New York transplants asking about the general politics of the DC area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Richmond needs to end it's ties with Philip Morris

Like others have said, there's a strong nanny state/"I want to control what you do because I know better than you" element in this area. This post is case-in-point.

As an LGTBQ family, you will feel very welcomed here (I'm LGBTQ too). You're unlikely to have anyone in your face complaining about you, but some older black residents in older neighborhoods might not be embracing you with open arms (I say that from personal experience; most are awesome but some are just not very accepting). However, nobody under 40 in any area around here will care that you are gay. LGBTQ people here are very visible and most straight people are extremely affirming and supportive.

The biggest thing that I can add to the great posts in this thread is that in the District, most residents are disengaged in local politics except for NIMBY matters. Crime and corruption barely register a blip but remove a tree and the wrath of the community comes out in full force. It's weird but a byproduct of the transience and that many people living here are more invested in national-level matters that they came here to work on. There's a lot of liberal guilt in this area that honestly challenges my own liberalism. I live in a neighborhood with a lot of older people who have strong activist traits. They are the kind people who go to every public water board meeting, every ANC meeting, ever liquor license review. Nobody I know under 70 does that.

Don't let anyone worry you about Virginia. Northern Virginia is extremely diverse and highly educated. Even Richmond has a very lively LGBTQ community. The only backwards people in Virginia live far away in the sticks and don't have much clout in political issues anymore.

I'm in Alexandria but this post is interesting. I think it's all completely accurate, especially the Richmond part - surprising and terrific city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Takoma Park is ground zero for the far left and known for ideology over intellect and passion over pragmatism. Lots of untalented arts and crafts wanna bees. Get ready for old lady crafts, cats, and bad pottery. They think they are the Berkeley of the east coast, they have never been to Berkeley.

Silver Spring is mostly faux liberals who couldn't afford Bethesda and are bitter about it. They are a very hypocritical group who brag about liking diversity while segregating themselves within their schools. Not a bright group but they will love you if you are gay ....as long as you are white.

Kensington- pocket of conservative Catholics and people praying that when MCOS rezones they'll get out of Einstein and into BCC.

Arlington -liberal or centrist democrat with a few establishment Republicans. More concerned with on trend kitchen remodels than politics though.

Alexandria - liberal to centrist. Wants to be Annapolis, antiqu'ing becomes a verb in Old Town.

Bethesda -where to start. Centrist to liberal left with closet Republican fiscal leanings. Locally turning right because they feel they get stuck with the bill for the loony policies coming out of TP and SS. There is a dress code.

Potomac - republicans.

No.....tons of leftys in Potomac

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pets are just as important as politics in this equation. OP- do you have pets?

We've already established that TP is the home of cat ladies. If you're a dog couple then move to Chevy Chase. Everyone in Chevy Chase has a dog, if your dog is a cat eating dog even better. Politics in CC is very global as in everyone talks about their glamorous global job that is connected to politics.

If you have large sporting dogs and always thought if you weren't a lesbian then Dick Cheney would be your dream guy then head to old McLean. By old McLean ,the house needs to be near Langley, huge and built before 1980 when McLean turned into people who worked at AOL and now work at some other tech company. Political conversation is all about defense contracts and Reagan era political maneuvers.

If you have a dog breed with the word -doodle or -orky in it then you aren't allowed in old McLean. You'll need to buy one of the huge houses in Great Falls and just say you live in McLean. Politics lean center right and your neighbors probably voted for Trump (hoping for lower taxes) but wont admit it. NPR is very popular as everyone has hours in the car with nothing else to listen to during the ride.

I'm dead on this one. Hilarious. Although I have a large hunting dog and live in NE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma Park is ground zero for the far left and known for ideology over intellect and passion over pragmatism. Lots of untalented arts and crafts wanna bees. Get ready for old lady crafts, cats, and bad pottery. They think they are the Berkeley of the east coast, they have never been to Berkeley.

Silver Spring is mostly faux liberals who couldn't afford Bethesda and are bitter about it. They are a very hypocritical group who brag about liking diversity while segregating themselves within their schools. Not a bright group but they will love you if you are gay ....as long as you are white.

