Monday, October 30, 2006

Who's your buddy, who's your pal?

I don't often read the letters to the editor before an election, but I did anyway the other day. One letter was a fairly typical plea to readers to vote for their preferred candidates. But what I found most interesting was the following request: "Please join my family and friends as we vote for..."

I suppose it is possible, perhaps even likely, for families to have similar voting preferences, but friends too?

I am looking for some feedback here. Can you, or do you, have friends with whom you disagree politically?

9 comments:

RW Wacko Stu said...

Yes. I have very liberal friends, and my family is all liberal. I am a Right Wing Wacko. We just know not to discuss politics.

Anonymous said...

I cannot say for sure, as voting is private, but I don't think I have any friends that don't vote the way I vote. I don't think I could be friends with a liberal.

Anonymous said...

I would have to say yes also. I have friends that have various political views. Although I have some friends with whom I would never talk politics; I have a lot of other friends that do/do not share the same political views and we can have great conversations about it. We may agree to disagree on some issues, but at the end of the day we still respect eachother.

Anonymous said...

I hate to play Lawyer blogger, but it depends on your definition friend. A friend is someone who's dog I would watch while they are out of town, or who I would help move. I know liberals I am nice to them and have conversations with, but they are not my friends.
I am Christian and I have a family, if you are liberal and you vote that way I don't see how we could be friends. Liberals vote to take money out of my pocket and, thus from my family, in the form of taxes. They also support actions that seek to remove Christianity from nearly all aspects of our society. There are many other things, but the problem is not if we can talk about things we disagree on, like if the Packers should keep Brett Favre, the problem is the actions liberals take over the issues we disagree on and how it effects me.

Brenda said...

Absolutely - my friends and family often have completely opposite views which are usually discussed very openly.

It makes for rather interesting dinner discussion and holidays!

You do not have to share the same views to appreciate the friendship, do you?

Denis Navratil said...

Thanks all, for your comments. As for me, I am pretty sure I would have no friends at all if I required them to think like me. I actually enjoy talking to people who have different views from me. I could easily be their friends, as I would see them as mistaken rather than evil. I think this is where I differ a bit from Wade. Will you still be my friend? But as I have shifted from moderately left of center to more libertarian/conservative viewpoints, I notice a definite strain in relations with some of the more active leftists that I know.

Anonymous said...

Growing up around here I always valued the discussions and differences we could have on issues, and still slap each other on the back and buy the other guy a beer. When I joined the military and moved around the country, I ran into a lot of people whose constant attitude was 'my way or the highway'. Upon our return to Wis four years ago I was looking forward to lively but respectful discourse. Sad to say, it appears now that also in Wis if you disagree with someone you can expect a slap in the chops and a beer thrown in your face. What happened while I was away?

Anonymous said...

Eric,
I hope you don't draw your conclusion that one is likely to get a slap in the chops because of my posting.

Denis Navratil said...

To Eric. I suspect what is happening in Racine is happening elsewhere. We are becoming an increasingly polarized society.