Posted on 10/16/2013 1:12:43 PM PDT by IChing
Yes and no. Yes, as in, it is possible, and no, as in, it’s not normal in the soul sense.
Of course, one immediately thinks of famous, mysteriously married, bi-partisan power-couples such as top republican consultant Mary Matalin and top democrat strategist James Carville. They’ve been happily wedded for twenty years. Amazingly, they actually met (in 1991) while each was about to be hired to manage opposing presidential campaigns; Matalin for George H. W. Bush, and Carville for Bill Clinton. They claim publicly that they don’t talk politics at home. When they appear on TV together, it’s actually pretty amusing to observe their playful jousting over public issues.
Or, perhaps less applicably, we have the dynamic duo of RINO former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and media maven/Kennedy-clan Obama shill Maria Shriver, who may be headed to Splits-ville after all.
Then we come back to the reality of everyday life among us, the comparative so-called hoi polloi. The real hazards and occasional rewards of odd-couple, opposites-attracting, friendships and relationships are in evidence everywhere. We all have at least some experience with this.
In the way of caveats about fellowship with people who don’t share our faith, those of us who are religious can point to the Biblical admonition about being “unequally yoked” with unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14).
For that matter, when liberals and moderates try to insist that Islam can peacefully coexist with the non-Muslim world, we vigilant conservatives can easily point to the many passages in Islamic scriptures which forbid followers of Mohammed from taking friends among the “kuffar(non-Muslims).” We’re on solid ground, in terms of referencing Muslims’ own doctrine, which also says that it’s perfectly okay for Muslims to lie and pretend (“taqiyya” and “kitman”) to be friends with us, and give the appearance of cooperating, if it in actuality helps advance the overall goal of Islamic conquest of the globe.
But back to our more mundane daily lives.
Many of us have friendly workplace colleagues who differ with us drastically on major political topics, and for the sake of keeping things professional and amiable at work, we do our best to avoid getting too involved in sensitive political discussions and diatribes. That is, those of us who prefer to keep our jobs, and keep workplace aggravation to a minimum.
Then there are the various family members with whom we profoundly disagree, yet maintain all sorts of uneasy truces over inflammatory subjects in the news, tiptoeing gingerly around the political minefield while exchanging rote pleasantries and cordiality where necessary. Those can be the more touchy and explosive relationships that sometimes are better allowed to lie dormant indefinitely.
In this cyber-age of social media and online networking, almost everyone has reunited with old pals from our school and/or military days, with lost loves, former coworkers, estranged relatives, and so on. Plus there are the new online friends and acquaintances in our lists. As often as not, people we’ve never even met in person become fast friends through shared interests and discussion threads, mutual friends, political causes, or just liking their profile picture, initially.
Those venturing into the dating world, both online and off, know full well the vagaries posed by political differences which arise when getting to know, and attempting to develop relationships with, significant others.
It’s when things go bad that we step back and wonder if it’s even realistic to try to maintain certain associations, though.
Shortly after the Boston Marathon bombing, I had reconnected on Facebook with an old pal from my long ago drinking days in my youth, from whom I’d become estranged and had had no contact for many years. I made the mistake of immediately sending him one of my columns on ClashDaily.com, and he didn’t take too kindly to my efforts/sharing. His initial reaction?: ”Good lord, don’t start sending me Bill Ayres(sic) conspiracy type shit. I’m actually thinking of deleting FB account. I never use it.”
We argued, and had some choice words for each other. Here are his final words to me on Facebook: ”Seriously, Don, you’re a megalomaniac. And I don’ t care to hear your flatulence rising from the right wing fever swamps. To quote you from yesterday, why don’t you go f*** yourself. I’m blocking you.”
*Sigh*
To quote Rodney King(r.i.p.), “Can we all get along? Can we get along??”
Probably not; not always, anyway…but sometimes, we can–sometimes, for decades. I believe it’s a question of specific circumstances, complex chemistry, and spiritual forbearance. Either we work with what’s workable, or we don’t. It’s work, that’s for sure, and as with any kind of work, there are rewards.
Right, libs? ;-)
If your interaction involves only the non-political business at hand, yes. But those scenarios are increasingly few and far between, thanks to government inroads into every corner of our lives.
Yup. In communist countries, citizens wind up having to spy on and report each other for deviations from the party line...
I probably face this dilemma more than anyone else on here. 99 % of my coworkers are rabid and outspoken Obama supporters. Political discussions devolve into how Democrats are brilliant and are working on ingenuous plans to save the economy and how Obama is so eloquent and Michelle Obama is so eloquent and inspirational and fashionable and intellectual and so awe inspiring. And how we need much more gov’t in all areas of our lives and anyone who disagrees must be a white male with too much privilege who has never had any real adversity in their lives or experienced how the other half lives. And if there is a major national disaster, no worries at all because Obama and the Democrats will be political superheroes who can rescue us all.
Yeah, that is the cliffnotes of what political discussions where I work turn into.
I cannot think of any liberals that I could be friends with. Most of the liberals that I have met have a mean streak in them. When I ask them a question about economics and they cannot answer the question, they call me an a**hole. I have liberal relatives and co-workers, but I am stuck with them.
No, it’s not possible. Such a definitive statement might be questioned by some. However, I live in No. California and know people who are liberal. As much as I try to have a friendly conversation their reactions are often hostel. Couple that w/the fact that I’m an admitted Christian and the insults fly out of their mouths. This has become especially noticeable since Barry Obama took office.
I hope so because most women are liberals. It’s primordial instinct. It’s liberal men who have some ‘splainin to do.
My wife was a liberal but maturity cured her. Eventually, most of us evolve.
You’re not the only one, brother. I live and work in the D.C. area, and often in D.C. itself. Behind the lines. The stories I could tell...
I have lots of leftist acquaintances. The deal is that politics makes everyone uncomfortable when it slips out, and they quickly want to move on.
And many of them don’t know I’m a conservative, so they let loose some stuff they would not ever want known to their other buds.
Seriously some of these people are more right-leaning than Reagan. Too bad they dont vote like that.
I haven’t got liberal friends but I’ve got plenty of liberal family members.
I use my time with them for teaching.
I guess everyone is different but as for me it is all I can just to tolerate a liberal. I could never be friends with one, I just can’t stand ignorant people.
At a very superficial level.
When I met my wife, she was a Hillary fan. I quickly converted her, fortunately.
I was at a social event recently.
Two people randomly confronted me with liberal BS about Ted Cruz. I was really nice, laughing about him, and even belittling him a bit as a grandstander just to be nice.
They would accept nothing less than complete hatred of Cruz and huffed off.
Liberals hate conservatives. It’s part of their make up.
Women grow up liberal in liberal households. Same with men. Women do not have a Marxist instinct.
You can be cordial with progressives if they can shut up
That is about it
And they can’t really keep shut
They are saving the world from all the isms after all
And marrying one?
Not if you are genuine....its like marrying outside yer faith
True believer wouldn’t dream of it
Spend the weekend together and remember you are responsible where you lay seed....you really want to deal with all that with a shrew progressive fembot?
Conservative and libertarian chicks are hotter and more feminine
Take it from one who has lived it all
A Conservative can have children turned liberal. They will sometimes try murder.
Liberals are not even in our species group.
No, never!
Then they can’t be right-leaning. The vote is the person. It’s like the “conservative” candidate that claims he’s against abortion in his personal life, but . . .
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.