[nutmeg]

This is pretty much why I've never joined Facebook, although I've nearly missed out on several good social events with extended family members in the area. Luckily my sister is on FB, and forwarded those FB party invitations to me via e-mail.

Can't you "turn off" comments by some of your FB friends, but still keep them as friends?

[raccoonradio]

there may be a way. There’s some kind of political filter (look it up) you can try. It may block posts praising Obama etc but then again you wind up losing all political posts.

You can

—skip over them
—”hide” the post
—defriend them

You may miss out on things like pictures of your relatives if you defriend them for their politics. Nice pictures of your cousin’s new baby, etc. wouldn’t be seen because they support Obama...
‘skip’ the political posts
‘hide’ them (hit the button, post disappears)

Or
defriend them (all their posts disappear.)