Do you ever get a "this is a nice person" vibe from someone within minutes of meeting them?

[Atticus]

I do.

Call it "instinct" or "intuition" or whatever---sometimes I just know that this person is most likely kind, tolerant and unpretentious and, so, is someone in whose company I can relax. Have I ever been wrong? Yes, but rarely.

There are also public figures I have never actually met who I judge in the same way if I've seen them interviewed often enough. I put Meryl Streep, the late Paul Newman, John Lewis, Barack and Michelle and Rachel Maddow in the "nice person" category, just to name a few.

So------can you think of any Republicans you'd put in that category?

I can't.

[CurtEastPoint]

1. One. Former coworker, very bright, feminist, caring...I can't figure out why she's

a Repub but she DESPISES Dump and his ilk.

[dameatball]

2. nada

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. I've had that happen, but not with Republicans. Dems only. n/t

[flying_wahini]

6. Me too!

I have to admit before I let my guard down I usually throw down an 'Are you a liberal?'
remark to save myself time.

Don't feel like wasting time with new acquaintances only to find out they are Trumpies.

[wryter2000]

4. I met Paul Newman

He was just as sweet as he appeared. He had a house in a town near mine, and everyone who met him had a story of how down to earth and nice he was.

[Heartstrings]

5. We call it

the "uh oh" feeling in our family. We taught our children to trust their gut feeling, and if they have an "uh oh" feeling, it's probably in their best interest to not pursue it. "It" can be for people, places, situations, etc. I can honestly say, following those feelings has saved me from some uncomfortable and potentially unfortunate experiences throughout my life.

I have always gotten an "uh oh" feeling about trump ever since I first knew of his existence some 30+ years ago....and now it extends to his entire posse....

As far as celebrities go, I lived in LA and the take I got was...they're just people. They get stuck on the 405/101, grocery shop, have bad days, etc....just like everyone else. Nothing cooler than seeing Justin Timberlake or Morgan Freeman pumping their own gas!

[marybourg]

7. I find this strange.

I always assume everybody I meet is a nice person unless and until they prove me wrong

[bettyellen]

24. You never pick up clues on their selfishness or bigotry upon meeting? Ive seen people betray

themselves instantly.

[marybourg]

31. It would have to be a very unusual "meet" indeed,

for me to be able to read someone's persona immediately. Maybe I'm just less perceptive than others.

[bettyellen]

44. Could be a regional thing too, Id say NYers have a tendency to put it all out there, so to speak...

And I know people from other areas are reticent and almost offended by the forwardness, but to me it’s nice that people are so often accessible and warm with strangers.

[panader0]

8. With me, it's usually the other way around.

I get the weird vibe first. In any setting I scope out my surroundings and the people
present. I look for "danger" first. It's a defense mechanism and it's instinctual for me.
When I have "secured" the situation in my mind, I will turn to the positive vibe.

[Silver Gaia]

35. You've described what I do as well.

I am much more likely to pick up the bad vibes first. It's rare that I meet someone I immediately feel at ease with, but it has happened. I usually have to scope it out before I feel that way.

However, with politicians and celebrities, those vibes often project right off the screen or page. Both the Obamas immediately project warmth, hope, and love. It is evident in their faces and demeanor. Trump, on the other hand, oozes ice-cold tendrils of hate and despair. Again, it's easy to see in his face and body language even without his disgustingly insipid voice (ugh).

I'm trying to remember if I have ever gotten an immediate positive reaction to a Republican... not to a politician, but maybe sometimes with regular people. They are always people who are not "real" Republicans, though. They are usually nonpolitical, and have unthinkingly affiliated with the party of their parents or spouse.

[cbreezen]

9. Yes, I can.

My deceased husband.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

10. Recently I was a part of my best friend's wedding.

Met a couple of the fellow groomsmen who I had never met before but my friend had known at different places and points in his life. By the end of the wedding festivities, I felt like they had been part of my own circle of friends for years. Just cool, down to earth, fun and enjoyable guys. (Of course, my best friend is that type of guy that brings out the best in people--extroverted but not full of himself)

As to your question, I'm not sure. I've met friendly people who I later found out to be Republicans (nominally or otherwise), so I guess so. Depends on what level you want to get to know or relate with them.

[VOX]

11. I could never be friends with anyone who likes #45.

It’s not that I would simply disagree (obviously, I would), but it would make me question the person’s judgement, their intelligence, their lack of empathy, and their overall perception of the world.

[RandomAccess]

17. And values

I would assume.

Politics to me -- my liberal politics -- is based on my personal values. It's not even a conscious decision, it's who I am.

