Anyone else have a right-wing friend whom you argue with?

[AngryYoungMan]

I do, for the first time in my (adult) life, and I'm really liking it.

My friend and I argue constantly, by phone and email, but in a very friendly, cordial, respectful way. He supports Bush and the war, and we debate it all the time. What's unusual is that I genuinely like him. I just think he's nuts (and I make jokes to that effect all the time, just like he makes jokes about my liberal positions).

Part of what makes this possible is that my friend is what I call a "second-level" Republican. "First level" republicans actually believe all the Bush nonsense about Hussein, WMD, etc. My friend freely admits that it's all lies and nonsense, but feels that the U.S. presence in Iraq is so neccesary that it justifies all the White House dishonesty. For this reason, I feel like I'm actually arguing with Richard Perle or someone like that, rather than arguing with some moron on Sunday TV.

I feel like my liberal arguments have gotten much stronger, since they get a constant workout as I debate my friend.

Anyone else have this kind of "Carville/Matalin" relationship with someone? I'm just curious. I never would have thought it possible, but it is.

[La_Serpiente]

1. Yeah, I do

However, there are those as you have described "the rabid ones"

Most of my right wing friends are cordial.

[Patriot_Spear]

2. Waste of time...

...and it may wind up costing you a friend. Agree that you disagree and let it go at that.

If he trie's to bludgeon you with wingnut BS- THEN hit him with facts. I have a friend who's a great camping pal- but we avoid political discussions for this very reason.

Friends don't have to be twins.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

3. I do. I just had a major discussion last night.

He is, unfortunately, a "First level" republican. He believes the lie about the "liberal media" (going as far to say that Rather, Brokaw, and Jennings have all admitted to being biased in their reporting, but he couldn't produce any sources to back up his claim.)
He insists that Clinton was completely responsible for 9/11, and that "there's no proof Clinton fought terrorism at all in his two terms" because nobody reported it.
He doesn't listen to the real news much, just listens to talk radio.
Last night, I hammered him with the facts about 9/11, and his only response was "that's more liberal bias."
So, no, I don't have a "Carville/Matalin" relationship with this person. I've decided to never discuss politics with him again; it's better for my health.

[leftofthedial]

4. not anymore

they all gave up and ran away. They couldn't keep rationalizing the neocon lies.

not friends anymore either and good riddance.

[g_philli]

5. Have a couple

I do have a couple of republican friends but we usually stay away from politics. But when it’s right in your face, it’s tough. I couldn’t take it anymore when one of them was so gong ho on Arnold, so I tried to have civil debates but she was unable to give any logical, coherent points. I guess her and Arnold were meant for each other.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

6. I Don't Have Any Right Wing Friends....

Lots of right wing clients whom I don't choose...

I can choose my friends and I don't choose wingers...

[Avalux]

7. I do

and I enjoy it immensely. Party because I get him all fired up then step back and watch the implosion. He is definitely a first line republican.
Usually though, after our heated discussions, we part friendly and thank each other; of course I always hope something I say will stick and make him think a bit.

[quinnox]

8. My best friend

However, we don't argue very often because we don't talk politics much, heh. Sometimes it can lead to some intense words. Not hard to understand why.

[flamingyouth]

9. One of my best friends

is a repuke and very conservative in a meat & potatoes, overly groomed hair sort of way. We have had a few blow-up arguments through the years, but we are very close on the whole, so we bite our tongues when it comes to politics.

As a side note, he is now against the occupation of Iraq and admitted the other day that I "was right all along" about it. Drip, drip, drip.

[maggrwaggr]

10. I used to have great conversations with my Dad

but that was before he went evangelical christian on me and started watching Fox news.

Now he just spouts propaganda. Which is really too bad because he's a really smart guy with a lot of interesting experiences.

He was a career military guy and developed top-secret weapons his whole life. He spent a year in Vietnam where they would let the S. Vietnamese test out their new weapons systems.

I always respected his world view even as I disagreed with it.

