My parents are Republicans. Should I cut off any communication because they are?

[zulchzulu]

Since it seems like some people think that you should NEVER talk to Republicans about ANYTHING and that every single last one of them is EVIL, let us consider the reality of that situation.

My parents are your classic Goldwater Republican that mostly support local Republicans and veer away from the more theocratic flat-earthers that give Republicans a bad name. But they are Republicans...so...

[ginnyinWI]

1. mine are too.

I just tell myself that they don't know any better. They now despise Bush and the horse he rode in on. So I have been validated in their eyes, though they won't admit it.

[sazemisery]

2. I, too, have Goldwater Republicans as parents

So....we don't talk politics.

[daninthemoon]

3. My parents are repugs, but this admin and especially this war

has greatly disillusioned them.

[Beaverhausen]

4. My parents are Bill O'Reilly-loving republicans

So...we just don't talk politics.

[TwilightGardener]

5. I voted for #1! Come on, now, we are probably ALL related to Republicans

in some way. My mom WAS one, but Chimpy cured her of the disease forever, and now she's a Hillary fan. My brother and two of my sisters-in-law are Repubs. Nobody's saying they're bad people, just misguided, politically.

edit to add: my husband was Repub for a while, too. He's an Indie now, and a big Obama fan.

[Bluebear]

6. Uh, nobody said Obama should not talk to Republicans.

But holding up an anti-gay, anti-woman, anti-environment Senator as the "kind of Republican I look forward to working with" is a little different.

[TwilightGardener]

9. Don't forget "disgusting warpig" among Coburn's list of attributes.

[Bluebear]

10. Yeah, that too.

:hi:

[no_hypocrisy]

7. Do what you think is best, but remember that parents can legally disinherit children

from their estate . . . that's what keeps my tongue still in my mouth. (Aw, WTF, I'll be probably disinherited for something else anyway.)

[wyldwolf]

8. do you let them help you decide...

What you can do with your body?
What kind of education your children get?
Whether or not you give to those less fortunate?

...and if they disagree with you on something...

Do they lie about you? Drag your name through the mud? Try to make you lose your job?

[avrdream]

42. And on that same note:

Are they running for president or some other position of power that gives them control over the lives of the American public?

No, they aren't, so I can forgive who they claim as their "friends". I'm still not pleased with Obama's statement but nice try.

[wyldwolf]

44. do you let anyone decide those things for you?

[rucky]

11. They look pretty young...

why are you supporting them in the first place?


Cut them off!

[zulchzulu]

17. That photo is not them...

All in all, they are great people that do a lot of community stuff for the less fortunate and do things for local literacy programs.

I will never cut them off...sorry... life is too short.

:hi:

[AtomicKitten]

12. Almost my entire family is GOP.

We have had some heated arguments, but 2000 was the watershed moment when discussions became really tense. I went off on my parents around the time of Katrina and I regret that because my father died a few months later.

We are co-inhabitants of this planet. Thinking people should be able to coexist peacefully.

Peace.

[zulchzulu]

19. Sorry to hear about the thing with Dad

Wow. I hope you are OK with dealing with that. :pals:

I've had discussions with my parents on issues like stem cell research, the Wars, abortion and the media with mixed results. When I visit, I make sure to turn off Faux Snooze (which they seem to watch a lot of) and made them endure the movie "Outfoxed" when I was last there. Mom fell asleep. Dad seemed embarrassed. I accomplished nothing....

[AtomicKitten]

21. You gave them the information --

you can't make them digest it. I think older Republicans are rather stunned at where their party has taken the country. All the propaganda Faux News dishes up can't negate the feeling that things are terribly wrong. Best part is many are coming around, the indies are already on the porch drinking Margaritas, and the party is about to begin. The GOP clock-cleaning is at the gate.

Cheers.

[fedupinBushcountry]

22. NGU

Someday you just might hit on the right topic and turn them around. :patriot:

[AZBlue]

36. Sorry to hear about your dad!

:hug:

[AtomicKitten]

41. thanks

:hi:

[AZBlue]

50. Love the graphic!

[Adelante]

13. Eew

I'm amazed even three people could have voted for No 1.

[NotGivingUp]

14. Do you think your parents should disown you because you are a democrat? n/t

[rox63]

15. My Dad was a Randian Objectivist

But I still loved him. We just never even vaguely agreed on anything political.

[zulchzulu]

20. Now there's a country western song title if I ever saw one

:rofl:

[SteelPenguin]

16. Talk to them

My parents are libertarian-republicans and we talk about it all the time. They know where I'm coming from, but I do it rationally and logically and reasonably and often get them to think. While they voted for Bush in 2000, they voted libertarian in 2004 (I'm still working on them. I almost have my mother, who hates Hilary Clinton, undersanding that she is actually more liberal than Hilary.)

