home

Saturday Night: Comedic Relief for Dueling Supporters

By Jeralyn, Section Blog Related
Posted on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:34:08 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

Passions are so high between Hillary and Obama supporters. Let's tone it down a notch -- here's a segment of the April 30 episode of Boston Legal where the firm sued the DNC over pledged delegates. It should bring a little laughter and also have everyone asking themselves, "Am I really that bad?" The answer, of course, is yes. We all are.

And a question: Have any of you stopped talking to certain friends, family members or colleagues because you just cannot discuss the race civilly any more? I suspect it's become a fairly common phenonemon, but let us know.

And yes, this is an open thread.

< Clinton To Obama: KY Counts | When Their Superdelegates Do It, It's Okay? >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    Saturday Night: Comedic Relief for Dueling Supporters | 82 comments (82 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment

    My AA stepmother and I (5.00 / 1) (#1)
    by madamab on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:38:11 PM EST
    don't discuss the race.

    She is convinced that HRC is teh devil because Mark Penn said the word "cocaine."

    But we still talk. ;-)

    Have we stopped talking...OY (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by Stellaaa on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:39:23 PM EST
    I live in Berkeley.  It's Obamaland.  My house has two Hillary signs and I get the strangest looks from passers by.  

    I don't talk to my creative class nephew.  I don't talk to my ex, after an amicable divorce and an unbelievable 9 years of keeping the family house with us moving in and out of the house.  

    Like I said before, we all shared our distaste for Bush, we thought, naively,  we would share in the way to fix the country after he left.  

    I work at Cal (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by talesoftowkitties on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:24:21 PM EST
    Lot's of Obama supporters to be sure, but in my lab, a couple of us still hope for Hillary!

    Parent
    Oh my (5.00 / 1) (#77)
    by BrandingIron on Sun May 11, 2008 at 05:41:14 AM EST

    I live in Oakland and I get the worst looks from people in Berkeley because I have three large Hillary pins on my backpack.  >_>

    Parent
    In Berkeley? (none / 0) (#22)
    by ineedalife on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:06:05 PM EST
    Surprised Kos himself hasn't stopped by and egged your house.

    I have a co-worker that I used to passionately talk politics to but we just walk past each other now.

    Parent

    Snark...he could not afford my neighborhood! (none / 0) (#51)
    by Stellaaa on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:59:12 PM EST


    Parent
    It sounds different spoken (5.00 / 3) (#3)
    by Fabian on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:41:06 PM EST
    than written.

    I can always look at something, know it's a talking point and skip it.  You can't do that to a real person.....well, you shouldn't do that to a real person.

    I think thats what bugs me about the Hillary Haters.  She's not a real person to them.  She's some kind of larger than life Threat to...to whatever, their ego, their candidate, their oh-so-precious acceptable gender-based role models.  

    I've been waiting for an opportunity (5.00 / 4) (#5)
    by andgarden on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:42:51 PM EST
    to say "and why WTSBQ?!" to a pompous Obama supporter in real life, but the opportunity hasn't arisen.

    Parent
    True that (5.00 / 1) (#59)
    by daria g on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:37:29 PM EST
    I def have a longtime friend I don't care much to talk to right now because of the petty, nasty emails he sends out about Hillary & then is totally rude to me if I answer back.  I don't send him cheap shots at Obama.  And when I once complained it was gender related, the Hillary hate I see everywhere.. well, now, I guess that was just unsayable.  

    I decided I have better things to do then to let someone else's nastiness get to me.

    Parent

    Well, I have lots of Republican friends, (5.00 / 3) (#4)
    by andgarden on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:41:48 PM EST
    so I'm used to the art of shouting and carrying on, and then moving on.

    I worry about people who take this stuff really personally, but I don't have too many in my life.

    It was fine with my ex when (5.00 / 2) (#7)
    by Stellaaa on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:45:41 PM EST
    he screamed at me before PA, "Why is Hillary still in the race?" I hung up the phone.

    Parent
    This is my favorite show (5.00 / 2) (#6)
    by samanthasmom on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:43:02 PM EST
    My husband and I used to argue over dinner every night about whose candidate was better.  Then he saw the clip of Obama brushing his shoulders and decided Obama was too immature to be President.  Now we just argue over how we're going to vote if Hillary loses the nomination. We've been married for 35 years, and this isn't the first campaign we've argued over, and it's unlikely to be the last.

