From Family Fun to Family Feud: Obama Crashes the Dinner Party…

~~Posted by kenosha Marge

I remember some very lively Holiday Dinner table conversation when I was growing up. That’s because my mother and her family were all Republicans and my father and his family were all Democrats. Politics was often the topic.

I remember heated arguments with yelling and with laughter. We took our politics seriously in my family. What I don’t remember is the anger and the hate. Nowadays in order to be a good Democrat you are supposed to hate the Republicans.

Republicans are also expected to hate Democrats. Who thought this was a good idea?

I’m not very good at hating. Most of the time loathing is the best I can manage. Hate takes too much energy and often harms the hater more than the hatee.  Hating someone simply because they favor one party over another would be like hating Chicago Bears fans just because I am a lifelong Packer Backer. Well… maybe a Bears fan…

I grew up to become a Democrat. That was fine with my family because my Republican Mom voted for JFK and my Democratic Dad hated Ike and loved Truman.

In our family voting was stressed, not who you voted for. Of course around those holiday dinner tables you had best be prepared to defend your choice. Those who offered nothing but Talking Points were laughed out of the conversation. Voting was stressed but it was expected that when you voted you made a good decision based on all the information you could find.

I was a moderate, loyal Democrat who voted a straight Democratic ticket forover 40 years with one small exception. I voted for a Green Candidate, one Rae Vogler over our DINO Senator Herb Kohl. And I enjoyed doing it. And will do it again if given the chance.

I am now a moderate, liberal Independent. I saw first hand the ugliness that has infested the party I supported for all those years. I saw arrogance, corruption and misogyny and I was disgusted. So I became disinclined to support them for what they have become. Don’t even get me started on what I think about the media. Now there’s something I could almost bring myself to hate.

The Holiday Dinner table conversation now tends to keep away from politics. Someone always gets angry and someone always insults someone else and the conversation becomes nasty and juvenile. We’ve come along way baby and it isn’t for the good. Politics affects our lives every single day. We must talk, reasonably, about them and not in an echo chamber or how can we grow and learn?

I confess that I have reached the point where I am not interested in a conversation about Obama. I know all I care to know about this person. The time comes when you decide you have all the information you need to make a decision.

I’ve reached that point.

Having reached my decision based on information garnered over many months I don’t want to argue about it anymore. You have your idea and I have mine and if we are both content then that’s that. Right?

For most of my family that’s okay. However one Obamacrat Granddaughter regards me as a traitor and has even gone so far as to suggest a bit of racism on my part. I nipped that in the bud quickly and forcefully. I do not hate my Obamacrat Granddaughter. I confess to being a little disappointed because she doesn’t make a good argument for her choice. She spouts talking points and facts run off her like water off a duck’s back. She was raised better but now, sigh, seems to only listen to her boyfriend; a condescending jerk who regards me as an over-the-hill senile female person unable to understand and appreciate his brilliance.

So here we sit. Still a family divided but not with good humor and respect for other’s opinions. Now if you don’t agree with one side or another there’s a pretty fair chance you will NOT be receiving a Christmas card this year. Who knew; disagree with a relative and save a tree.