Political Restaurants

  As many people do, I have friends who are Democrats. We do things together all the time.  We fish. We hunt. We camp. We watch football.  We talk about the weather, food, sports, friends, family, kids, school and work.  But what we don't talk about is.... politics.  Like many, politics has become the "third-rail" of social conversation. (For those who don't know, subways used to have a third-rail in the center that was electrified that power the train.  It was something you just did not touch!)

   I was thinking about this the other day and pondering why this was so?  Is it impossible to have a casual, intellectual discussion of a topic that affects all of us and our children?  I remember growing up in Illinois, my mom's side of the family got together on all the major holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Easter and Fourth of July) and we as kids were privy to hearing our uncles argue the latest in political issues.  We saw that you can disagree and still be nice to each other and love each other.   These discussions still ring in my ears.  For example, I can still hear my Uncle Charles argue against the 55 mph speed limit change saying "If I drive 65 I will get there faster and use less gas!".   I think we are hurting our kids by not showing them how to debate and yet embrace each other. 

   So how can we reach across the aisle and engage our Democratic friends in a manor that enlightens but does not threaten?   I think the answer is to look at political parties as "franchises".   We often have a false impression that all parties are static and do not change.  But that is just not the case.  Parties and people BOTH change over time.  I use the restaurant example to get my point across.  Ask the person you are talking to to tell you what their favor restaurant is.   Then ask them what they like about it.  Now tell them, "What if you went there every week and over time you saw small changes occurring. First it was the decorations.  Gone was the quaint paintings of farm scenes and replacing them was more modern art forms. Then later the simple china was replaced with more sophisticated dishes and glasses.  Then the menu changed from simple American fare to a more European cuisine.  Then one night you go in and the person at the front informs you that you are required to wear a tie to enter.  You would finally say, 'No Thanks! I won't be dining here anymore'.   Why?  Because that place no longer represents your values and tastes.  No one would reprimand you for leaving.  That's your choice!  You would never feel bad like you wasted your time going to the restaurant because for many years it WAS a nice restaurant and you had many good meals there over the years".

   So it is with political parties.  They, like restaurants, think that by changing their platforms and views they will attract a larger audience.  But if for every person they bring in, they lose two they will in the end wake up and realize the mistake they made.  But too often we view politics becomes like our eye color.  It becomes WHO we are and not WHAT we are.   Like pathetic Chicago Cubs fans who should have moved on to other teams a long ago, they stay connecting to a franchise that is not going anywhere and we often follow our parents footsteps and belong to same party without realizing that the party they loved no longer exists.   The party that used to be for the hard-working factory worker, is now the party of the liberal college professor and the Hollywood elite who has nothing in common with guy laying brick or welding an I-beam.  The Big-Tent party is now the Big-Government party.   

   And this is not limited to the Democratic Party either.  The Republican Party that I fell in love with under Reagan is a mere shadow of its former self.  People like the Bush's and the Gingrich's have warped the party into what I call:  Democratic-Lite.  Instead of espousing small government, they talk about a smaller-BIG-Government.  Rather than cutting government programs that waste the taxpayers money, they say we just have to SLOW THEIR GROWTH and those who have Reagan's view on the Constitution and the freedoms its gives are denigrated as "simpletons".  

   I have told my on kids that if Mitt Romney wins and he does not get rid of Obama-care in all of its gory details, I will no longer belong to the Republican Party.  I will become a Libertarian thru and thru.  Because at that point the party no longer will reflect my values and ideals and we will have to part ways.

   So think about this the next time you go out to a restaurant with a family or friend that is a Democrat and you are looking for a way to discuss our countries political troubles.