    No one I know (5.00 / 2) (#8)
    by Jane in CA on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:50:24 PM EST
    except my brother supports Obama. Most of my friends are pretty passionate Hilbots (like me!). Most of my casual/professional friends, when the subject has come up, have indicated that they do not support Obama, although I don't know that they support Hillary either. I don't know about my African American colleagues.  None of them discuss it.

    My brother and I still talk, but I'm very disappointed in him.  I just really want to understand why someone who understands the issues would support Obama, and I figured my brother, who holds a Ph.D in chemical engineering, and is completing law school, would be informed about the issues, but he's not.  He can't articulate in any coherent or meaningful manner why he supports Obama, which is frustrating to me, because it'd be nice to have an informed and civil discussion on the issues.

    A fud in Chem Eng and Law? (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by Fabian on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:59:50 PM EST
    Why don't you ask him about Climate Change, Global Warming and "clean" coal?

    A chem eng should think that clean coal is either a sick, sick joke or a blatant lie.  Chem Eng is all about inputs, processes and outputs.  Science and accountability, not smoke and mirrors.

    Parent

    My brother (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by Jane in CA on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:15:56 PM EST
    is a little weird.  He's actually a libertarian, which makes his support of Obama even stranger.

    I don't know what his position on global warming, climate control, clean coal, et al is.  His speciality is polymers -- behaviors, stochastic simulations, cross stream migration, diffusion, microfluidic devices, etc.  You probably know what that means, but I don't really have a clue :)

    Parent

    cross stream migration (5.00 / 1) (#39)
    by jerry on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:25:50 PM EST
    Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.  Total protonic reversal.

    I hope he has life insurance, and he should be voting for Hillary care.

    Parent

    LOL! (5.00 / 1) (#65)
    by Jane in CA on Sun May 11, 2008 at 12:07:25 AM EST
    Well, that does sound scary ... I believe the actual term I should have used is "cross-stream-line migration in confined flowing polymer solutions."  Hopefully, that clarification mitigates the need for the immediate purchase of life insurance ... although I don't think it changes the fact that he should definitely be voting for Hillary :)

    Parent
    Ghostbusters? (none / 0) (#71)
    by cal1942 on Sun May 11, 2008 at 02:37:44 AM EST


    Parent
    Interesting. (none / 0) (#35)
    by Fabian on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:23:43 PM EST
    Dynamic fluid flow is something I never got - but is fascinating stuff for reasons I won't go into.  You turn the water on at the spigot and water comes out of the hose, but what happens is just a teeny bit more complicated than that.

    But he's still a scientist, so he should be able to grasp the theories without any trouble - especially how adding energy to a stable system tends to make it unstable.

    Parent

    I have many brothers, all on email filters (5.00 / 2) (#58)
    by Cream City on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:33:21 PM EST
    now.  It's the only way to ward off the stuff some of them send, incessant and inane and misogynistic attacks on Clinton.  I tried for months, pointing out those problematic parts to them, and they pulled the old innocence trick -- "huh? there's something in that I didn't see?"  Then they moved on to it being my fault for being so sensitive and feminist.  And on and on . . . you all have seen it all.

    So then, with my work being busier, too, I put filters on all of them -- but somehow, some keep getting through, and then all of the previous exchanges among them are attached.  And they're just awful.  And these are the standard Obama backers -- educated men, creative class, etc.

    It really blew open today when one of those attacks on Clinton got through again.  This time, I have time -- and I started by asking that the crap stop being sent.  That was mocked.  So I started to unload on them.  That was mocked.

    So now I have warned them that I am going to make up for months of them sending this crap, and I am going to fill their mailboxes with all the stuff about Obama that they avoid -- the Rezko stories, the Ayers stories, etc.  

    Perhaps it will work, and they will filter out my emails.  But there will be no family reunion this year.  I would feel the need to warn my nieces not to let my family try to demean them and stop them from achieving their goals, too.

     

    Parent

    Yeah, I hear you (5.00 / 1) (#61)
    by daria g on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:40:46 PM EST
    Someone I knew sent a really offensive email to me accusing Hillary's campaign of something they didn't do (it was debunked soon after).  When I objected to this.. somehow it was my fault for not getting the "joke."  

    Parent
    Send them an email (5.00 / 1) (#62)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:41:46 PM EST
    Tell them they'll have to call if they want to talk to you and that you're not going to read their emails anymore.

