Obama's Dilemma: Left & Right at War Through Me

[Ivan Seeking]

My friends on the right hate Obama because he's too liberal. My friends on the left hate Obama because he's too conservative.

According to the righties, Obama is a socialist. According to the left, Obama is in the pocket of big business and banks and betrayed his party; esp the poor and needy.

But the left and the right hate each other so much that they can't even talk, so they yell at each other through me!

I voted for Obama and continue to support him so it's all my fault. One lefty friend even refers to the war in Afghanistan my war [as if I personally started all of this!].

I had a meeting this morning with one of my lefty friends and got an earful.

 

[Newai]

For months, I was in a series of bizarre arguments with a coworker about him. I couldn't figure out his talking points until months later he told me a racist joke. And that after months of me defending Obama from his childish talking points. When he saw that I wasn't laughing, I think a part of his brain, however small, might have developed. But his confusion at my reaction seemed to drown that attempt at reasoning.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

For months, I was in a series of bizarre arguments with a coworker about him. I couldn't figure out his talking points until months later he told me a racist joke. And that after months of me defending Obama from his childish talking points. When he saw that I wasn't laughing, I think a part of his brain, however small, might have developed. But his confusion at my reaction seemed to drown that attempt at reasoning.

Motives are often interesting. If you can figure out what really drives a person's emotions their political position is often explained.

One guy that I know desperately needs to believe that the world is about to end; not in the 2012 sense, but more as a function of real problems. Year after year he jumps from one set of dire predictions to the next. I think he just needs to be miserable. And I see much the same thing with some on the right. There is so much hatred of anything liberal that rational discussion is impossible. Everything makes them angry.

 

[Newai]

Motives are often interesting. If you can figure out what really drives a person's emotions their political position is often explained.

What really pissed me off about this one is how he initially threw me off on day one with his, "I usually vote Democrat" nonsense. He worked the conversation with me to influence a sympathetic tone. Underlying all of that was his conscious effort to deceive me about his actual position and attitude. I am usually keen to those tactics, but he was a real charmer.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

What really pissed me off about this one is how he initially threw me off on day one with his, "I usually vote Democrat" nonsense. He worked the conversation with me to influence a sympathetic tone. Underlying all of that was his conscious effort to deceive me about his actual position and attitude. I am usually keen to those tactics, but he was a real charmer.

People around here often lie about their position if they think you're a liberal. They then try to trap you so they can hate you. When we first moved here I fell for it a number of times. Chalk it up to ignorance of small-town life. I have a neighbor who is about as red as red gets test me one time by claiming that he was going to vote for Jesse Jackson! Even back then I wasn't buying into that one.

On the night of the 2008 election, my wife's coworker, one of the few liberals we know around here,was having an election party. The directions to his house ended with "then follow the McCain/Palin signs until you see the Obama/Biden sign. That's our house."

 

[Proton Soup]

What really pissed me off about this one is how he initially threw me off on day one with his, "I usually vote Democrat" nonsense. He worked the conversation with me to influence a sympathetic tone. Underlying all of that was his conscious effort to deceive me about his actual position and attitude. I am usually keen to those tactics, but he was a real charmer.

what, you doubt that he's a democrat? there's tons of people like that where i live.

 

[Newai]

what, you doubt that he's a democrat? there's tons of people like that where i live.

He probably is a Democrat. But after that series of discussions, I can't say anything else about him with certainty beyond his racism.

 

[Newai]

Two months into Obama's presidency, another coworker read a newspaper headline out loud, something to the effect of "2000 jobs lost." His reply upon hearing that? "All hail Obama." So I asked him what he knew about those job losses, where they were, what state, what company or companies. I asked him if he could tell me anything about those losses other than It's Obama's fault!

Nothing.

 

[Pengwuino]

One lefty friend even refers to the war in Afghanistan my war [as if I personally started all of this!].

I knew it. You warmonger.

 

[DaveC426913]

It's strange for Canadians to watch how Americans define themselves by their politics.

Are there Americans who are apolitical?

 

[Pengwuino]

It's strange for Canadians to watch how Americans define themselves by their politics.

Are there Americans who are apolitical?

Yes, but they tend not to stick out :P

 

[dlgoff]

It's strange for Canadians to watch how Americans define themselves by their politics.

Off topic but it brings me this question, "How's Canada economy?" They must be doing something right since I don't hear anything except Obama bashing on the Fox News Channel.

 

[Hurkyl]

I voted for Obama and continue to support him so it's all my fault.

Eh? I don't see where you get the idea that you should be exempt from criticism because you are merely supporting such activities rather than directly carrying them out yourself.


The entire opening post looks like you're simply unable to accept criticism, and you're trying to rationalize your way out of it by pretending you're getting caught in an imagined crossfire.

Actually, it looks like you're trolling for a reaction.

 

[Newai]

How was that an "imagined crossfire"?

 

[russ_watters]

Not sure why this isn't in politics -- moving.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Not sure why this isn't in politics -- moving.

I didn't think this met the criteria for posting in the political forum.

 

[russ_watters]

Are there Americans who are apolitical?

Yes, there are. I know several people who have no interest whatsoever in it.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Eh? I don't see where you get the idea that you should be exempt from criticism because you are merely supporting such activities rather than directly carrying them out yourself.

Did I say I was exempt from anything? Where did I say that?

Obama didn't even start the war.

The entire opening post looks like you're simply unable to accept criticism, and you're trying to rationalize your way out of it by pretending you're getting caught in an imagined crossfire.

Actually, it looks like you're trolling for a reaction.

I can't accept criticism? That's an interesting theory. In fact these guys are friends but they are also customers, so I try to stick to business. They impose it on me whether I want to discuss it or not. And when it comes to customers, I'd rather not discuss politics. It is a lose-lose situation for me. It's a never-ending game of walking on eggshells.

 

[russ_watters]

I didn't think this met the criteria for posting in the political forum.

Agreed!

Thread does not meet PF quality guidelines and is therefore locked.

 

[Integral]

It's strange for Canadians to watch how Americans define themselves by their politics.

Are there Americans who are apolitical?

Yes.