Political Tempers Flaring

Land of the Free
Originally uploaded by ehosey.

My father was a staunch Republican. He was very proud of the fact he voted for Nixon. A Nixon pen, dating back to Nixon's election days floated around in my parent's kitchen junk drawer for years. My mother was a closet Democrat for years (though she did convert to the Republican party during the Reagan years.) She named me Eleanor after Eleanor Roosevelt, a woman she greatly admired. She hid this fact from my father. The last Democratic president she voted for was Jimmy Carter. My father abhorred Mr Carter and thought he was an embarrassment for the South. His face would turn red and he would look down and choke out an expletive every time the press made fun of Carter. He did not let my mother ever forget she had voted for the man he called "the Peanut".

My grandparents were staunch Democrats and lived in constant fear the Republicans would "steal their Social Security".

I have been thinking about my parents and grandparents political views quite a bit lately. It seems that in this election year, political passions have been ignited in people that had remained dormant for a number of years.

I have a relative who got into an argument with an acquaintance at the grocery store today. Knowing this friend of the family for years but not realizing this person was not likeminded about things of a political nature he told a joke about the other party's nominee. Things quickly got heated and he had to make a hasty retreat.

If my parents and grandparents were alive today I think I can imagine their reaction to the current political environment. My Grandparents would be ranting red faced about the Republicans trying to steal Medicaid and their Social Security Checks. My dad would be happily debating politics at his pre-dawn coffee shop meetings with fellow retirees, he would dust his Reagan Shrine, he would blast the Democrats. My mother would be quietly forming her own opinions but not always fessing up to her true feelings. She would publicly state that the Democrats were leading us down the road to moral bankruptcy.

I would not always agree with their views. I would hope that I would have the wisdom and clarity of mind not to care any less or respect them any less for their beliefs and opinions. It does take courage to express your opinions. One of the great things about our country is the right to express opinions and be heard. We also have the right to try to change things or keep them the same depending upon our convictions. We live in the United States of America.