Love and Politics
Imagine how awkward a date can be when you realize you have polar opposite views on politics. It happens a lot more than you would think. A reader emailed about being hugely disappointed that her new beau has staunch conservative views. She is concerned that it is something that can’t really be reconciled in a relationship. She wonders if she should even try.
Do you think that in order for a relationship to have a shot at lasting, you have to have the exact same outlook on politics?
Have you ever dated someone who had vastly different political opinions than your own? How did you make it work?
Election night was probably the best night to meet someone with shared political views or interests. Did you meet anyone fascinating while you were waiting on election results?
How important is it to have aligned political beliefs? Would you consider it a deal breaker?
By Wise Diva, Misadventures in Atlanta Dating Blog
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226 comments Add your comment
Leggs
November 7th, 2012
3:29 pm
I agree Comon. I’m just glad it’s all over and hopefully people will start playing “nice” again! – Girl, it’s about to get ugly AGAIN!
kimmie
November 7th, 2012
3:29 pm
Some folks are just going to beyotch and moan regardless. 2 weeks ago my company reclassified almost every job in my department. Almost everyone is in a higher pay range now, a higher bonus percentage, and a fancier job title! When I went around to give everyone on my team their letters spelling all this out from HR, they were all so grateful. They said they appreciated that the company finally recognized their work. 2 of my employees cried.
But I got very disgusted with one of my buddies on another team. She went on about how they should have done it a long time ago and other folks in the company doing similiar work were still probably making more than we were. I told her better late than never and how it would have been so easy and so much cheaper for the company to ship our job overseas. They chose not to do that and are sticking with us. She told me I was right and looked embarassed!
disco
November 7th, 2012
3:31 pm
CC – yep. I get it. always a passing of the buck when it comes to blame. still, it does seem like obama gets more than his fair share of blame and the blame with him sounds personal. before it was more like the democrats blaming the republicans or vice versa but folks are blaming obama like he stoled their damned bikes.
kimmie – some people. you should borrow CC’s pink slip and give it to that chick. lol.
Buckshot Pryor
November 7th, 2012
3:31 pm
Six Feet Under does have a nice selection of beer on tap…
Afternoon, peeps.
Leggs
November 7th, 2012
3:33 pm
So I see 4 “yes” for Six Feet Under.
i'm swiss
November 7th, 2012
3:35 pm
Ooops, look at that… I forgot I still had my p0rnstar suit on…
Off topic (what else is new?): I think it might be time to move to Colorado or Washington state…
disco
November 7th, 2012
3:37 pm
aww sookie sookie now. swiss been walking around all day in a porn star suit. did you get any crazy looks or any weird propositions? sounds like no one said anything to you at all which means they probably ignored you only to talk about you behind your back. <> “who does he think he is? long dong silver”. lol.
i'm swiss
November 7th, 2012
3:38 pm
BTW, Me.lo — If you’re lurking… What did you do to your girl Diane Sawyer last night? She was downright giddy — did you dust off some cobwebs?
i'm swiss
November 7th, 2012
3:40 pm
disco — Nah, more like Long Dong Kinda-Pinkish-Fleshtoned.
Single and Happy
November 7th, 2012
3:45 pm
Comon @ your 2:50 (rotflmao)
Sassy, just kidding dang (LOL) I know I’m not going to make it rain, but I can bring my penny jar and make it hail (LOL)
Leggs
November 7th, 2012
3:45 pm
Ok, swiss, I’ll go with giddy (lol).
Comon ¢
November 7th, 2012
3:46 pm
I think it might be time to move to Colorado or Washington state…
I’m with you on Colorado, but the ex lives in Washington State and I don’t want to be anywhere near him.
Not even the lure of legalized ganja could make me move there.