    Then, press <shift><delete> on each one.

    Parent

    Aptitude (5.00 / 1) (#75)
    by cal1942 on Sun May 11, 2008 at 03:22:58 AM EST
    It's been my experience that the ability to grasp politics, civics, etc. is not an automatic byproduct of the intellect capable of understanding science, engineering, technology, mathematics, etc.

    Aptitude is important. Over the years in my line of work I worked with and was exposed to many bright to brilliant people.

    Some of the best and brightest could not grasp  politics, history, civics, none of it. Their ideas were nieve and childlike and stupid enough to take your breath away. Of this group, when they would speak of politics at all, it came out that NONE had any party affiliation.  ALL were independents.

    Thinking about it reminds me of pre-war Germany, a well educated nation of culture and sophistication, a nation of truly estimable individuals, a colossus of science and technology so politically lame that they were manipulated into public barbarity of unimaginable magnitude.

    Parent

    Everyone I'm related to supports Hillary. (5.00 / 2) (#9)
    by Teresa on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:50:45 PM EST
    Everyone else I know is a Republican so I long ago gave up on discussing politics with them.

    When it comes to blog friends, though, I've given up a lot of them.

    I've given up some blogs (5.00 / 2) (#13)
    by madamab on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:55:44 PM EST
    but still see the people I've befriended from one. They're mostly Obamans or neutral "anyone-but-McCain" folks.

    We just kind of stopped talking about it...

    Parent

    My best friend's (5.00 / 3) (#14)
    by Jane in CA on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:58:31 PM EST
    parents are life-long, very partisan Republicans, but her father told my friend last week that his first choice for president is Clinton, and that she will definitely get his vote if she runs.

    Then he asked her not to tell her mother :)


    Parent

    My Mom, (5.00 / 2) (#27)
    by magisterludi on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:12:20 PM EST
    sister and brother-in-law have always voted GOP. Now, they all support Hillary. Just Hillary.

    Anyway, BL is my fave show, with all sincere respect to BSG fans.
    That episode has a priceless parody of a latte liberal Obama supporter. His slur of choice was "snidey-butt". Ya just wanted to spank him (and not in a good way)!

    Parent

    I tried to find the video (none / 0) (#57)
    by Jeralyn on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:28:48 PM EST
    of that snide-y youngster on You Tube, the one who testified and at the end of his testimony mouthed along with Howard Dean to the Dean Scream and threw his arm up in the air in solidarity. It was so funny. But I couldn't find it.

    Parent
    Humor on the math (5.00 / 5) (#10)
    by Stellaaa on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:52:13 PM EST
    Do people remember the old movies Ma and Pa Kettle?  Well I loved them.   This is perfect when people say  "the math"

    Wow, that's excruciating. (5.00 / 1) (#15)
    by andgarden on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:59:49 PM EST


    Parent
    in a good or bad way? (none / 0) (#66)
    by Stellaaa on Sun May 11, 2008 at 12:15:01 AM EST
    Heh, this is how people used to laugh in the old ways.  
    Abbot and Castello do a bunch of math skits as well.  

    Parent
    I'm using that in a future open thread (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by Jeralyn on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:06:38 PM EST
    it's great.

    Parent
    ROTFLMAO n/t (5.00 / 1) (#54)
    by MO Blue on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:16:14 PM EST


    Parent
    Hilarious...and a classic! (5.00 / 2) (#67)
    by oldpro on Sun May 11, 2008 at 01:03:11 AM EST
    Ever read "The Egg and I?"  Betty McDonald's book from whence were derived the characters of Ma and Pa Kettle, her neighbors.  The road to their farms is now named the "Egg and I Road"...about 12 miles from where I live in what the author described as "town."

    The programs were funnier than the book, actually.  And the local family on whom (everyone says) the Kettles were based has never lived it down or gotten over it...everyone says...

    Parent

    lol (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by Monda on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:53:31 PM EST
    My nephew put on my desktop a picture of Obama.  I threatened him that I will not forget about this ... come C-Mass lol.  Everthing in good spirit of course when it comes to family.  

    The race seems friendly in real life (5.00 / 1) (#12)
    by s5 on Sat May 10, 2008 at 09:55:39 PM EST
    From what I can tell, the vitriol between candidate supporters is almost entirely between bloggers and blog commenters. Everyone I know in person respectfully disagrees and debates the primary, knowing full well that we all plan to support the winning Democrat against McCain.

