Trust me, I love politics and current events. I really, really do. I could happily sit and watch the news at 5, 6, 9 and 10 pm. Plus tune into the national programs as well. I would do this all the time but then I'd have these kids poking me - "When are we gonna have dinner? I need help with my homework..." Blah, blah blah...
Love of politics + Love of current events + addictive personality = neglectful mother at dinner time.
In all honesty I am getting pretty sick of this election cycle. I can't wait for the commercials to end, the negative campaigns to cease, and the finger pointing to stop.
At this point, I don't even believe the fact checkers.
Unless they have a politician hooked up to a lie detector machine on the Maury show, I am hesitant to believe a single word that comes out of their mouths.
In complete disclosure (in case you couldn't tell from previous blog posts) I am a full blown Democrat. Oh, who am I kidding...I'm a bed-wetting liberal and proud of it. But not all of my family and friends are.
And this is the season where it starts to get ugly.
A couple years ago I had to start hiding rabid Packer fans on my Facebook page. Hey, it's hard enough to be a loyal Vikings fan when we lose all the time. It's even harder when you have friends and family gleefully telling you to Suck It! on your news feed every Sunday afternoon.
Lately I've had to start hiding delusional Republicans, too. Now save your breath - I know there are plenty of people who would call me a delusional Democrat, too. Go ahead. It's not like I haven't heard it before.
I have a wide circle of friends who are both red and blue. We have interesting conversations, to say the least. I even have family members who roll their eyes when I start on my rants. In fact, I'm not even sure about my dad anymore. He has become increasingly conservative as he's gotten older. It worries me. Apparently being a former hippie does not preclude someone from crossing party lines and drinking the kool-aid. Don't get me wrong...he hasn't completely lost his marbles. It's not like he's supporting Michele Bachmann. But I do look at him with a wary eye now. I trust him with my life and I trust him with my kids' lives.
Just not sure I trust him with a ballot.
But that's the beauty of this country, right? We all have the opportunity to believe what we want, to support what we want, and to love who we want.
Unless, of course, you're gay. Then you have an uphill battle ahead of you.
A few years ago my friend Jill and I were discussing gay marriage. We couldn't figure out why so many people were against it. "Seriously," Jill said. "Why does it matter if they get married? They have a right to be just as miserable as the rest of us."
That comment still makes me laugh.
Last winter I was dating a very nice guy. I'll call him AJ. We got along and agreed on everything. Well, almost everything.
After a night at the movies we stopped at a local bar. We sat on our bar stools and ordered a cocktail.
"Listen, Vanessa," AJ said, leaning closer. "I gotta tell you something. I've been meaning to say it for awhile, and I just need to get it off my chest and come clean."
I felt my stomach drop. An older gentleman on the other side of AJ leaned in closer, too. He wanted to hear what was said.
"Just say it," I told AJ accusingly. "I know what you're gonna say."
AJ twisted the gloves in his hand and let out a deep sigh.
He looked me right in the eyes. "I'm a Republican."
"Oh god!" I wailed. "I knew it!" I put my head down on my arms and took a deep breath. "I can't believe this."
The older gentleman scoffed and moved further down the bar. Obviously this conversation was not what he expected.
Now things with AJ never really worked out, but it wasn't due to his political preferences. But it did get me thinking...
How much would a person's political preferences matter to me when dating?
Honestly I don't know how Mary Matalin and James Carville are still happily married. Don't they just want to wring each other's necks when discussing party differences?
Do you suppose they watch the debates with a note card and keep score?
Do they gleefully show each other dismal poll numbers?
Do they write "Suck it" on each other's Facebook page when the points swing?
Somehow I doubt it.
So for now I will continue to hold out hope that I will find someone who's just as delusional as I am. Who wants the wars to end, the gays to be able to marry and the women to be allowed to make decisions for their own ovaries.
Oh, and someone who doesn't show up drunk and on a bicycle for our date.
Is that so much to ask?
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