Joe and I had some good times. I knew that our opinions differed on many things, but I held my tongue. I thought there might be a day of reckoning sometime, when I'd tell him to f#$% off because I just couldn't stand it anymore, but I was hoping to stave off that day with our mutual interests and the times we've shared. Until yesterday.
I never got to tell him all I'd wanted to say, because he was hurling invective before I had the chance to defend my positions. It started with my personal blog in which I dared I to state my Dem candidate of choice, and went on to opine that there are fatal flaws in all of the Republic candidates:
I'm on pins and needles waiting to see who gets the nod for each party. I can't predict it at this point; it seems like anyone's game. I really wonder who the Republicans will choose. It seems like each one has some kind of issue. I don't really care if Mitt Romney is a Mormon or not, but apparently a lot of people do, and they can't look beyond it. I heard his speech, a la JFK, in which he stated "Freedom requires religion; religion requires freedom". I had to look around my house to look for the prison bars, because I'm not religious-so I'm not free (?). Rudy's had a lot of scandals lately, and I'm not sure if the majority of the right wing is going to be too excited that he's a pro-choice, pro-gay candidate. Huckabee, well, hmm. I guess he's a good choice if one is evangelical. Personally, I have no plans of graciously submitting to my husband, though, so I think I will leave his box unchecked. Fred Thompson was supposed to inject a shot of adrenalin into the party, but I think it got accidentally switched with a sedative because he puts me to sleep. Plus, apparently, his most prized possession is his trophy wife (possession?). Hunter, Tancredo, and Paul-don't have a shot. Though Paul has a huge grassroots following. Smart money? I think it's on McCain. He has some downsides, too-he's not a huge social conservative. He tried to promote some immigration legislation that some on the right were really, really pissed about. He is also the biggest hawk in the bunch. I don't know how that will go over with the majority of the country who are against the occupation in the general election. However, I think he has the best shot of all the (R)s. I'm a die-hard Dem, so I will probably vote for the nominee no matter who it is.
I was confused by his initial response to my blog:
I have a suggestion. TURN YOUR TV OFF!! When you allow your opinions to be shaped by a blathering fool like Obermann (sic) you are a candidate for the Jerry Springer Show. I appreciate that you are interested in the candidates but remember the talking heads in the media have their own agenda. Anyway if you want an idiot in the White House vote for Kuccinich (sic). An Ohio (Cleveland) bred goober. Remember Jimmy Carter had "new ideas", wanted to negotiate, allowed the Soviets to kill and maim 180,000 Afgans, had double digit inflation & unemployment (which hurts the poor the most). But he is a "smart man". Anyway, the 2008 is becoming a media event and destined for mediocracy.
The discussion devolved from there. I was asked (no, that's not quite right, because that would imply graciousness)-bullied-toward explaining and justifying my vote. You see, my friend claimed to have an open mind. He told me that I'm a remarkable woman, and thus should be able to convince him. I refused, citing his tone and attitude, refusing to enter into debate with him given the vitriol, which was way out of proportion to my blog. I was promptly told that I can't defend my position and that I have nothing to stand on. See, I knew that he wasn't actually open-minded. I know that he just wanted ammunition with which to attempt beat me into the ground. He also denied that he had ever meant to insult me, or to lower the level of discourse (those are my words, I'm not sure he'd understand what that statement means after reading that one of his goals is to get people off of the "welfare roles" (sic)).
Finally, I had to let it/him go. Finally, I'd realized that I can't stand dealing with him at all. We have different values, and I abhor his. We aren't going to change each other's minds. I can't decide if he is intellectually dishonest, or more charitably, just ignorant. Here is the ideal platform for his candidate, quoted below:
They must believe in smaller government. Less taxes, less spending, get the federal government back within the confines of the Constitution. Out of schools, out of medicine, out of our private lives. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Read the Fair Tax proposal. Bring back competition with out government interference. There is a lot more but that is the basics. The quickest way to a great economy and kill jobs is to raise taxes and impose more rules & regulations. On the surface, except for his Iraq plan, Ron Paul says the right things.
Sad and confusing thing is, my ex friend is in the lower to middle class, is not religious, and drives a big rig truck for a living. I would have told him that he can drive his truck safely from state to state because some liberal fought to allocate funds for infrastructure because they understood that there are communal needs in society that government is best suited to provide, and because it protects these services from bad business practices (corruption, lack of accountability, profit as sole motivation, racism, classism). I never got the chance, though, because like everything else, it would have gone in one ear and out the other. Even though I'd like to choke him, I hope that we get a new Dem president who helps keep us all safer, so he can keep on truckin'. Whether he can see and appreciate it or not.
A few acknowledgements: my blog isn't on DKos, and I know that by posting it I did open myself up for replies. I should have a thicker skin. I also know this is also one of many diaries of people with this experience here-and I probably should have known better than to get sucked in, though I asked him to kindly drop it, that we would have to just agree to disagree. He refused. I just really wanted to vent here, partially because I (naively) believed that I wasn't going to get attacked so viciously by someone who I thought was a friend. Why did it have to get so ugly? What to do about the people in our lives who think like this?