Is it bad not to be Liberal/Progressive?

I say, it doesn't really matter it all depends on the person, although I would really prefer if someone was progressive. I dunno, this might be a ridiculous question, but I gotta know if you'd treat someone nicer if you knew they were liberal vs. knowing they're conservative. It is a big part of someone's personality, and life, does it effect the way you would approach them, or think of them?

What was it yesterday? Oh, right: "Can a Christian be a progressive?" You've got all kinds of interesting questions to pose, don't you? And the way they're worded...Gosh, this is the second time now, and I still can't recall exactly where I've seen it before...

:hi:

PB

Seems like everyone else finds it innocent enough. And to tell the truth this is the second Question I've asked out of all my posts. Funny how you never weighed in on any of them except when you've got some witty oberservation, that is an obvious attempt to discredit my character. And I still can't recall exactly where I've seen it before.

Not publicly, anyway. :D I guess I'm not the only one who took your message yesterday, um, not in the way you apparently intended it. Nomatter, I guess in that particular opinion, I'm in good company.

And by the way, I don't think I could do anything to discredit your character that you haven't already done, yourself.

:hi:

PB

Everything I said I meant, you can turn me into a bigot if you want, but then again you only tend to care about anything when someone is controversial, and so you can come in and use half attacks.

so I'll think for a sec.

I decide whether I like someone or not based on a number of things. Politics is one, an important one, but one that hasn't always been an issue in my life. My best friend of all times feels the same as I on most issues that are important to me: religion, a woman's right to choose, the female-male orgasm ration (at least 4:1), etc. Yet she thinks she's a Repug (very misguided). Do I care? No, because she lives in a state where her vote doesn't matter. And, she's not THAT likely to vote.

But now... recently moved, and joined a progressive listserv of Houston mamas. Love it, and have met my best local friends through it. I plan on doing that sort of thing from here on out. In the last place I lived, I joined the local Democratic group. Most were senior citizens... no offense intended towards seniors at all, but not the best social outlet for me (aka, only 1 good-looking guy).

So yes, being progressive IS important, but not the only thing, for me personally. I won't retroactively eliminate friends if they're delusional.

I guess it's just a matter if your able to get along with people that have conservative views.

I have some very "Conservative" friends (not neoCons) who happen to believe in their way and points of view as vehemently as I do to mine.
There are some "progressives" for whom I do not care one bit. There are lots of people who are characterized as "Liberal" whom I cannot stand.
There are even some "conservatives" that I respect, although most of them are old now and not in power.

NeoCons are a completly different and boorish lot, I have yet to meet one who was worth my time discussing anything beyond the weather or work-related chatter.

I do not treat people differently if they are honest and upright in their beliefs, as I do not want that treatment from them.

Just being a conservative would not alienate me. In fact I frequently seek out conservatives to touch base with and make connections with. Part to understand their view and part to sway them away from the dark side.

In theory being a conservative would have no impact on friendship. But in practice there are key issues to how the world is viewed that make it more difficult to keep a close friendship. Difficult but not impossible.

as I am treated with the same respect and courtsey I bestow upon any fellow human being. If they treat me with out respect I will just turn around and ignore them.

But no conservatives that are close friends. I tried living with one last year, and all the Bush worship and ignorance just got to be too much for me after a while. I have a programmable TV with password protection (I guess to keep little kids from seeing porn) and I ended up blocking Faux at the start of the war because I couldn’t deal with it anymore. Now that we don’t live together we are friends again, but the last few months were pretty much sucked.

No it is not!

It depends on the individual. Here is a good test:

Go out to a sit-down restaurant. The casual kind is fine. Observe how the person treats the wait staff. If they are nice to the wait staff, great. There's possibilities there.

If they treat the waiters/waitresses like they're '2nd class citizens,' that's the last date you have with that person, and it's a quick goodbye! If they won't treat the help decently, how can you expect them to treat you decently?

Liberals with good, consistent ethics will treat the wait staff well. Some conservatives will, too. There are unfortunately, a certain number of individuals that call themselves liberals, but who have very poor ethics who will treat the wait staff like dirt, as well as will some conservatives.