Kensington- pocket of conservative Catholics and people praying that when MCOS rezones they'll get out of Einstein and into BCC.

Arlington -liberal or centrist democrat with a few establishment Republicans. More concerned with on trend kitchen remodels than politics though.

Alexandria - liberal to centrist. Wants to be Annapolis, antiqu'ing becomes a verb in Old Town.

Bethesda -where to start. Centrist to liberal left with closet Republican fiscal leanings. Locally turning right because they feel they get stuck with the bill for the loony policies coming out of TP and SS. There is a dress code.

Potomac - republicans.

No.....tons of leftys in Potomac

Let me translate this into Montgomery Countyan:

Potomac = Republicans. David Blair = Potomac. Even if David Blair would make a perfectly left-of-mainstream Democrat in any national sphere, he was a hardline conservative rightwing candidate here.
Ocasio Cortez is now the standard bearer for the Elrich left. If you're not a Socialist, you cannot pass the Takoma Park/Silver Spring purity test, and you can't win Montgomery County without Takoma Park/Silver Spring.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Takoma Park is ground zero for the far left and known for ideology over intellect and passion over pragmatism. Lots of untalented arts and crafts wanna bees. Get ready for old lady crafts, cats, and bad pottery. They think they are the Berkeley of the east coast, they have never been to Berkeley.

Silver Spring is mostly faux liberals who couldn't afford Bethesda and are bitter about it. They are a very hypocritical group who brag about liking diversity while segregating themselves within their schools. Not a bright group but they will love you if you are gay ....as long as you are white.

Kensington- pocket of conservative Catholics and people praying that when MCOS rezones they'll get out of Einstein and into BCC.

Arlington -liberal or centrist democrat with a few establishment Republicans. More concerned with on trend kitchen remodels than politics though.

Alexandria - liberal to centrist. Wants to be Annapolis, antiqu'ing becomes a verb in Old Town.

Bethesda -where to start. Centrist to liberal left with closet Republican fiscal leanings. Locally turning right because they feel they get stuck with the bill for the loony policies coming out of TP and SS. There is a dress code.

Potomac - republicans.

Yes, Takoma Park is ground zero for people who treat others with kindness and respect regardless of their background or beliefs. I know that seems like the radical left to Fox news fans but to many it's still just common decency.

[Anonymous]

McLean was where most of Bush's cabinet lived. Takoma was where the bulk of Obama's lived.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma Park is ground zero for the far left and known for ideology over intellect and passion over pragmatism. Lots of untalented arts and crafts wanna bees. Get ready for old lady crafts, cats, and bad pottery. They think they are the Berkeley of the east coast, they have never been to Berkeley.

Silver Spring is mostly faux liberals who couldn't afford Bethesda and are bitter about it. They are a very hypocritical group who brag about liking diversity while segregating themselves within their schools. Not a bright group but they will love you if you are gay ....as long as you are white.

Kensington- pocket of conservative Catholics and people praying that when MCOS rezones they'll get out of Einstein and into BCC.

Arlington -liberal or centrist democrat with a few establishment Republicans. More concerned with on trend kitchen remodels than politics though.

Alexandria - liberal to centrist. Wants to be Annapolis, antiqu'ing becomes a verb in Old Town.

Bethesda -where to start. Centrist to liberal left with closet Republican fiscal leanings. Locally turning right because they feel they get stuck with the bill for the loony policies coming out of TP and SS. There is a dress code.

Potomac - republicans.

Yes, Takoma Park is ground zero for people who treat others with kindness and respect regardless of their background or beliefs. I know that seems like the radical left to Fox news fans but to many it's still just common decency.

No, Takoma Park really is to the left of the left of the left. It's a nuclear-free sanctuary city where it's hard to find any food in restaurants that isn't "veganic." 16-year olds and noncitizens can vote in their elections. You have to go through extreme town bureaucracy to cut a limb off a tree in your own yard. People probably shame you if you don't bring a reusable bag to the co-op or don't drive a Prius or some electric vehicle. And lore has it that one year, a Communist ran against Marc Elrich for city council from the left and got a nonzero portion of the vote.

