My parents are moderates

[Droopy]

I'm living with them right now as I have sold my house and I need a place to stay pending further housing arrangements. I was talking to them tonight about the early presidential aspirations of our Democratic presidential candidates. Mom is a moderate who leans left and dad is a moderate who leans right. Dad voted for Bush last time and mom voted for Kerry.

Both of my folks are interesting in the political regard (well, they are interesting to me no matter). Dad is a Vietnam veteran who bought into the whole Swift Boat Veterans for Slander thing last election. The only thing that I think keeps my mom from being a full blown leftist radical is that she's pro-life. It's an important issue to her, but other things outweigh that issue like equal rights for minorities, universal health care, and her compassion for poor people.

I told my folks about the early Democratic presidential hopefuls. I thought my mom would like Hillary, but as it turns out that DK fella might grow on her which is my choice. Dad doesn't know who he likes and wants to wait until it gets closer to primary time before he takes a closer look, "Hell, that stuff is a year off still." I don't think he's interested in much in the way of political happenings unless he can view it on tv. But he doesn't even watch the damn news so I think he gets a lot of his views from the random commercials that he happens upon.

I can see my mom's view and I understand her pro-life convictions, but it's dad that I don't understand. Both of my parents are union labor. Mom's job is going ok, but dad was locked out of his work place damn near a year ago. They have since hired, uh, supplemental labor, but all of the union guys are still locked out. I told my dad that Bush doesn't give a shit about his job and that he's anti-organized labor, but that doesn't seem to sink in.

We live in Ohio which I'm sure all of you know is a battleground state. I can't help but wonder how many folks here are like my dad and just don't have a clue. How many people here just don't understand where their interests lie?

I'm going to work on my dad and I bet all of you out there have friends and family who are somewhat like him. Let's all get to work. Peace.

[hfojvt]

1. I would not describe a person who voted for Bush

as a moderate. I cannot understand a veteran either who would allow another decorated veteran to get smeared by a draft dodger. An AWOL draft dodger at that. Maybe it's a dislike of officers, but wasn't Bush a captain in TANG?

Anyway that's interesting, but I thought we were about the same age and my dad has been retired now for about 17 years. I doubt if we will push to hard on the President here since it is very unlikely that we will have a say in the primaries this time either and Kansas will vote Republican even if Colin Powell was on the Democratic ticket and Cheney on the Republican.

[Droopy]

2. I'm 34, man

I was born in 1972. I think it is my dad's sense of patriotism that allowed him to vote for Bush. I think he voted that way out of a sense of loyalty to the troops. It would not surprise me if that's the way a lot of people voted for that reason.