    My neighbor and I have dueling window signs, our Obama sign to their Hillary sign. Yet we still wave hello to each other and occasionally exchange rants about how Republicans are screwing everything up.

    Spent three days in Intensive Care Unit (5.00 / 10) (#17)
    by athyrio on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:00:07 PM EST
    and got a pacemaker and just got my bill for $45,000.00.....I need Hillary in the worst way so please all you Obama supporters please think of people like me that will die without universal health care....Thank you for at least reading this...:-(

    All the best in your healing (5.00 / 3) (#19)
    by bjorn on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:03:05 PM EST
    process!

    Parent
    Glad you are home now (5.00 / 4) (#24)
    by Jeralyn on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:07:41 PM EST
    and back online. Take care and you have all our best wishes.

    Parent
    I thought about you today (5.00 / 3) (#26)
    by angie on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:09:32 PM EST
    when I was making calls to WV -- I hope things get better soon for you personally and that Hillary gets this nomination & eventually the WH so that she can make things better for others in your same situation.  

    Parent
    Angie Keep making those calls, (5.00 / 2) (#36)
    by athyrio on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:24:05 PM EST
    I wish I was stronger to make them too but consider me in the background cheering you on..

    Thanks all of you for your well wishes and I am hanging on as long as I can....

    Parent

    You came through! (5.00 / 2) (#28)
    by Fabian on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:13:14 PM EST
    Now, don't waste that investment in your health!

    Just talked to a lady who had her hip replaced.  She was walking with a cane that she insisted she didn't need, but her doctor gave her explicit instructions not to fall.  I seconded that.  You get all that work done and you won't be the only person who will be upset if you undo all that hard work.

    Now I have to work on my friend whose mother is growing increasingly physically fragile.  The time has come to find a long term care facility and give up the idea of caring for her at home which she can't do personally, and is difficult/dangerous logistically because of stairs.

    Parent

    Wish you the very best (5.00 / 3) (#33)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:17:54 PM EST


    Parent
    I'm sorry (5.00 / 3) (#34)
    by Jane in CA on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:22:36 PM EST
    to hear of your health problems, and hope your recovery continues to go smoothly.

    Parent
    I'm glad to see you're feeling well enough (5.00 / 2) (#47)
    by Iphie on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:41:49 PM EST
    to join us online. My thoughts for a speedy recovery.

    Parent
    You were missed. (5.00 / 1) (#63)
    by Stellaaa on Sun May 11, 2008 at 12:00:02 AM EST
    Welcome back and you are in our thoughts.  I know what you mean about universal healthcare.  

    Parent
    Yikes.... (5.00 / 1) (#68)
    by oldpro on Sun May 11, 2008 at 01:07:33 AM EST
    hang in there, kiddo.

    Parent
    You received treatment... (none / 0) (#81)
    by kdog on Sun May 11, 2008 at 09:17:04 AM EST
    that's the important thing right now...I hope you are on the road to recovery and get well soon.

    Don't spend one second fretting over that bill...we don't have debtors prisons....not yet at least.  They can't do anything to ya except send you letters.  Like my brother, who has some debt issues and a sense of humor, says...I just gtotta dodge the bill collectors till I die, then I win:)

    Parent

    Most of my close friends are for (5.00 / 4) (#18)
    by bjorn on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:02:26 PM EST
    Hillary but my family is for Obama.  We talk about it but only via email because they are genuine Hillary Haters.   I don't know how I came out of the same family, but I guess I have always been the black sheep.

    No (5.00 / 1) (#20)
    by tnjen on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:03:14 PM EST
    Just about everyone here is for Hillary or McCain with a small Obama contingent. I actually think the fact that the Obama contingent is small here helps with the aggression factor. The Obamaites aren't as rabid and there's more respect. Also, because we're surrounded by real and often very conservative republicans, no one in either camp would dare call the other side a republican.

    The Best Electoral College Math Yet! (5.00 / 1) (#25)
    by FoxholeAtheist on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:08:50 PM EST
    Great post by bringiton over at Corrente: Hillary Clinton Must be the Democratic Nominee; Do the Math.

