Short & Sweet?

I have decided to break my opinions into smaller segments. Opinions are easier to digest if taken in small quantities...like medicine!

MY FIRST REAL CONVERSATION WITH A LIBERAL DEMOCRAT…

A couple of years ago (4 to be exact) a patient of Don’s, Donna, invited him and me to her cottage on Martha’s Vineyard. Beth was a darling and agreed to stay with the 5 little dumplings for a week. So off we went. One night we went to dinner with Donna’s daughter - a STAUNCH republican - and her boyfriend, a liberal democrat and PROUD of it.

George W. Bush and John Kerry were the candidates at the time. At the time, I knew that all liberal democrats were evil people who were conspiring to take over our nation for their own selfish interests and plunge us into darkness. It was obvious (to me, at least) that there was only one “good” way to think, and that was my way.

Anyway, that evening, as we participated in a rousing, but respectful discussion of the political differences between GWB and JK, the boyfriend honestly admitted that John Kerry as a candidate was a loser, but he truly believed that a conservative government was not in the best interests of the country. It was obvious he loved his country and he believed that a liberal government was the best way for America to move forward. I was flabbergasted and I humbly realized that liberal democrats are not necessarily evil and dishonest, but that it is possible for two people to desire the same end goal (America’s greatness) but believe in two entirely different means to get there.
In the end, I learned that most of my reactions to politics were based on emotions. They were knee-jerk reflexes without any respect for the opposing opinion. I still believe that liberal democrats have the wrong blueprint on most basic issues, but I do find that listening to their reasoning can be “liberating” from my previous narrow-mindedness. Now, I try to take my emotions out of my political decisions. I try to think about them logically and ask myself whether my response would be the same if “MY” guy had said that.

No smart (or stupid) comments on the brevity (non) of this post!