I'm not saying that Takoma Park politics are terrible and I certainly prefer that over Republicans, but Takoma Park really is far to the left of the mainstream, even Silver Spring is more conservative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma Park is ground zero for the far left and known for ideology over intellect and passion over pragmatism. Lots of untalented arts and crafts wanna bees. Get ready for old lady crafts, cats, and bad pottery. They think they are the Berkeley of the east coast, they have never been to Berkeley.

Silver Spring is mostly faux liberals who couldn't afford Bethesda and are bitter about it. They are a very hypocritical group who brag about liking diversity while segregating themselves within their schools. Not a bright group but they will love you if you are gay ....as long as you are white.

Kensington- pocket of conservative Catholics and people praying that when MCOS rezones they'll get out of Einstein and into BCC.

Arlington -liberal or centrist democrat with a few establishment Republicans. More concerned with on trend kitchen remodels than politics though.

Alexandria - liberal to centrist. Wants to be Annapolis, antiqu'ing becomes a verb in Old Town.

Bethesda -where to start. Centrist to liberal left with closet Republican fiscal leanings. Locally turning right because they feel they get stuck with the bill for the loony policies coming out of TP and SS. There is a dress code.

Potomac - republicans.

Yes, Takoma Park is ground zero for people who treat others with kindness and respect regardless of their background or beliefs. I know that seems like the radical left to Fox news fans but to many it's still just common decency.

No, Takoma Park really is to the left of the left of the left. It's a nuclear-free sanctuary city where it's hard to find any food in restaurants that isn't "veganic." 16-year olds and noncitizens can vote in their elections. You have to go through extreme town bureaucracy to cut a limb off a tree in your own yard. People probably shame you if you don't bring a reusable bag to the co-op or don't drive a Prius or some electric vehicle. And lore has it that one year, a Communist ran against Marc Elrich for city council from the left and got a nonzero portion of the vote.

I'm not saying that Takoma Park politics are terrible and I certainly prefer that over Republicans, but Takoma Park really is far to the left of the mainstream, even Silver Spring is more conservative.

Takoma Park gets real conservative when it comes to new development, though, especially if any new development means taking away parking spaces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Don't let anyone worry you about Virginia. Northern Virginia is extremely diverse and highly educated. Even Richmond has a very lively LGBTQ community. The only backwards people in Virginia live far away in the sticks and don't have much clout in political issues anymore.

That is not quite true. The Dems want to repeal the state constitution amendment that bans gay marriage (even though its a dead letter) and don't have the votes in the general assembly to do it. On other issues, it is still unlawful for a local govt to move a confederate monument (that MAY change this session, but don't hold your breath) Medicaid expansion barely got through.

The right is not dominant in the GA the way it used to be, but still has clout.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Clarendon and Courthouse are close together. So walkable you can easily live there without a car. Alexandria is so cute - need car. Bethesda you need a car plus train stations lack parking. It's like NY/NJ train stops. Plus is a real PIA driving around. Redline further out has parking but charmless suburban sprawl living - Rockville. Redline up Conn Ave - you will see people lugging groceries on the train from the Vanness Giant. What are your metro stops for work in DC? If a stop is Foggy Bottom , metro from Bethesda is actually double the commute as from Courthouse.

use trip planner on metro https://www.wmata.com/schedules/trip-planner/

King street metro and love the architecture https://www.redfin.com/VA/Alexandria/520-John-Carlyle-St-22314/unit-118/home/17061307

You don't need a car in Old Town Alexandria. You don't need one in Del Ray, if you like to bike and/or are willing to ride a bus.

There are other parts of Alex where people manage without cars, but it will be much harder.

[Anonymous]

This may be the best thread of the (nascent) year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Richmond needs to end it's ties with Philip Morris

Like others have said, there's a strong nanny state/"I want to control what you do because I know better than you" element in this area. This post is case-in-point.

As an LGTBQ family, you will feel very welcomed here (I'm LGBTQ too). You're unlikely to have anyone in your face complaining about you, but some older black residents in older neighborhoods might not be embracing you with open arms (I say that from personal experience; most are awesome but some are just not very accepting). However, nobody under 40 in any area around here will care that you are gay. LGBTQ people here are very visible and most straight people are extremely affirming and supportive.