    The math is great, but there's also some pretty funny snark, things for Obama to do after he's done the math and dropped out of the race and gone back to the Senate:

    "...maybe he could ease into the job by showing up for votes (currently third highest missed-votes rate at 40.1%, right behind Sen. Tim Johnson who is still recovering from his stroke.) He might also author another autobiographical meditation; a lessons-learned reflection, "The Mendacity of Trope" or a campaign journal - "Me, Michelle and I." Although his aspirations may now smack of audacity, there is always Hope [for 2016]".

    I'm working on a documentary right now (5.00 / 3) (#29)
    by lorelynn on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:14:24 PM EST
    that I'm shooting here in Southern California, with lots of Southern California Democrats. I like them so much. they are smart, good people. I never bring the race up because I can't bear to be disillusioned. Everyone else I know supports Clinton so we're fine.

    Great Post, Jeralyn (5.00 / 1) (#30)
    by Blue Jean on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:15:32 PM EST
    LOL!  I've had discussions with co-workers about it, but so far, we've kept it civil. Here's my own take on the whole Hillary/Obama conflict.

    Hope you feel better, athyrio.  I know the Beatles always make me feel better, especially with John mugging for the camera.

    I live in Texas, so I (5.00 / 2) (#32)
    by sander60tx on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:17:10 PM EST
    make it a habit not to talk about politics with anybody.  However, I do have one friend who lives in another state with whom I can discuss politics.  We have both gone back and forth between Clinton and Obama.  Last conversation was very critical of Obama.

    On another note... seems as though the "media narrative is shifting to talk of Clinton as VP.  (See this article which strongly suggests that Clinton will try hard for the VP spot.)  I am dubious.  But it's the second piece today I've read suggesting that it will be hard for her to go back to the senate.

    Very interesting article! (none / 0) (#38)
    by bjorn on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:25:45 PM EST
    I still don't get all the hurt feelings about her statement to USA Today.  I guess I am just dumb, but why are so many people bent out of shape because she stated a true fact?  In any case, I just don't see Obama asking her to be VP...but we shall see.

    Parent
    I don't think I have any Obama (5.00 / 2) (#40)
    by Iphie on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:26:41 PM EST
    supporters in my immediate circle -- though that may have something to them being in my immediate circle. We've had many, many conversations, and some of them have started with Obama good/Hillary bad -- I'm trying to pinpoint why it is that most of the people I know have come around to my way of thinking (well, imnsho, I think it's because my way of thinking is correct and fact-based, but I suppose there may be those who disagree.) ;)

    Maybe it's because I'm kind of relentless, not in an angry way, but when someone makes some sort of BS argument starting with "Well, everyone knows" ... Hillary can't be trusted/she'll do anything to get elected/she's ruthless, etc., etc., I ask them to defend the statements -- how do you know she is all these things? what is your evidence in support of it? I make them make their case, and when they can't I make mine refuting their points using actual facts and the historical record. (Seriously, for a while there, I had a pdf saved on my Treo with some relevant NYTimes articles in it so I could quote directly.)

    After we've done this a few or 20 times, people tend to agree with me -- either I've convinced them, or it's just easier not to engage, I'm not sure which.

    So, no I haven't stopped talking to any friends this year, although in 2000, I did have a friendship with a Nader supporter that ended because of it.

    Yay Candice Bergen (5.00 / 1) (#41)
    by talesoftowkitties on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:27:41 PM EST
    Saw that episode last night!  Very funny, yet very true!  Boston Legal is my favorite show.  Also, thanks Jeralyn for running a top notch site!

    Thankfully (5.00 / 2) (#42)
    by Nadai on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:29:25 PM EST
    my entire family supports Hillary.  There are a couple of Obama supporters at my office I don't discuss politics with anymore, by their choice.  I was perfectly willing to keep telling them what I thought of Obama, but for some reason, they weren't as eager to hear it.  They did stop discussing Hillary the B!tch Queen in my presence though, so I consider that a win/win.

    not sure why (5.00 / 1) (#45)
    by Nasarius on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:37:36 PM EST
    But everyone I know well (most somewhere in New York State) seems to be lukewarm about both candidates. Which lines up nicely with my view.

    I got called by Quinnipiac around late 2007, and I told them I had an unfavorable view of Hillary and a favorable view of Obama. Both were fairly weak positions on my part, and in the following months they switched places; Hillary spoke like a human being in the debates, and Obama was and is a mess in so many ways. I guess it came down to both of them failing to match their popular/media image.