But now we have a rule. We don't talk politics or religion.

It's a shame because he used to think for himself and now he doesn't.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

11. I used to be in a band with a guy who was in the Canadian Alliance.

It was fine until we had a conversation about politics, a week later they ditched me. They can't tolerate opposition.

[AngryYoungMan]

16. GREAT screenname!

David Bowie in the Blue Jean video, right?

[Screaming Lord Byron]

30. Shhh! Don't tell anyone!

I'm passing it off as my own idea! No one had rumbled me yet!
Yeah. It's Bowie. It's a great video. Do you know that's two of the guys from Right Said Fred in his band?

[Mountainman]

12. I had a right wing co-worker before I got laid off

He could only repeat the right wing talking points. I tried to get him to use logic and reason but it didn't work. He only said that it was liberal lies or something.

It didn't matter to him that the talking points didn't make sense. He wasn't as bad as the feeepers who manufacture facts on the fly to support their arguments. He has a faith in conservative ideals that is unshakeable even in the presence of facts that prove them false.

[in_cog_ni_to]

13. No

I don't but, I do have a friend who just told me...."My husband agrees with Bush, he likes the idea of the rich getting richer." :puke: They're very wealthy so, of course, they want more, more, more money. I was so disgusted! SHE doesn't like Bush though...I don't think I could stand it if she did. I honestly don't think I could be friends with a republican. I'm waaaaay too far left.

[Armstead]

14. Used to...Then he went insane

Or maybe he was always insane.

Okay, not literally insane, but one day he lost it and I saw the skull beneath the skin of his conservatism.

We did the usual Rush versus Liberal kind of stuff regularly. It got heated, but was good humored.

But one night we were in a bar, and he said "Don't you get it? The only people who have contributed anything to this country are WHITE CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN MALES. Get it. Blacks, Jews, Women, Spics....They all have just been coasting on the backs of WHITE CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN MALES. They are freeloaders and imitators because they aren't able to create anything themselves...."

Since it was a crowded bar, with plenty of those otehr groups present, I cringed and hoped that no one overheard us. I had fantasies of a mob coming over and ripping us apart.

That was the last time I've seen him.

[lapislzi]

15. I was reduced to sputtering impotence at work yesterday

(something I am not proud of) by a Rabid One. I was on my hands and knees in the filing room, scrounging for a lost file, and in she comes..."Wow," says she, "we're going to change your name to Monica!"

I stood up (I was already pissed off in a big way because I couldn't find the thing I needed) and said, "Is that all it is to you? American politics reduced to a blow job? It's OK to screw the country, just don't get your weiner wet in the Oval Office?" Off she goes with a big smile on her face...because she did exactly what she meant to do: get my goat.

I've had run-ins with this woman before, and I keep promising not to rise to the bait.

You cannot reason with such people. Four legs good, two legs bad. That's as far as you can go. It is so very discouraging at times.

[el_gato]

17. when they start getting drafted they'll change instantly

[maggrwaggr]

19. yeah no kidding. They'll all suddenly become screaming liberals

chickenhawk pricks.

[CWebster]

18. No, but sometimes I wonder about here.

You don't think Richard Perle is nuts? Man that is one sinister dude...I always think of him as the reincarnation of J Edgar Hoover.

[AngryYoungMan]

21. Of course he's nuts...

...but it's a different kind of nuts. You can get somewhere in a discussion with someone like that. You don't have to fend off a lot of nonsense about "Would you rather have Hussein still in power?" or "America first" or ""Buddhist temple" or "Lewinsky" or any of the other lines carefully crafted and faxed out for public consumption.

[Walt Starr]

20. I have to answer no, because

I cannot consider any right winger a friend.

[seasat]

22. LOL, my brother is right winger, does that count.

My brother and I debate politics. I'm the elder. It usually comes down to him giving me the "Well, Bush just has a different phillosophy about that" or "The presdent doesn't have anything to do with economics." He usually can only get away with those comments as a parting shot, though. If he gives me a chance to rebut, I back him into a corner and he changes the subject. He's a S. Baptist minister and is really only Republican because of the abortion issue. However, our debates are always friendly.