HappyMarriage
November 7th, 2012
3:46 pm
My parents have been married happily for 37 years. My mom is extremely liberal and democratic. My dad is the Chairman of the local Republican committee and he’s about as conservative as it gets. They are happily married and continue to have opposing views. So it can work, I’ve seen it! Also, it was great as a child to learn/see both opinions of my parents so I could make my own opinions/choices of which party I sided toward.
Comon ¢
November 7th, 2012
3:47 pm
S/H~ I just hate judgemental pr!cks like that! Ughhhh! It is so frustrating to me!
disco
November 7th, 2012
3:50 pm
happy marriage – that’s why I’m both for and against labels (though mostly against). some labels are fitting but often time you don’t fit neatly into the labeled box. I know I’m conservative in some areas, liberal in others. some areas I’m flexible, some areas I will absolutely refuse to budge.
CC – you are in rare form today. firing folks, calling people names. I know it’s not because you aren’t getting any so what’s really up? lol.
Rich
November 7th, 2012
3:51 pm
Congrats to Obumbum on his re-election even though I did not vote for him nor did my Fiancée, honestly we really did not care who won, I didn’t find out till I got to work today. Now on dating someone with different political views is fine as long they are not extreme about it much like sports fanatics. Thats why I lubs my woman she is just as mellow as I am, thats why we are getting married next feb. But I will admit though some of Obum’s supporters sure have been rude today, I guess because of my religious views I am supposed to be offended of the re-election? Fat Chance!
Sassy Me...Juicy Fruit ;-)
November 7th, 2012
3:51 pm
No problem Single…so are you coming with us to 6 feet under and/or The Flame…or neither?
We still haven’t set a time…is 8:30 or 9 too late?
Single and Happy
November 7th, 2012
3:52 pm
comon, honestly from past post, would you expect anything else??
Swiss you may do alright in Colorado, but on a trip out there, I was in a Target and you wouldn’t believe how many folks were asking me if I needed any help, hell even the security guard offered some help. and Washington State wasn’t much better (LOL)
NullOp
November 7th, 2012
3:53 pm
Being that so many people are absolutely certain they are right beyond any remote question I doubt love can exist in that environment. People, if one, absolutely right way to run a country existed it would have been discovered and followed a long time ago. Governments exist to benefit certain groups of people. Don’t doubt it. Obama has been touted as the best president for business since 1900. Now does that sound like he’s pro-people. In any case, give a little, people.
Single and Happy
November 7th, 2012
3:53 pm
Sassy I would love to meet you guys, but please lets leave the drama at home.
sonria
November 7th, 2012
3:59 pm
Being a Catholic woman who’s also a political liberal has its disadvantages. Such as the fact that I pretty much can’t date at all unless I’m willing to be…flexible.
To be honest, I’ve found that I actually prefer dating conservatives who know I’m liberal, versus liberals themselves. The reason? With the conservatives, we’ve been able to talk about things in a respectful manner that’s based in the fact that we realize we want the same thing — a safe, prosperous country. We simply disagree about the best way to accomplish that, and where exactly the line lies between “personal lifestyle choice” and “protecting vulnerable members of society.”
Liberals, on the other hand, have generally proven impatient whenever I’ve insisted on acting in accordance with my values in terms of my *personal choices*. The way they see it, if I’m willing to “compromise” my religion by being a liberal in the first place (it’s no compromise to be a Catholic liberal if you are also pro-life, and I am), I should be willing to compromise my personal choices too. They’ve also proven far less respectful of my religious beliefs.
For example, I hold to the Church teaching about artificial birth control. When I’ve dated conservatives, they understood that I insist on it being my belief and won’t vote to force it on others. When I’ve dated liberals, they’ve gotten angry when I, personally, refused to use artificial birth control. In my mind, the latter is far less tolerant than the former.
Do I think it’s easy? No. But do I think it’s possible? My experience says YES, absolutely and in fact in some situations it might even be preferable for those of us who aren’t 100% conservative or 100% liberal.
i'm swiss
November 7th, 2012
4:01 pm
S/H — I’m not sure I follow…
Exiled!
