Love in the Time of Elections

I don’t talk politics. Ever. Talking politics is rude. It’s a rule that Emily Post, Amy Vanderbilt, and I share. Unless its making fun of both parties equally, I tend to avoid the topic like the plague. I haven’t always been that way. When I was in college, I was all about it. At the time, I worked at a very political law firm, my office was in the state Capitol in Tallahassee, and Florida was a hotbed for political controversy. Who could NOT talk about it? But as I got “older,” I became really annoyed with political discussions, mostly because I have not been at one political debate over dinner where either a) someone’s mind was changed or b) the world was saved. Its like arguing over who has the better Grandmother. Of course everyone is going to back their own!

A few nights ago, Chris and I were sitting on our back deck and the subject came up. We had just finished a great dinner, and were just enjoying the quiet of our neighborhood. Somehow, the conversation turned to the election. Then it turned to oil. Then it turned to the economy. And as it turns out, we have very different ideas on how the country should function. It doesn’t matter which of us is on which side, so I’m not even going to go into that. But we were going at it. We were arguing things that neither of us know the slightest bit about. We were making us statistics (or at least I was) and quoting imaginary “experts” (or at least I was). We went round for round, neither of us backing down, and with each new topic, the conversation got a bit louder. I kept thinking what a great show this was for the neighbors. Needless to say, the conversation ended as all political conversations end, with both of us calling each other ignorant and storming off like children.

Man, it was tense.

Throughout the conversation I found myself staring at Chris with my mouth hanging open as he defended his vote. I was in complete shock. How could I not have known my own husband felt this way?

(Note to self: Talk about more important things with Chris on a regular basis besides whether the dogs need new flea and tick medication or how important fish is in a daily diet…)

The good news is these conversations so rarely come up between us – and by rarely, I mean never – that I don’t think its going to be a rift or huge issue. That is, of course, unless one of us decides to run for office one day. That could be tricky.