The biggest thing that I can add to the great posts in this thread is that in the District, most residents are disengaged in local politics except for NIMBY matters. Crime and corruption barely register a blip but remove a tree and the wrath of the community comes out in full force. It's weird but a byproduct of the transience and that many people living here are more invested in national-level matters that they came here to work on. There's a lot of liberal guilt in this area that honestly challenges my own liberalism. I live in a neighborhood with a lot of older people who have strong activist traits. They are the kind people who go to every public water board meeting, every ANC meeting, ever liquor license review. Nobody I know under 70 does that.

Don't let anyone worry you about Virginia. Northern Virginia is extremely diverse and highly educated. Even Richmond has a very lively LGBTQ community. The only backwards people in Virginia live far away in the sticks and don't have much clout in political issues anymore.

So true and interesting! Add schools to the list with the trees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Takoma Park is ground zero for the far left and known for ideology over intellect and passion over pragmatism. Lots of untalented arts and crafts wanna bees. Get ready for old lady crafts, cats, and bad pottery. They think they are the Berkeley of the east coast, they have never been to Berkeley.

Silver Spring is mostly faux liberals who couldn't afford Bethesda and are bitter about it. They are a very hypocritical group who brag about liking diversity while segregating themselves within their schools. Not a bright group but they will love you if you are gay ....as long as you are white.

Kensington- pocket of conservative Catholics and people praying that when MCOS rezones they'll get out of Einstein and into BCC.

Arlington -liberal or centrist democrat with a few establishment Republicans. More concerned with on trend kitchen remodels than politics though.

Alexandria - liberal to centrist. Wants to be Annapolis, antiqu'ing becomes a verb in Old Town.

Bethesda -where to start. Centrist to liberal left with closet Republican fiscal leanings. Locally turning right because they feel they get stuck with the bill for the loony policies coming out of TP and SS. There is a dress code.

Potomac - republicans.

Yes, Takoma Park is ground zero for people who treat others with kindness and respect regardless of their background or beliefs. I know that seems like the radical left to Fox news fans but to many it's still just common decency.

+1

[Anonymous]

This bit about Takoma Park simply isn't true.

Anonymous wrote:It's hard to find any food in restaurants that isn't "veganic."

We are proud of our tolerance, environmentalism, and liberal politics although a majority in Takoma Park aren't especially politically involved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Richmond needs to end it's ties with Philip Morris

Like others have said, there's a strong nanny state/"I want to control what you do because I know better than you" element in this area. This post is case-in-point.

As an LGTBQ family, you will feel very welcomed here (I'm LGBTQ too). You're unlikely to have anyone in your face complaining about you, but some older black residents in older neighborhoods might not be embracing you with open arms (I say that from personal experience; most are awesome but some are just not very accepting). However, nobody under 40 in any area around here will care that you are gay. LGBTQ people here are very visible and most straight people are extremely affirming and supportive.

The biggest thing that I can add to the great posts in this thread is that in the District, most residents are disengaged in local politics except for NIMBY matters. Crime and corruption barely register a blip but remove a tree and the wrath of the community comes out in full force. It's weird but a byproduct of the transience and that many people living here are more invested in national-level matters that they came here to work on. There's a lot of liberal guilt in this area that honestly challenges my own liberalism. I live in a neighborhood with a lot of older people who have strong activist traits. They are the kind people who go to every public water board meeting, every ANC meeting, ever liquor license review. Nobody I know under 70 does that.

Don't let anyone worry you about Virginia. Northern Virginia is extremely diverse and highly educated. Even Richmond has a very lively LGBTQ community. The only backwards people in Virginia live far away in the sticks and don't have much clout in political issues anymore.

So true and interesting! Add schools to the list with the trees.

I actually disagree with part of this. I've lived in DC for a very long time. In the city. I love local politics. I think one of the reasons that people don't really get involved is that the media here totally focuses on national politics and it's hard to be engaged in local politics. I remember when you could not wait until the Thursday metro section because it was thick with so much local news. Now - it's pathetic! The Washington City Paper is a tiny version of its former self. The Washingtonian magazine has always been a joke, but is worse now.