[Atticus]

26. In retrospect, I probably should have said "Tea Party/Trump" Republicans. I agree that some of

the "regular" Republicans of days gone by were decent folks. I met Chuck Percy once and he and Everett Dirksen---also from Illinois---were people with whom I disagreed, but respected.

[gopiscrap]

43. same here

[moriah]

12. Sincerely religiously deluded but good-hearted acquaintances/relatives.

I haven't spoken to many in years, and I generally avoid controversial discussion with such people out of a desire to just know them as people.

But I know at least the deeply religious mom to my younger sibs posted stuff after the election indicating that she was extremely disappointed but it had to be God's will, if for nothing else than to make other Christians wake up to how he isn't one. In everything else they seem extremely conservative and I know the dad at least was Republican in 2012. But apparently not this election.

I am rather glad, because my two sibs vote and likely vote like her because they are mildly mentally disabled and probably do absorb, like kids, the discussions around them. They adopted eight kids total from foster care, one other besides my siblings had special needs, others were sibling groups with older kids making it harder to place after family reunification couldn't happen. In my sibs case, my dad was dying and their bio mom had abandoned them. My father's mother was trying to take care of them but couldn't take care of herself and her health was getting worse. The adoption tore everyone up but after finding them and learning they'd been taught I existed and prayed for me by name.... that a good family had found them... I wasn't concerned about politics except their influence on my sibs votes.

[The Polack MSgt]

13. I was stationed in Western NY state in gthe late 80s- early 90s

Jack Kemp was my Rep until he became the Housing Secretary. Since then?

Not a single Republican. No.

[NCTraveler]

14. Yes.

And I immediately define them as a salesperson.

[Cirque du So-What]

15. Only one - Chuck Percy, senator from Illinois

but they don't make 'em like that anymore.

[RandomAccess]

18. Ah, those were the good ole days

When Republicans could be DECENT human beings and still be Republicans.

[yonder]

19. I had never met him but heard good things from others.

He got on the radar for me due to his opposition to the SST (Concorde equivalent). Way back when. Late 60's, I think.

[oasis]

16. Hillary Clinton at her "Living History" book signing. She radiated warmth.

Long line, but she took time to chat with each person who had their book signed. As I waited in line I saw a few people who teared up witnessing Hillary's graciousness. This was several years before Hillary's first run for president

[smirkymonkey]

20. Yes. Most people I feel generally neutral toward until I get to know them but

there are some people that I instinctively like right away and also, people that I immediately can't stand right away. I don't think I have ever been proven wrong once I have gotten to know the person. That is, those who I perceived to be kind and good pretty much lived up to that perception and those that I had a negative feeling toward sooner or later almost always showed me that my instincts were correct.

I also get that impression w/ public figures. I see the Obamas, Jimmy Carter, Adam Schiff and Al Franken (among others) as genuinely decent people. I see almost every republican public figure as basically awful. And I know that I am right.

[Tavarious Jackson]

21. I met Goldie Hawn once

I was scared of her.. She creeped me out and I was right to feel that

[oasis]

23. Shes wed to asshole Kurt Russel who was Ted Nugents

best man. I guess you weren’t a fit in the crowd she runs with.

[Hortensis]

28. Could you have inadvertently creeped her,

not by behavior but just by being close? I lived in Hollywood and other parts of LA for decades. I wasn't in the industry, but relatives and others I knew were, and also sometimes I'd see or cross paths with celebrities while working.

John Lennon's comment that "everyone wants a piece of me" is something they all feel, and it's not a nice feeling overall. The incredible nastiness of some people is something they all experienced long before the internet exhibited it to the rest of us.

[Tavarious Jackson]

29. Nope.

I was living with a professor in Hyattsville MD for a short time ( Richard Condon). I didn't even know who she was until we were in the middle of dinner. I did not ask to see her or even know who she was. I as 17 at the time. All I will say is.. It got creepy. Her and her freeko husband were *that* kind of creepy and I could not wait to leave.

[TNLib]

22. I tend to have bad instincts about peope regardless of political party

My Husband is a conservative independent and my closest friend. But I think I just found him to be interesting when we met. He turned out to be one of the nicest people I know.

[Shrike47]

25. The late Dave Frohnmeyer in Oregon. A very good man.

[Duppers]

27. I know some "nice" repubs

But they're usually uninformed, non-thinking....idiots.

