Political oddities

[WillyBrandt]

Anybody know any political oddities?

My mother is one. A Cuban immigrant who is pretty broad minded and tolerant, and votes (and is registered) as reliably Democratic. She, of course, was forced out by Castro but isn't one of those embargo nuts at all.

The thing is: she loves Nixon. She thinks he was a fantastic President, and she really has a soft spot in her heart for the guy. I'll never challenge her on it, because it's kind of endearing, and frankly who the hell am I to question my mother?

But still. Anyone know folks with similar quirks?

[alittlelark]

1. My mother

She used to be a Catholic who was rather liberal, then she met a biker for Christ and is now not just a Fundamentalist, but a 'Fundie from Hell' who informs all acquaintances that they are destined for a hot spot unless they attend HER church/synagogue (it's a Jews for Jesus thing)

[MAlibdem]

2. My grandparents

Who are pretty liberal and have two gay children, but vote republican because my great-grandfather (who worked for Baruch during WWI) hated FDR. Weird.

[jfxgillis]

3. I swear to God this is true

In the late '80s, a friend of mine had a brother who was a Chinese scholar. He met and married a woman over in China at University. She was later involved in the local version (Western Provinces, I think it was) of the Democracy movement.

After Tiannemen Square, possibly with a nod from the Communist Party, my friend's brother and his wife had about 24 hours to flee before she would've been in DEEP DEEP shit. And I mean, Red China-type DEEP DEEP shit. 50/50 she'd have been executed, but as the wife of an American citizen, we figured the Politburo just didn't need any additional headaches from Washington if the wife was imprisoned or worse. So they got out to Seattle where I had dinner with them and she spent the evening explaining to all of us the connection between her two great political heroes, the two political leaders she loved and admired the most:

Mao Zedong and Ronald Reagan.

[jpgray]

4. My brain just exploded. (nt)

[wuushew]

5. I just met a Spanish college student who defends Franco

believes in a flat tax, raygunomics and that social safety nets are generally bad.

He doesn't even like Lulla or Chavez!

[WillyBrandt]

6. Well, I don't like Chavez. I think he's a worthless fraud.

Not saying the alternatives are good, but there you go.

But FRANCO?!?!

[wuushew]

7. He thinks the Spanish Republicans were weak and corrupt

He says Franco improved the economy of Spain, but to my knowledge most of Spain's economic gains happened after his death in 1975.

[Warpy]

8. My mother

....was a lifelong registered Republican, a New Englander who believed they were still the party of Lincoln and the early Progressives.

She always voted Socialist when they were on the ticket, and always Democrat when there were no socialists to vote for because she said the Republicans always had a knack for choosing the most putrid candidates they could find.

She's gone, and she was out of contact with reality for three years before she went. I've often wished I could hear her take on Dubya. I'm sure it would be pithy, pungent and rude.

[bubblesby2002]

9. Both my parents were social democrats

They belonged to the fore runner of the NDP the CCF and they loved Tommy Douglas. My dad was conventional - but my mother was radical. Her big thing was land ownership. She believed that none of us should own land; we should only be allowed to lease it from the government. She's in a care home now and I really miss having political discussion with her. One thing gets her worked up - it's George Bush and our premier Gordon Campbell.

actually two things(on edit)

[myopic4141]

10. One who never learns

I have a friend who disliked everything about GW in 2000; but, thought he was pro gun. On that single issue, she voted for Bush only to discover that he is more anti-gun than Gore. Despite all that from the past, she is most likely to vote the same in 2004.

[khashka]

11. My Mother:

Lifelong Republican, Fundamentalist Baptist, loved Raygun and adores Shrub.

But supports gay rights (she even got death threats for some stuff she wrote to the newspaper), is adamantly in favour of hate crime legislation, programs that help the poor and (most) feminism. She grew up in a racist society but made damn sure I never heard anything bad about Blacks. She said she had been taught to be a racist but her children would not. Wouldn't let me play with war toys.

But she wouldn't vote for a Democrat if her life depended on it. Go figure.

Khash.

[lazarus]

12. My sister is similar

Pro-drug legalisation. Pro-choice. Very upset that the wall between church and state is being weakened.

Is in favour of national health care. Sees how badly the Bush economy is doing, and what it's doing to the poor (due to her job, she sees a lot of evidence first hand).

But is likely to vote for Bush again, and I have no idea why.