Last night we celebrated the Chinese New Year by having dinner with two of the families who traveled with us in China in 2001 when we all adopted our daughters. We decorated our house with banners and lanterns. We had a whole chicken, a whole fish and a platter of dumplings (and lots of other food). The girls were dressed in fancy Chinese dresses or jackets and played non-stop (and without a single argument). And the adults talked for hours about family and friends and life. Out of the blue, one of the other mothers said "I've decided I'm supporting Obama." And this was a major surprise since both of these families are Republican.
While we were traveling in China, my older daughter found out (at age 12, unafraid to offend) that these two families were Republican. For once in my life I kept my mouth shut (amazing but true), and we simply didn't discuss politics. (except when my older daughter made remarks and everyone loved her so much it didn't matter. Wouldn't have worked for me!).
I've always thought it was odd that the women in these two families were Republican -- the mother in one was a union member and defended unions when her husband attacked them. And they invited the non-straight family (two mothers) in our group to stay with them when we had a reunion of our China traveling group. The mother in the other family expressed views about social issues (race, religion, interracial marriage, gay rights, etc.) that seemed much more in line with Democratic beliefs.
When this mother announced her support of Obama and saw our surprised faces, she said "well you know, I've always been a Democrat on social issues." (Her husband, BTW, has not decided yet -- but I think that's a good sign).
What I take from this development is 2 things:
- Obama really does appeal to both Democrats, Independents, and the almost extinct moderate Republicans.
- the excesses of the last 7 years, particularly the last 4 years, have driven off some of the Republicans. They may not be Democrats, but they certainly aren't Republicans any more.
It leaves me a bit hopeful for the future -- that the tide really is turning and that the extremists on the right have alienated the middle-most people in this country.
p.s. other good news: both mothers and at least one of the fathers were in agreement with me that gay people should have the same marriage rights as straight people. One of the mothers went as far as saying that legal recognition is important not only because of the financial & legal benefits of marriage, but also because of the recognition of a committed relationship. She's the one who's supporting Obama.