they need to speak louder!
ReplyDeleteNot quite as drastic, but during the 2008 primary my sister (a Clinton fan) and her husband (an Obama fan) had dueling yard signs. People would tentatively ask how their marriage was.
Rowan, that just made me laugh out loud, I love the image of the dueling yard signs. And I remember what that primary was like, it was pretty brutal!
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