I live in DC, and I think all my neighborhood friends voted Obama. I know one who was planning to vote for Romney because he so strongly opposes gay marriage for religious reasons, but in the end he got so turned off by other things about Romney that even he voted Obama.

However, we have a weekend place in another state, and although the neighbors are all from the Baltimore-Washington area, some of them are pretty conservative (gun-toting Obama haters included). Nevertheless, they are really nice people, and we are all very friendly.

I think it is well within the capacity of most of us to say "You have some pretty weird opinions, but you're fun to hang out with." For some reason that attitude has mostly gone out of fashion; too bad.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. 95% of my friends are liberal. Not rabidly, but liberal. I have acquaintances who are conservative and a few family members who are evangelical, but have a very difficult time reconciling our social beliefs.

This quote from a recent Atlantic article really resonates with me: " I used to know Republicans socially. My parents and aunts and uncles all did. I don't anymore. Democrats and Republicans are beginning to dress differently, to wear their hair differently. Limbaugh really thinks that Sandra Fluke is a slut. You simply can't have both of them to dinner."

Article: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/11/what-if-the-gop-loses-atlas-shrugged-vs-the-fire-next-time/264556/

PP, I hear you, but honestly think this is really sad. I have been so depressed reading my Facebook entries today. People are getting so vitriolic on both sides and it depresses me that we simply can't seem anymore to try to be reasonable and at least listen to other people's points of view. People have different stories, different life circumstances, different ways of looking at things and yet more and more, we all hang out with the same kinds of people, listen to media that agree with us, etc. No wonder the anger level in the country.

And guess what. I'm a Republican. I think we'd have a great time having dinner together. You know, really talking about the issues and why we think like we do. I wish we could all do more of this.

I don't think so. And, for the record, I know why you think the way you do, no need to explain.

Based on your comment, I'm not surprised you have a very tight circle of friends.

Anonymous wrote:I do not know a single person that voted for Obama. We are all highly educated. Middle class. So of us are military. I actually did not like either choice. But I did vote.

That's truly scary.

I am a liberal with mostly liberal friends, but I am friends with some conservatives who did indeed love Romney.

wow . . .

Rush lover, I guess . . .

liberal surrounded by liberals

although I will listen to WMAL just for the fun of it! It was FANTASTIC today, hearing the BS rhetoric b/c their side lost!

great fun!

Anonymous wrote:It didn't really occur to me, until yesterday, when it was pretty clear who most from my social circle voted for. It was likewise interesting that most of the moms I don't socialize with from my DC's school and our neighborhood, and frankly I don't like, had on buttons/bumper stickers for the other guy.

Nope. My friends/family are all over the place. I'm probably one of the more liberal. My FIL is an uber conservative, tea party republican.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My social circle and family is split with supporters of both parties. We all respect each other's views and get along just fine.

I have friends and family members from both sides as well. It's never been an issue.

Same here.

About 75% of my friends and my wife's family are one party. My family and the remaining 25% of my friends are the other party. My wife and I are both moderates but I lean one way and my wife leans the other. We're really not that far apart.

Of my friends, I have many who are very strongly opinionated about their politics, including some who are political lobbyists or activists. However, the friends that I keep are arms length are the ones who cannot separate friendship from politics. And I am still very close to several of my political lobbyist friends because the professional ones can keep their politics out of friendships. I find the volunteer activists are often the ones who insist that everyone within a nuclear blast radius of them MUST think exactly like them or be convinced to think exactly like them. These are the people that I'm polite with, but don't get too close to. One of my dearest friends in the world (he was one of my roommates in college) is extremely far out the opposite side of the political spectrum from me. He's one of the professional lobbyists that I know. He's also my source when I need to really understand the root of something or especially the other perspective. Although he is probably one of the more extreme people that I know from the other side, he is amazingly respectful and he finds ways to convince me of his side without every denigrating or insulting my opinion or side.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. 95% of my friends are liberal. Not rabidly, but liberal. I have acquaintances who are conservative and a few family members who are evangelical, but have a very difficult time reconciling our social beliefs.