November 7th, 2012
4:02 pm
Swiss…YES..stretched Forward, i gave her one good Virtual throbing!
I was down in the Hyde Park Chaitown with the Obams…it was electric.awesome night.
I shed a tear…History..with Bruce tune in the playing background!
CS
November 7th, 2012
4:02 pm
Great. So my gf is now emailing the paper about it.
Comon ¢
November 7th, 2012
4:03 pm
8:30 sounds great because the restaurant shouldn’t be too packed by then and it gives us plenty of time to hang and get down to the Flame by 11:30. So, who’s all in?
disco~ I’m getting plenty, but if I have a pet peeve it is people who want me to respect their views but then trample all over mine. Live and let live. Honestly, I am glad that Obama made history. However, we have survived under presidents that were great and we have survived under presidents that were not so great. It’s four year. In the grand scheme of things, it is a drop in the time space continuum. Get over it or celebrate, but either way, let’s just STFU and move on! Can I tell you? I was actually THRILLED about Hurrican Sandy because it gave my newsfeed something besides political posts. I love politics and debating as much as the next person, but we have gone WAY beyond that with these past two elections and it has been down right ugly. That takes all of the fun out of the debate for me. IJS…
Single and Happy
November 7th, 2012
4:04 pm
Swiss, I was in the Denver area, and even though the political views may be open, the racial tension was still there. Didn’t see many black men out there, and everywhere I went I could tell from the minute I got to the rental car desk.
kimmie
November 7th, 2012
4:04 pm
Exiled – Dang, I would have paid to be there! Exciting, inspiring stuff!!
i'm swiss
November 7th, 2012
4:06 pm
S/H — Ohhhh, they wanted to “help” you not rob them.
Gotcha.
Jake-SPJTWB
November 7th, 2012
4:06 pm
what the hellz happenin in here to today?
Single and Happy
November 7th, 2012
4:06 pm
tomorrow peps have a great evening
Single and Happy
November 7th, 2012
4:07 pm
Swiss that’s exactly how I felt
Sassy Me...Juicy Fruit ;-)
November 7th, 2012
4:08 pm
I would love to meet you guys, but please lets leave the drama at home.
You’ve got me confrused…no drama over here.
So what’s the tally so far?
kimmie
November 7th, 2012
4:09 pm
Comon – I agree, if it was just about the difference in opinion on policy, I can deal all day. But this mess has gotten ugly. For example, every since the 2008 election, one of my coworkers has this screen saver on his iPhone of a little girl giving the middle finger. The caption says Screw U Oba—! He puts it in my view whenever he can. I completely ignore it.
Single – Been to Denver a few times, got that same vibe.
i'm swiss
November 7th, 2012
4:11 pm
S/H — In defense of my people, though, while I’m sure some of them had nefarious motives for offering to “help,” a lot of them may have just been a little too excited to prove how open minded they were by offering to help a black dude. They don’t get many such opportunities out there, as you could see…
Comon ¢
November 7th, 2012
4:11 pm
kimmie~ Exactly. Regardless of your opinion of the President, he IS the leader of the free world and that alone should command respect.
Bluzgirl
November 7th, 2012
4:11 pm
I’ve been to Seattle and got the feeling it was pretty diverse…There were ALL types of people there and it was so laid back. Never been to Colorado…
Exiled!
November 7th, 2012
4:15 pm
Kimmie, i went to bed well after 3..00 am…It was Nice…You know you are having fun when u embrace women and men,kids etc,strangers and there is not agenda…
By the time i got to my lil aprt..i was just sweaty and smelly and just crashed..
It was a nite for the history books, a nite to savor.
wish i was there with my kids…
kinda related:I had received a call from my son(7)previous nite around 9 pm, while on a biz call..i said son, let me call u tmrw, im busy…then i got a guity consciense and text him to explain..i wil call u tmrw when u come back from school…he text back..daddy, tmrw is elections, we aint going to school….so i asked him..so, who u voting for tmrw, between Obama and Romney?