[Extend a Hand]

18. my mom

listens to those stupid teevee preachers...her favorite is the one in TX that wants to bomb Iran :(


I try to talk to her about politics but it's a pretty futile effort. Politics are all wrapped up in her confused version of Christianity and I really think she runs into some kind of cognitive dissonance thing when confronted with facts.

[zulchzulu]

23. I was watching some tele-Armageddonista for a few minutes yesterday

It's the guy with the hair wrap and his extremely odd looking wife with a lot of work done. They had this fake newsroom schtick and were showing graphics where she would say the Muslims want to feed us to the dogs and then the dude would "respond" with how we need to bomb the crap out of Iran...for Jesus of course. I couldn't take it back...

:crazy:

[killbotfactory]

24. You need to isolate yourself among people who think exactly like you

Everyone else is evil and out to screw you somehow.

That's how you should run your life, and how the democrats should govern.

[FredScuttle]

25. Establish one golden rule that each side obeys

Never. Talk. Politics.

[New Earth]

26. my dad, uncle, aunt - whole dad's side of the family are Republican

including my Grandmom before she died...my whole dad's side are Republicans.

I actually just got off the phone with him this weekend, we talked about religion AND politics, without getting into an argument! It was so awesome. He actually admitted he is not happy with the current Republicans, they are all liars, etc. It was a pretty good conversation, probably the best one we've had about these topics ever. I couldn't believe how much more open minded he has become. The only problem I had was when he said he thinks we SHOULD be in Iraq and that we've killed over 1500 terrorists before they could get to us. :wtf: But abortion is murder? :wtf:

Anyway, I don't think you should stop talking to them at all! There are ways to still get along with people who have different views as you...maybe it's just better not to bring them up, if it's too heated...

[beachmom]

27. There is more to life than politics. I talk about politics to family

and friends where it is enjoyable, and avoid political talk where it only causes a fight where feelings are hurt and nothing is resolved. Anyone who thinks you shouldn't talk to Republicans has a viewpoint best represented in Iraq where different factions are killing each other they are so intolerant of different views. As Obama has said in the past: "We can disagree without being disagreeable."

[Greyhound]

28. Which kind, neo or paleo?

There's the distinction as I see it. Almost my entire extended family is of the latter type, and as such, are reasonable people with some differing views. We can, and do, argue about how to best approach certain issues, sometimes they come to, or at least understand, my POV, sometimes it's me, and on a few issues we can simply agree to disagree.

OTOH, my Step-Grandfather, may he suffer the torments of hell that he was always so anxious to mete out to others, was a neo, and like all of those that I've met or heard, was absolutely unreasonable and unmovable. He was completely certain that he was right and anybody that didn't agree with him 100% wa the enemy and had to be destroyed in any way possible.

There is no point maintaining communication with one of these as it invariably leads nowhere.

[MrSlayer]

29. My dad is a Republican, so is my brother and I would kill or die for either of them.

I love them to death. Some things are far more important than politics and family is one of them. We argue about the issues but it doesn't hurt our relationship at all. My brother and I talk politics and history for hours on end over bong hits and beers on Saturday nights. It's fun for us.

[JVS]

30. That would be stupid

[Skittles]

31. no

repukes absolutely disgust me but you should not give the GOP that kind of power. Keep your family and avoid political stuff with them.

[cd3dem]

32. forgive them for they know not what they do

some people are republicans because that is how they were raised.... they really don't know the facts or the way parties change... I have seen many reformed republicans over the last six years.... ask them why they are republicans and show them why they are really democrats... because people don't know who they are voting for... if their reason is republicans are for less government spending, then educate them on the cost of war and corporate welfare and the deficit.... they are for less government, then why are the republicans writing constitutional amendments banning same-sex marriage and interfering in other social issues?... Against gays because the bible says so? then explain the biological fact that homosexuality is not a choice, but God’s creation… if they are republican because they are pro-life, then talk about how the environment kills people, machine guns kill, the occupation of Irac kills innocent people (against stem-cell? then why not ban fertility treatment?)... because the democrats will take their guns away? then tell them only if they have semi-automatic guns or are criminals or insane....because they have always voted republican? then talk about all the other changes they have made over the years….

[Catchawave]

33. Other: My husband is a Republican :)

38 years...deal with it :evilgrin:

He roots for the Red Sox, me, the Yankees. He loves Florida and fishing, me, New York City and Broadway.

I guess there's more to life than sports and politics !

[jillan]

38. OMG - I thought I was the only one in the world.

It's hysterical when his Newsmax arrives in the mail the same day as my Mother Jones!
Or when we he was walking out of the polls on election day when I was walking in - I just smiled and
said "I'm going to cancel out your vote".
The election of '04 was actually funny. We fought - alot! But we were always doing things to bug each other like
I put a picture of Bsh in the toilet, he put a Bsh sticker over my Kerry sticker on my car...and I drove to work not knowing.
But when Kerry conceeded, that was hard. He was so happy and I was devastated.

