Article: How to Love a :"Right" Person

    First, a disclaimer. With a family, many of whom are still looking for Communists, I have practice. I delight in my relationship with siblings and abide Kansas cousins. Memory of my parents is precious. In summary, folks are folks.
   As has been pointed out by others, there is a bit of Democrat in Republicans. And nowadays a lot is made of the Republican in Democrats. I take such utterances as a show of frustration on the part of speakers, regardless of how they’re registered to vote.
   Pollyanna would not be happy with my “live and let live” stance on political matters. And neither would political operatives find me worth their arguments. For I am a dedicated student of politics, down to candidates’ hair styles and TV commentator’s reruns. However, to me, it’s the philosophy, Stupid. Political philosophy.
   On a line which stretches from the most neanderthal to the most off-the-wall, comes my dissection of where the person I converse with fits. The line goes from reactionary to radical. The reactionary sees a need to replace the current system with one only history books can describe. The radical, looking to tear out the status quo, wants to fashion a new system based on their own desires. If taken seriously, those bi-polar philosophies bespeak anarchy. They are non-starters.
   The gradations of old-think to current-muddle to new-thought brings out labels which give full time employment to Political Science professors. I prefer to look at my friends and possible friends one voter at a time. Take for example Russ2. Tuesday morning, we will go for breakfast and early voting in the Tennessee primary. It is our tradition, and he always reminds me he is taking me to the court house to cancel out my vote. I look forward to this time, since I will take a Democratic ballot and he most assuredly won’t.
   I respect Russ2 and can be grateful for the many kindnesses he and his family have shown me. We are of the WWII generation, and started out as early FDR admirers. With the aid of a union, his path to economic success took him to a nice house, a loving wife and four succeeding Boomer children. I once showed him an essay where I used the words “raised by Freud and challenged by Friedan” and he did not know who Betty Friedan was . He experienced the shock of a woman supervisor at his factory, once the Union was confronted by EEOC. Russ2 turned into a Reagan Democrat, which is to say he is for less government as long as it doesn’t interfere with what the Army needs. And his main political interest is to see that his gun rights are not tampered with. We have discussed the change to a professional army and agree it may have been a mistake. We make fun of the pork which our savvy Representative brings to our town as it strives to become a city. We are worried about the lack of learning in our public schools. On some topics, he proclaims himself to be an Independent. It makes him really upset when Medicare rules raie his fees. I take that in stride, avoiding the prescription folly.
   There you have it! An old, white, NRA member, who thinks education should have more science and history in high school. A tired male who recognizes that his daughters have a lot to offer, just as his sons do. Southern from the gitgo and macho on the shop floor. Grandfather of three teen girls who are precious for their learning.
   So think of the two us, curmudgeons despite college degrees, and you have a glimpse of how we in the reddest part of a red state communicate.