Reply #118: buckettgirl, you have a point; however, what the majority of

[left of center]

these good people have in common is an appalling disconnect between their personal interactions and their politics. I have family like you describe, people who will give the shirt off their back to help you. They are good people in the everyday sense, but... their political views are defined by what I'll call "the other". It comes out in their comments about people who differ with respect to culture, race, religion, sexual orientation, or anything that strikes them as weird. It also comes out in reference to people who are getting something from the system, like welfare or a service from a government program. These good people don't like paying taxes and are basically fearful of anything or anyone that is not exactly like what they're used to.

I've said to my wife on more than one occasion after being around some of these family members, "You know, Bob is a great guy. I just don't understand how he can be that way and have political views that are so cold and... evil". These good people are electing leaders who are destroying the country. They feel really great saving the country from the atheists, gays and socialists, but it is the debt, perpetual war, and oppressive laws into which they are throwing us that will do us in.