Been married 27 years. Keeps life interesting ~ and forces you to know your stuff.

[Apollo11]

46. It sounds stressful

It sounds like being an African-American married to a White Supremacist.

I can just imagine they would always be doing things to bug each other ...


For me shared values are actually more important than physical attraction.

In my relationship we spend a lot of time watching and discussing the news.

There is no way I could marry someone who did not believe in equality.

[Pushed To The Left]

34. My parents are both Republicans too!

My Dad is a Goldwater Republican who now almost always votes for Democrats and despises the Bush Administration with a passion, and my Mom is a centrist swing voter who also can't stand Bush and Cheney.

[returnable]

35. Whatever you do, don't have 'em over for dinner...

...cuz they'll eat all the food. :hi:

[MissMarple]

37. Dealing with it is the best end around, ...and

yes, your dad look like a combination of Tom Hanks and Josh Hartnet. I know...way too much information. ;)

[sandnsea]

39. My 2 sisters are Republicans

I don't talk to one because she's nuts and it has nothing to do with her politics. The other, I was very angry at after the election, then she got cancer and that sort of puts it all in perspective very quickly.

But I don't think Obama should be calling Coburn his friend. Work with him whenever possible, but calling someone who has been that hateful "friend" really was a step too far. Unless he's preparing to call him out on some of his hateful ways.

[funkybutt]

40. You have seen the light

be grateful for that. Your parents raised a smart person. Please tolerate and accept them. Make it clear that political discussion isn't a good idea.

[RebelOne]

43. My sisters and their husbands are Republicans.

But I deal with it. I just don't discuss politics with them.

[Douglas Carpenter]

45. my mother's second husband was a Republican. Should I have refused the inheritance?

When all is done and said; some Democrats and people who lean leftwing politically are not very nice people and not very compassionate on the personal level. Some Republicans and people who lean rightwing politically are really nice people and reasonably compassionate on the personal level. And of course vice a versa.

Ideology like religion is not an accurate predictor of how people are on the personal level in day to day life.

I have even met a few lefties who have the idea that even if they live a totally self-centered existence, their political beliefs give them an intrinsic moral high ground over the rest of humanity. This is indeed misguided thinking.

[Hepburn]

47. Deal with it ~~ I had to!

My parents were Pubbies. Yep, country-club conservatives. My dear now departed mother was a Pubbie cuz I think it helped her deny her Jewish background. Back then, Jews could NOT get into the elite CCs...and to my Junior League, college-sorority impressed mom, that was a big deal to be in all the right clubs with the WASPs. She was the type that went from being the child of European immigrants to being a blue-blood in one generation. So being a Pubbie was part of the schtick! Jews were Democrats and, of course, she was NOT a Jew.

Phony parents are such a PITA!

[rasputin1952]

48. My mother is a die hard GOP'er, but far from a wingnut...

She won't carry dimes because FDR is on them, but she despises bush to the highest degree possible.

She was brought up in a GOP family from MD, and can recall FDR goiong through her town when going on a couple of day "relaxation vacations", top down, just cruising along Main Street, waving at people and having the car stop and talk to people on the street...(where are those days?).

I would say my mother is more of an Eisenhower R, Goldwater was a bit radical, but she was OK w/him.I think it was a remarkable feat when she agreed w/Goldwater, just before his death, when he said the "new Republicans are shitheads". True conservatism was run over by the neo-con agenda, and that turned into little more than looting the treasury and massing power to ensure they wold gain fnacially.

You should accept your parents for what they are, but that does not mean you should not plant seeds along the way. They have to make up their own minds, but with each exposure of the truth, they will move further away from this "new" GOP. I hoestly believe that bush has sent the GOP into a generation long tailspin, and it is denial among the "R faithful" that keeps this inept group of thugs in limited power.

After all, even the GOP has ordered tar, feathers and some rails...:D

[Lydia Leftcoast]

49. I suppose this is a roundabout way of saying that Obama SHOULD

have Republican allies and compromise with them?

This is a totally different situation from your Goldwater Republican parents, who are strictly in a time warp instead of being evil and/or ignorant greedheads, like most current Republican politicians are. (There are Republicans nowadays who think that Goldwater was "too liberal," for heaven's sakes.)

For one thing, your relationship with your parents has no effect on the fate of the country or the world.

For another, the Dems have compromised and compromised and compromised and fallen for the "bipartisanship" line for 25 years. It is their failure to stand up to the Republicans that has helped bring the country to its current wretched state.

The Republicans never compromised with the Dems through this whole time--it was the Dems who had to do all the giving up.

It's time the Dems stood firm and just said NO! It's time they said, "Look, bozos, it's YOUR turn to be 'bipartisan.'"

[Perry Logan]

51. Tell them you're gay. If they disown you (which they will), go ahead and hate them.