    I've stopped talking to (5.00 / 2) (#46)
    by janarchy on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:38:48 PM EST
    several friends, including my best friend who I've known since I was 13 (so we're talking 32 years). We nearly stopped talking over her drinking of the Nader Kool-Aid in 2000. I know she's afraid to talk to me because I've always been more politically savvy whereas she buys whatever the MSM feeds her. She also thought the whole f*cking whore Randi Rhodes incident was 'hysterically funny', insulted me when she saw I got email from the HRC campaign and accused me of thinking/voting 'like an old lady'. Who needs it?

    I am also active on Livejournal.com and have had to defriend a number of people I used to interact with on a regular basis, including people I've met and socialised with in past. Either because of the non-stop preaching and propaganda of Why Obama Is The Great Thing Evar or the non-stop preaching and propaganda of Why Hillary Is The Big Evil Monster Lady and All Her Supporters Are F'ing Idiots. Someone whose opinion I have respected for 8 years was just summarily cut off from me because he ranted about why Hillary needs to quit now (WWTSBJQA) after admitting that he hadn't actually read up on anyone's policies, anyone's backgrounds or even most of the facts about the primary. But Hillary was EBIL, Obama was blameless, anyone who thought the MSM or the DNC was complicit in the Obama campaign needed a tinfoil hat etc.

    It's been really depressing. Luckily my immediate family and friends can see the empty suit behind the curtain.

    I'm glad I'm single (5.00 / 1) (#60)
    by janarchy on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:39:14 PM EST
    because I know my ex, Mr Bleeding Heart Never Met a Leftist Cause He Couldn't Embrace, has to be for Obama. Luckily I dumped his sorry butt 9 years ago and never looked back.

    It's really hard for all of us because tempers are so high these days. Whats sadder is that I have (and still have) friends who were 180 degrees away from me on assorted policies over the years (including one who is a Born Again Creationist Pro-Lifer!) and we can respect one another and just agree to disagree. However the Obama Supporters in my life are like crazy cultists who want to recruit me 24/7 and get angry and abusive when I say 'no, thanks' or actually try to have a reasonable conversation on why he's so great. It's mindboggling.

    Parent

    Well, since my friends asked me who (5.00 / 1) (#48)
    by nycstray on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:45:54 PM EST
    to vote for, lol!~, my life is pretty peaceful on that front  ;)

    They asked because they knew I was prob all over it based on some issues and they've been taking info from me on those already. My Republican Nader voting friend will be voting Nader again after I filled her in on McCain/Health care/Economy.

    I was also able to give my parents Estate Tax info so I didn't have to go through another "The Dems want to take it all!" yet again since they know I won't vote Republican. AHHHHHHHHH! No parental guilt.

    Couldn't disuss with good friends (5.00 / 2) (#49)
    by superjude on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:49:28 PM EST
    I really had a serious problem when my neighbors and good friends (shared a Clinton Victory party with them in 92) actually thought that Obama had voted against the war
    (AUMF vote) in the US Senate!! They did not believe me when I told them he had merely given a speech against it to a very liberal group of his supporters in Chicago during his state Senate career. And the meme is that Clinton voters are low information voters. ROFL!!

    Heh, that was one of the reasons I quit (5.00 / 2) (#50)
    by nycstray on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:53:50 PM EST
    going on some sites that were turning pro-Obama. I got tired of trying to explain the "war vote" and a few other positions/votes of his. Oy.

    I still check them just to see what their latest hysteria is, but I've learned not to get sucked in when they make these crazy remarks.

    Parent

    office neighbor (5.00 / 3) (#53)
    by sarahfdavis on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:05:07 PM EST
    has weekly luncheons that i can't tolerate any more. they all love huffington post.
    about 3 months ago he asked me what i thought about some posters he's made. "UNITY" turned right side up with "Division" underneath turned upside down. We're both designers.
    i told him the concept itself was devisive. he told me i wasn't being objective.
    a few more conversations (after i'd pretty firmly said it was a bad idea) about politics and it's kind of hard to be around now.
    I certainly can't go to the luncheons and see the UNITY signs up everywhere.
    When i look at them now they might as well say "MESSIAH" with C*NT underneath. He doesn't understand at all why I'm so raw.

    My Daughter And I Found Something To Agree On (5.00 / 1) (#56)
    by MO Blue on Sat May 10, 2008 at 11:28:14 PM EST
    Hillary. Although she will be just fine with voting for Obama in the GE and I have major reservations.