This quote from a recent Atlantic article really resonates with me: " I used to know Republicans socially. My parents and aunts and uncles all did. I don't anymore. Democrats and Republicans are beginning to dress differently, to wear their hair differently. Limbaugh really thinks that Sandra Fluke is a slut. You simply can't have both of them to dinner."

Article: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/11/what-if-the-gop-loses-atlas-shrugged-vs-the-fire-next-time/264556/

PP, I hear you, but honestly think this is really sad. I have been so depressed reading my Facebook entries today. People are getting so vitriolic on both sides and it depresses me that we simply can't seem anymore to try to be reasonable and at least listen to other people's points of view. People have different stories, different life circumstances, different ways of looking at things and yet more and more, we all hang out with the same kinds of people, listen to media that agree with us, etc. No wonder the anger level in the country.

And guess what. I'm a Republican. I think we'd have a great time having dinner together. You know, really talking about the issues and why we think like we do. I wish we could all do more of this.

I don't think so. And, for the record, I know why you think the way you do, no need to explain.

PP here. I don't doubt that genuine cross-party friendships exist. I have a few. But my point is, for me at least, I've found that 95% of my friends are like minded politically. And I don't often know this until the friendship is established. I don't select or require a certain view, but rather, we tend to click.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes. 95% of my friends are liberal. Not rabidly, but liberal. I have acquaintances who are conservative and a few family members who are evangelical, but have a very difficult time reconciling our social beliefs.

This quote from a recent Atlantic article really resonates with me: " I used to know Republicans socially. My parents and aunts and uncles all did. I don't anymore. Democrats and Republicans are beginning to dress differently, to wear their hair differently. Limbaugh really thinks that Sandra Fluke is a slut. You simply can't have both of them to dinner."

Article: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/11/what-if-the-gop-loses-atlas-shrugged-vs-the-fire-next-time/264556/

PP, I hear you, but honestly think this is really sad. I have been so depressed reading my Facebook entries today. People are getting so vitriolic on both sides and it depresses me that we simply can't seem anymore to try to be reasonable and at least listen to other people's points of view. People have different stories, different life circumstances, different ways of looking at things and yet more and more, we all hang out with the same kinds of people, listen to media that agree with us, etc. No wonder the anger level in the country.

And guess what. I'm a Republican. I think we'd have a great time having dinner together. You know, really talking about the issues and why we think like we do. I wish we could all do more of this.

I don't think so. And, for the record, I know why you think the way you do, no need to explain.

And herein lies a perfect example of what I'm talking about. No, PP you don't know. You don't know me and you don't know why I think like I do. You have just symbolically rebuffed the olive branch, a chance to learn, to talk to me and to help me understand your point of view. This, friends, is why I fear for our country.

Anonymous wrote:Yes. Wasn't always the case, but all of the people I am close to who were Republicans ten or more years ago no longer are. The only conservatives I interact with now are in DH's family, and I hide them all on Facebook for the sake of my sanity and our relationships.

I should add that DH works with many people from all spots on the spectrum at work, but we don't socialize with people whose values are wildly different by our choice and theirs.

Yes. Wasn't always the case, but all of the people I am close to who were Republicans ten or more years ago no longer are. The only conservatives I interact with now are in DH's family, and I hide them all on Facebook for the sake of my sanity and our relationships.

I do not know a single person that voted for Obama. We are all highly educated. Middle class. So of us are military. I actually did not like either choice. But I did vote.

Anonymous wrote:Don't have a single Republican friend. All of my Republican co-workers are assholes. I don't think it's a coincidence. Did I mention that they're also pretty sexist and their racial attitudes are rather unenlightened?

I really don't have republican friends or co-workers. Maybe it's working on the issues I work on....(social issues...)

grew up in a very liberal family and seem to have almost all friends from that perspective. not crazy liberal, but usually democratic party supporters. i've had some friends here and there who are more conservative and have worked with some republicans, although they are mostly moderate republicans and have not liked the tea party types. i am ok with other political perspectives as long as i don't think they are "mean" or discriminatory and i have to admit i have found some more conservative positions to fit into that description...

one person on my Facebook account is a romney like that was it.

I'm a Republican. My husband is a liberal democrat.

My friends are probably 40-60 Republicans to Democrats, but I think it leans left mainly because I went to a very liberal school and live in fairly liberal Northern Virginia.