He text back, Daddy, i vote already at school, i vote for Obama! Brilliant, I text back…and he responds,’Thanks Dad”..like an adult! I couldnt be more proud of my son! LOL..
Wish he was there with all my fam
Comon ¢
November 7th, 2012
4:15 pm
swiss~ You stoopid. (Although I see your point) BTW, I like the song you sent. You done hipped me to some new isht. (At least new for me…)
MsAtl
November 7th, 2012
4:16 pm
Rich- if you truly did not care who won, why are you referring to the President as “Obumbum”? are you including yourself in the rude group? I have seen bad behavior from both sides, although I have to admit that the behavior from the Obama supporters seemed to be more bragging while the behavior from the Romney supporters seemed to be more rude and disrespectful. As I said earlier, at least respect the office regardless of who is sitting in the chair. The election is over, let’s get down to business (but hopefully not “business as usual”)
kimmie
November 7th, 2012
4:16 pm
Bluzgirl – Well now in Seattle they will be even MORE Laid Back..!!!LOL!! Actually that’s a place I’ve always wanted to got.
Comon ¢
November 7th, 2012
4:18 pm
MsAtl~ IDK. Whoever said the comment earlier about drinking lots of water because there are going to be a whole lot of salty crackas today, well, that’s just downright rude… IJS
Bluzgirl
November 7th, 2012
4:18 pm
kimmie – True dat! It is a beautiful place. I was lucky to be able to visit twice. Unfortunately, it was when I was dating Psycho in Seattle, but I still had fun and got to see a lot of the city.
i'm swiss
November 7th, 2012
4:20 pm
Comon — Glad you dug it. You know what makes that band even better? Weed.
Leggs
November 7th, 2012
4:20 pm
Being a Catholic woman who’s also a political liberal has its disadvantages. Such as the fact that I pretty much can’t date at all unless I’m willing to be…flexible.
Isn’t being flexible while dating part of dating? I’m not talking limber flexible, but one must be flexible so compromise can come into the picture. Not saying one has to compromise their morals or their character, but being flexible is important.
sonria ~ are you putting too much pressure on yourself?
Bluzgirl
November 7th, 2012
4:21 pm
MsAtl – I’ve seen a ton of rudeness on both sides today on Facebook, but honestly, most of it has been from the Obama supporters. I’m just appalled at some of my friends (on both sides). I don’t bring up my political views in a public forum because I don’t want to deal with the hatred from both sides of the coin. I’ve lost respect for a lot of people in the past few months…
MsAtl
November 7th, 2012
4:22 pm
Common- that’s true. I am speaking from my personal opinion based on what I have experienced and seen on my FB feed. I have definitely seen some rude stuff on both sides, but I think the Romney supporters took first place on that one.
disco
November 7th, 2012
4:24 pm
CC – got you. pet peeves will take you there.
S/H – just last night a little fellow in the shoe store offered me too much help, too many times. I let it slide though. he was a young’un and probably truly just anxious to be helpful. now, not too long ago I was in a jewelry store. a typical jewelry store where every daggone thing is locked up in the case!!! this chick literally came out from behind the glass to walk with me as I browsed. now mind you she didn’t walk with me, walk with me but after I moved here she’d come. I finally just asked her for a business card and promptly went home and emailed the company about her. they sent me a $100 gift card.
Celisea.....smoooooove riding
November 7th, 2012
4:24 pm
Comon – Your comments have pretty much teetered on rude today while “correcting” others. IJS
Celisea.....smoooooove riding
November 7th, 2012
4:26 pm
I just read at least three posts that came off as being rude. Rude backlash will never solve a thing. IJS
disco
November 7th, 2012
4:27 pm
CC – re the wrong comment, it was me. yes. it was rude. I still thought it was funny though.
ex – a co-worker was telling me that her kindergartner had a mock vote at school.