    Most of my friends and family aren't into really talking about politics much. Guess that is one of the reasons I am here since I like to discuss the issues and toss ideas back and forth.

    Dreadful. (5.00 / 2) (#69)
    by oldpro on Sun May 11, 2008 at 01:31:35 AM EST
    Most of the Dems I know...young and old...have thoughtlessly swallowed the Kool-Kid krapola and I really cannot stand it any more.  Can't talk about it without getting so angry or so depressed that I'm in danger of spiking my blood pressure into stroke territory or breaking my 5-month "quit-smoking" streak.

    I never bring it up but everyone else does...tonight I left a monthly dinner party of friends when we hit the danger zone and I was about to insult them all.  They don't see a problem...I think we're doomed.

    Charlie Rangel says Hillary (5.00 / 1) (#74)
    by oculus on Sun May 11, 2008 at 03:04:47 AM EST
    shouldn't have made her comments about white voters, but that it is true.  She should have left it to others to say.

    RANGEL

    i generally make it a practice (5.00 / 1) (#76)
    by cpinva on Sun May 11, 2008 at 04:28:52 AM EST
    to avoid people that have been brainwashed. i find i have more intelligent conversations with my cat.

    i don't dislike obama supporters, i'm just awed by how easily swayed they are. the exception to this rule is the AA community. i know exactly why they're voting for him, and it has little or nothing to do with anything other than an ability to relate to one of their own.

    i understand this, and i don't hold it against them. kennedy did the same with irish-catholics in '60.

    My immediate family, (5.00 / 1) (#78)
    by BrandingIron on Sun May 11, 2008 at 05:51:58 AM EST

    which is mostly what I've got, are Hillary supporters.  My father and mother live in Massachusetts, can't stand Kennedy (they wish he'd just DIE already), are lukewarm about Kerry but are now starting to dislike Kerry because of his Obamabot b.s.  My mother really wants to see Hillary win, not only for women but for The Clinton Years 2 (I was a high school grad when I voted for the first time for Bill, and the Clinton Years were very good for us).  For the record, my father is a Hispanic guy who "passes" for white and my mother is Thai (alas, I got her genes, so I'm a brown mutt, LOL).  They live in an affluent neighborhood in MA, but it wasn't always "affluent" (it evolved that way...used to be a good, hearty working class area).

    My aunt and grandfather are for Hillary too, and they're in West Texas.  I think my cousins in Odessa are Republicans, though...so I'm just going to assume that they're McCain supporters (one of my cousins isn't exactly too bright when it comes to becoming a high-information voter, and she loves Bush =_+).

    So I haven't attempted to talk politics with the cousins...but talk all the time with the parents and aunt.  My father is wondering why people are being so stupid this election cycle.  He says he's likely to stay home if Hillary isn't the nominee (same goes with Mom).

    All my friends & family (none / 0) (#21)
    by angie on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:04:17 PM EST
    are for Hillary (well, not my dad because he is a Republican & we gave up on him a long time ago -- it is my mother's cross to bear). But if they were for Obama, I would either persuade them to change their minds or I would cut them off forever. ;-)

    Family and politics (none / 0) (#43)
    by MichaelGale on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:31:57 PM EST
    My sister became a Republican when she became rich. She is the only one that switched sides. However, she's not a great Republican either. She votes but could care less about issues.

    She will vote for McCain only because she thinks he will only be in 4 years and then there will be another chance.  She loathes him but loathes Obama more. We talk about politics briefly although she did offer to let me have a fund raiser for Hillary at her home in SW PA.

    She is an older sister and she loves me. :-)

    A new SNL is on tonight. (none / 0) (#44)
    by Iphie on Sat May 10, 2008 at 10:32:18 PM EST
    It's opening with Amy Pohler as Hillary (the next President of the United States) giving a statement.

    Not sure where this is going -- seems like they're playing the "she'll do anything to win" meme.

    Super hip, hip hop daughter... (none / 0) (#64)
    by Stellaaa on Sun May 11, 2008 at 12:04:41 AM EST
    Alan Jackson the country western singer is one thing she really taught me.  Man does he make me happy with his music.  Try it.  here is a good one.  Itty Bitty sort of appropriate for this election.  

    Andregan, try him, he is the great antidote to the creative class.  

    P. S. Love Boston Legal (none / 0) (#70)
    by oldpro on Sun May 11, 2008 at 01:34:38 AM EST
    and last week's was especially poignant...and funny.

