The Note I Just Got from my Stepsister.

by Little Miss Attila on December 22, 2008

Hm. After I’d sent what I thought was a playful note to her, asking her if she could pass it along to her brother and his beau that I’d been nominated for Grande Conservative Blogress Diva—and could they pretend to be conservative long enough to vote for me?—I got this:

Joy, while I want to maintain a civil, and even freiendly, relationship with you, I can tell you without a doubt that none of your conservative nonsense would be of interest to my brother, to [his BF], or to me.

I personally believe that your ideology is born of selfishness and lack of compassion. Everyone I have ever met who has truly cared for others has had a liberal political philosophy.

Please do not send me any more of your political e-mails.

And then I remembered talking to Gay Patriot West at a Conservative political function, and the passion with which he told us how much more he was accepted as a gay man among conservatives, versus as a conservative among many mainstream gays.

“What’s the worst that you get in crowds like this?” I asked him. (It was a very red-meat sort of event; the median belief system was far to my own right.)

“A lifted eyebrow, sometimes. Or an allusion to ‘the gay agenda.’ But if I were at a mainstream gay event and someone found out I was a Republican, I’d have butter on my tie right now.”

I thought he was exaggerating. Or, I guess, I hoped that he was but knew deep down that he was not.

It is difficult sometimes to accept, having been raised as a Liberal—and remaining a Classical Liberal—that most of those who apply that word to themselves simply are not anything of the kind any more—many of them are closed-off, shut-down, and intellectually dead.

I oughtn’t to feel hurt; I ought to feel pity.

Oh, and: vote for me. I dare ya.

{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

wpdunn71901 December 22, 2008 at 8:58 pm

Ive come to consider “Liberalism” or as it really is these days Neo-Socialism, is in many ways a mental illness
some of your issues and beliefs, i virulently disagree with, but unlike the self righteous lefties, you can explain your position with fact

oh, and i voted for ya

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Little Miss Attila December 22, 2008 at 9:14 pm

I just find myself a bit shocked that people who consider themselves bright and educated don’t want to talk about ideas in any way that might possibly challenge their own belief systems.

It probably goes without saying, but there are a number of arenas in which my husband and I disagree with each other about issues we are respetively passionate about. Now that is a bit more tricky than getting into a fun argument with some of the center-right SoCal profs and lawyers about whatever-it-was we took on at our last blog-gathering, but it can be done with respect and sensitivity.

The personal attack + “we can’t talk about this any more” is what A the H calls the “drive-by” technique of political discussion–one throws out insults and then demurs from further discussion, lest one’s ideas be challenged.

And < http://www.darleenclick.com/weblog/>Darleen and I have had arguments that lasted for years; on one issue, she managed to “flip” me after years of vigorous back-and-forth.

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Alin December 23, 2008 at 12:41 am

So basically this uptight, humorless broad has no sense of humor and a serious case of bigoted condescension. You’re right to feel hurt, and noble to pity her. She needs pity. She’s pathetic.

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Horatio December 23, 2008 at 6:17 am

I have an old friend who gets offended if I dare to suggest anything wrong with Obama, his positions, his “blackness”, or anything else. He suggests that it is comparable to him calling me a Nazi (I happen to be Jewish). His hatred of GWB made it impossible to have any discussions with him during the election, and even now, can’t deal with dissenting opinions. as a result, our email exchanges have become pure pablum.

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Jeb December 23, 2008 at 9:32 am

So you’re one of those rude half wits who forwards “DUMBOCRATS WANT TO RAISE YOUR TAXES AND GAY MARRY YOUR DOG” emails to everybody on their list and you think your stepsister is closed minded for not wanted to read that trash?

You people are so fucking crazy.

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Little Miss Attila December 23, 2008 at 9:44 am

Jeb:

New around here, huh?

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Darrell December 23, 2008 at 11:07 am

Sore losers.
Sore winners.
Change.

Merry Christmas to all.

P.S. Democrats do want to raise your taxes. But it’s a secret so keep it to yourself. Nobody wants to marry your dog.

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SumGi December 23, 2008 at 9:54 pm

Thy’re not raising my taxes because I’m not filthy stinking rich.

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Darrell December 24, 2008 at 9:18 am

If they repeal the Bush tax cuts, or let them expire, your taxes will go up.
A single taxpayer making $30, 000 paid $8400 in taxes in 1999. The same person with the same income paid $4500 in 2008, cetreris paribus. I know that last part is somewhat redundant since I stipulated “same”, but I like writing “ceteris paribus.” I haven’t done so in 30 years.

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Gordon December 24, 2008 at 9:51 pm

SumGi, dude, there are so many ways you’re going to pay more BESIDES higher taxes.

You know all those “green” initiatives? Let’s just take wind and solar power. The big utilities are already heavy into both, and when Obama and Co. pass laws requiring more wind and solar power, the utilities will cheerfully comply. Then they pass the costs (amazingly high costs) on to YOU, the customer. What’s more, wind capacity is useless without matching conventional capacity (for when the wind is too weak, or too strong, or not blowing at all; in other words, most of the time). But they ain’t gonna let the utilities build coal or nuclear plants, or the sophisticated, upgraded grids to get the power to the people.

So you’re gonna pay a lot more, and there won’t be enough power to meet demand, which drives the price up further…dude, you’re gonna pay, and pay, and pay.

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