[Greyskye]

23. Used to with a cow-orker

That's 'co-worker' to non Dilbert fans.

We had a fun time for about 6 months, writing emails back and forth and having friendly arguements in the halls. We had an agreement to stop if it ever stopped being "fun".

Well, the day he pulled the "all you liberals hate America" card, it stopped being fun. I lost it. Blasted him up one side, and down the other, and told him that pulling that crap had just lost any hint of fun that I'd been having.

We barely talk now outside of work topics. It was pretty disappointing not being able to rib him much about his hero Rush. :evilgrin:

My advice, stop now if you value your friendship. :(

[PlanetBev]

24. Wish to hell I liked it...

I have a friend who started listening to A.M. Hate Radio 12 years ago and she's never been the same. She's not as insane as she used to be but we don't talk as often as we used to either. Years ago she used to agressively pummel me and another friend with her shit, but now she just tries to sneak it in. One mistake I made was that I never replied to any of her tirades, which is the worst thing you can do with these people. It just encourages them because they think you're listening. I have promised myself that the next time she calls and brings it up anything political, I'm going to tell her that we can't be friends if she keeps bringing it up. I'm tired of being thought of as a target of conversion for all that free-market, deregulation hooey.

[mmonk]

25. I send them emails everyday

alot of them from antiwar.com resources or European newspapers and such. They used to try and fight back with emails from Fox or a rightwing website but lately have started to give up. I wonder if I'm having any effect.

[T Wolf]

26. why

would you waste your time (1) having a right-wing repuke friend or (2) try to argue rationally with one, unless you have a mental defect that makes you enjoy that kind of shit?

I have a couple of 'acquaintances' that are repug, but politics never come up when I am around them. If they were to start spouting their hate-speech, I would either just walk away or write them off and never have anything to do with them again.

I am proud to say that I have NO friends of that persuasion. I do have some relatives like that, though. It is extremely hard to be around them. They cannot seem to restrain themselves from making comments. As a result, I have cut most of them out of my life. Life is too short to waste it on them.

Why would anyone want to be around someone who wants to do everything they can to destroy anything positive?

The major problem with this country is that there are not enough good republicans. Unfortunately, the only good repukes are dead ones.

[RobinA]

27. I Have Right-Wing Friends

but we stay away from politics. My one friend is a first-level Repub - Rush, "liberal media," Hillary and Bill are murderers, drug dealing on the Mena airfield...the whole bit. I finally gave up arguing and she finally stopping being surprised that I am a liberal who voted for Gore. Our last argument was yes or no to invading Iraq. This was pre-war. She was all in favor of invading because of the WMD that the government couldn't spell out for us because details would give away the secret sources of the info. Since I won that argument, I haven't heard anymore talking points.

[spindoctor]

28. My best friend is in some odd way related to Cheney

Or his dad went to high-school with him, or whatever. He therefore feels obliged to support Cheney in everything. Don't ask.

Other than that, he is really a nice guy ;)

I have nothing against Cheney supporters, some of my best friends are Cheney supporters.

Arrrghhhh!

[FuseONE]

29. .

My dad and I got into it a few times. I hated politics at first because he was so rabid about it. When I got to college, however, I began reading things. The idealogy of the right wing just didn't seem to add up. I suppose I enjoy political stuff now because of him though. I don't think he envisioned me turning out like this. When we have tried to discuss politics, he usually just ends up screaming, which I'm not going to do. My parents literally think I'm a communist though, for not supporting the war. We weren't even speaking for a long time because they had zero respect for my values. We've since started talking again, but we avoid politics as much as possible.

[kyrasdad]

31. My Mom...

It has taught me that I can explain anything but if I yell, like Rush, or Hannity does, I get slapped...

[xultar]

32. No, cuz they don't listen... and they have been brainwashed

to think that anyone who would disagree with shrub is unAmerican.