    I'm finding it harder and harder to laugh, tho...these days...so now, on to SNL...

    all this odd shipmates so to speak! (none / 0) (#72)
    by hellothere on Sun May 11, 2008 at 02:59:38 AM EST
    some of my conservative friends can discuss this with me with more decorum that the liberals. in my family all except for one sister are for hillary. now after the texas caucus things changed. i know she was very unhappy about it. she kept calling me from the caucus and i heard yelling the background. since then she is quiet and doesn't say much. i leave it be.

    all these odd shipmates so to speak! (none / 0) (#73)
    by hellothere on Sun May 11, 2008 at 03:02:37 AM EST
    some of my conservative friends can discuss this with me with more decorum that the liberals. in my family all except for one sister are for hillary. now after the texas caucus things changed. i know she was very unhappy about it. she kept calling me from the caucus and i heard yelling in the background. since then she is quiet and doesn't say much. i leave it be.

    i know a big hillary supporter and i had planned in the back of my mind to beg an invitation to washington when she sworn in. dreams!

    I'd never let politics get in the way.... (none / 0) (#79)
    by kdog on Sun May 11, 2008 at 09:10:48 AM EST
    of a friendship.  My friends and I can have heated debates without it getting personal. And I've got friends across the spectrum...from anarchist, to hardcore socialist, to hardcore conservative, to hardcore libertarian.

    Maybe it has something to do with the political debates usually occuring as we pass a spliff around...lol.    

    Good heaven's No! (none / 0) (#80)
    by AnninCA on Sun May 11, 2008 at 09:16:01 AM EST
    My friends all know I'm a Hillary nut.  Even the ones who voted for Obama called me to mourn with me over the NC and Indiana disappointment.  My son, who did vote for Hillary, and then became so worried over the split and drifts now more to Obama, said that when he comes down, we'll go out in our T-shirts together and show the world what real unity looks like.

    My T-Shirt:  I'm NOT Bitter!
    His T-Shirt:  Incoming!  Look out for Sniper Fire!

    Anyway, I think people are fine with my choice.  So long as I don't get on their case about their preferred candidate, it seems to be OK all the way around.

    BTW, none of my Obama friend supporters are remotely pushy at all.  

    I think we value our relationship too much to even try to discuss specifics.  I'm sure we see the same elephant from totally different perspectives.  Of course, I'd love to say, No, that's Not an Eye, that's an *hole.  :)                                            

    It helps my blood pressure.... (none / 0) (#82)
    by Moishele on Sun May 11, 2008 at 11:40:56 AM EST
    My son used to be an Obama fan but then the more he read about the man the less of a fan he was.

    I've given up most political forums as the 'discussions' became not much more than personal attacks. I saw one post where a woman wrote that Obama was the only hope this country and the world had.  You simply can't reason with people like that.

    On a side note a friend whose husband is a solid Republican actually changed parties to vote for Hillary in the primary and was looking forward to voting for her in the general election. So was I. It's been 8 long years since we had a president I liked and admired. I was so looking forward to having that again in January.

    when it comes to polirics... (none / 0) (#83)
    by madjuana on Sun May 11, 2008 at 08:41:56 PM EST
    my older sister has always been easily swayed. a while back, after a friday night game of scrabble and several glasses of wine, I took a small swing at her well-known infatuation with Obama's voice (she liked Reagan's, too) and ever since she consciously avoids talking about the campaign. Gee! Today I was showing off my Hillary shrine to mother and other sister today at mother's day brunch and big sis couldn't bring herself to look: all those candles and flashing lights and great pictures of Hillary reaching out to the crowd, the world! This is a time for celebration unlike any other election year. For some of us.

    When the race started (none / 0) (#84)
    by RickTaylor on Sun May 18, 2008 at 12:16:42 AM EST
    my sister was for Obama ( and frustrated with Hillary) while I was for Hillary. I argued experience and wonkish abilities, while my sister argued for the ability to inspire people (something that's going to be sorely needed in the near future; we've frittered away so much time, and now the economy and the energy supplies are all catching up with us). We respected each other's opinions and arguments, and I can't imagine us ever having a serious break over something like that. Since then, I've come over to my sister's way of thinking, so there's no conflict at all between us. :)

    Saturday Night: Comedic Relief for Dueling Supporters | 82 comments (82 topical)

    Readers Must Login or Create an Account to Comment