Reply #210: Through work I've gotten to know some Republican men who are good human beings [View All]

[Tom Rinaldo]

I'm a straight attached male so I never view them as potential mates, lol, but some of those guys are kind, decent and even generous on a personal level. A few have become causual friends and we can tease each other lightly about politics but don't go deeper. I've gotten to know one pretty well and we have some interestng philisophical/political debates.

Granted these are the type Republicans who can honestly feel sympathy for the victims of the Haitian earthquake, for example, but there are a lot of Republicans who can. I suppose you cqn call them honest compassionate conservatives of the sort George W. Bush was trying to pass as. They pretty much believe that Democratic attempts to make things better for people who need help tend to make things worse in the long run for everyone, that Democrats have too much trust in government solving problems etc.

I can understand how it is possible to have love for such a Republican on a personal level, if you could somehow divorce yourself from the larger picture.

It seems clear from what you say though that you can't. You don't just hold liberal views you have an activist's passion to fight for what you believe in, and you can't be someone who you are not. Maybe you should give yourself a little more credit, chances are you see some honeslty good things in this guy, your taste may not be quite as suspect as you think. Having said that it's probably not best for either of you to keep going the way it is. You aren't getting the support you need fighting for something really important to you, and he keeps being a surrate target for the anger you have for what Republicans are doing to this nation. It's hard to see how that can work out over the long run.