[unblock]

30. of course! i used to live in texas!

plenty of very nice people in texas, and plenty of them are republicans.

now republican *politicians*, that's another story. i can't think of the last time i didn't get at best a snake oil salesman vibe from one of them, if not an outright crook vibe. and invariably a "i'm happy to play the bigot card" vibe.

even here in connecticut, i know a number of republicans who are quite nice, decent people. people who would go above and beyond for anyone in their circle.

but that's the key difference, it's the "in my circle" part. most republicans i know -- even the ones who are the fine upstanding, generous, pillar of the community types -- somehow think think the worst and can say horrible things about people *outside* their circle.


which is to say, i get the "nice person" vibe from them because i'm white. if i were black i'm certain in many cases it would be a different vibe entirely.

[WhiteTara]

32. Just today. I was at the dr's office and I was looking

for a place to sit. A young man, moved over a chair to put one in between us and offered me the closest one. Then a few minutes later, someone was struggling at the door and he jumped up and helped them in. I remarked to him how kind he was and he replied, I don't have anything else to do (but be kind)

[calimary]

33. My best friend. As long as we don't talk politics, we're okay.

But she's a Republican. I suspect she's most bothered by the choice issue, which puts her as far away from me on the spectrum as the distance is from here to Alpha Centauri. She doesn't like trump either, but supported him because she does like Mike Pence! ("At lest HE has governing experience!" )

And despite her denials, I know in my bones she hates Hillary Clinton. Not hard to understand why. Most of her friends and people she hangs out with feel that way. Something I will NEVER understand, as long as I draw breath.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

34. Underestimates Republicans badly. Last 2 lines of OP have grave error that leads to lost elections

George W Bush was and is likeable in a bumbling folksy kind of way on a personal level. Democrats who can't or won't see that (perhaps because of cognitive biases) are then going to underestimate him and his Party. Make no mistake, his demeanor helped win lots of votes.

So------can you think of any Republicans you'd put in that category?

I can't.

[Atticus]

40. 1.) See post #26 above and, 2.) I have never considered W "likeable". He struck

me from the git-go as an arrogant privileged ignoramus. I think I nailed him pretty well. If someone truly found him likeable, I'd say they are as shallow as he is. Yes, I know, "shallow people vote", but we can either educate them or lower the bar to their level.

Thanks for your response.

[lark]

36. One of my best friends is a moderate repug.

She is super smart (hates rick scott for example), kind and giving. However she was raised repug, her dad was the repug mayor of Columbus GA and she was the head of College Republicans at Univ. of GA. She actually started out liking drumpf, it horrified me. So, i gently started pointing out some of the lies, and every time she agreed with me. Like, she thought he was such a good businessperson. I pointed out that per his dad's tax forms, he'd given him 70 million dollars over 10 years. if he had just invested the money, he would have 7 billion. However, he lists his net worth st 3 billion, so he actually lost 4 billion dollars to bad business decisions. She used to own her own business, so gets $$ issues. She didn't know about the loans and said she guessed he wasn't as good with $$ as he portrayed himself. She also supports common sense gun control and hates that her party is on the wrong path with that. I keep working on her, she's like a sister to me, took care of my kids when I was in the hospital and ferried me around while I was unable to drive. i think of her as a very nice person who was just raised wrong.

Other than her, there is no repug I can think of who is actually a nice person since my mom passed. I have departed greatly from my repug raising, lol, but then I became a big rebel because of the Viet Nam war.

[rurallib]

37. I live in Iowa and therefore have met many Republicans running for office

and I have never felt a "good person" vibe from any of them. Most have been a bit off-putting.
A couple I would say gave me the creeps immediately - Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.
McCain seemed confused, but not likable. W kind of the same.

But let me tell you about Barack and Michelle - just instant affection for them. And Hillary.

[LAS14]

38. Republicans - Susan Collins, a couple at our church in Akron. But...

... Hillary Clinton should have been in the first list. I've met her a number of times. Truly a nice person!!

[left-of-center2012]

39. I'm 71, so 'back in the day' ...

Seems Gov Nelson Rockefeller of N.Y.
and Gov Bill Scranton (of my home state) of PA. were nice folks.

Both opposed conservative Arizona Sen Barry Goldwater in '64 for the GOP Presidential nomination.
Rockefeller became V.P. under President Ford.

But since then,
can't think of one right now.

[pansypoo53219]

41. john cahfee's dad. sad when he died.

[pnwmom]

42. Yes. Growing up where I did it was common to split tickets -- the partisan lines weren't as sharp

as today. And a certain man who was active in politics would always ask my parents if they wanted an absentee ballot, and he'd pick ballots up for them and anyone else who wanted to vote absentee.

I can think of many other people in my town who were nice and were Republicans, but that was then. Here in the Seattle area, in 2018, Republicans are few and far between. So I don't know how many of them are still nice, because I'm not running into them.