"Dad - You're not a Republican!"
It looked like dinner Thursday evening was going to be solo. My wife and my younger daughter both had plans for the evening, leaving me with numerous choices for dinner. I decided to call my older daughter and invite her to dinner. She, being a poor college student, jumped at the chance to get a freebie meal courtesy of her old man. She chose a family restaurant, and off we went.
Just as an interesting point, do you have any guess at what I ordered? Shades of TBC ...
While eating, my daughter and I talked about her upcoming finals, all the papers she still has to write and the usual concerns of a college student. The talk finally gravitated toward politics, as it usually does. She heard my views, which I present as coming from a moderate Republican, and I heard her views -- the views of a far left liberal majoring in Gender and Women's Studies.
Before I dropped her off at her apartment, and after she heard me whining about how the Republican party has left many of us behind, she said something that surprised me: "Dad -- you're not a Republican." I was pretty surprised to hear this. I have been called a RINO (Republican In Name Only) more than once in my life, almost always by someone on the far right. In fact, I believe that Tony Bigcharles even called me this once! It is the way that the far right aficionados try to shame people who share some of their values but are not nearly as, shall we say, adamant about conservative ideology.
If my daughter is correct, what exactly am I? I did have fun with my liberal co-workers, asking about the "secret hand code" that I thought Democrats had -- making the letter H with fingers from both hands. I clearly am not like the far left, that group that seems to exude arrogance and bitterness more than any other political group. And although I see that I have some libertarian leanings, I would not want to classify myself as a member of that group. Maybe I am a member of the new version of Nixon's "silent majority."
I thought about delving further into politics and political beliefs here, but I think I will just stop at this time. I had on both CNN and Fox News earlier this evening. I've already had my more than my fill of the division within our country for one day.
Peace out.
Just as an interesting point, do you have any guess at what I ordered? Shades of TBC ...
Before I dropped her off at her apartment, and after she heard me whining about how the Republican party has left many of us behind, she said something that surprised me: "Dad -- you're not a Republican." I was pretty surprised to hear this. I have been called a RINO (Republican In Name Only) more than once in my life, almost always by someone on the far right. In fact, I believe that Tony Bigcharles even called me this once! It is the way that the far right aficionados try to shame people who share some of their values but are not nearly as, shall we say, adamant about conservative ideology.
If my daughter is correct, what exactly am I? I did have fun with my liberal co-workers, asking about the "secret hand code" that I thought Democrats had -- making the letter H with fingers from both hands. I clearly am not like the far left, that group that seems to exude arrogance and bitterness more than any other political group. And although I see that I have some libertarian leanings, I would not want to classify myself as a member of that group. Maybe I am a member of the new version of Nixon's "silent majority."
I thought about delving further into politics and political beliefs here, but I think I will just stop at this time. I had on both CNN and Fox News earlier this evening. I've already had my more than my fill of the division within our country for one day.
Peace out.
posted by lightning36 at 1:09 AM
7 Comments:
I believe that Tony Bigcharles even called me this once!
Well, in that case . . .
Support the Libertarians! The more, the merrier.
"majoring in Gender and Women's Studies"
What a lucrative career choice.
(You'll never get her out of the house except to picket.) :)
I have a couple of extra "Not My President" buttons on order if you'd like one. It'll be your Christmas present, OK?
The far right is the Westboro Baptist Church. That's about it for the the far right. Pick any other freakish group and it's the far left. Traditional beliefs that started our country are not far right. They are conservative and the only hope for the future of our Republic.
Don't know your friend Tino but I must say he is wrong. What about the now hygienically named "alt-right?" The neo-Nazis, nationalists, KKK, etc. Those folks are crazy far right. They make the WBC look almost normal IMO.
I won't pontificate re his last two sentences, though there are plenty of Democrats (I count myself among them that believe in the work of the founding fathers and their profound understanding that this country would grow and change, so they built a flexible foundation.
I wouldn't worry about your daughter's major and its apparent lack of job opportunities. I think time in college is about learning to think critically and getting a degree. I majored in economics and political science and ended up as a benefits consultant, so my studies had really nothing to do with my career.
I've always been an Independent, I wonder what Tony would say about that!
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