I'm trying not to turn this into a Dem-Rep distinction, BUT...

I'm on vacation in Key West this week. I'm in a unit overlooking the cruise ship docks. My father-in-law loves to sit out on the balcony and watch folks run to catch the ships before they depart. He particularly enjoys it when people miss the ship. I, on the other hand, think that is sick.

Well the other evening three people missed their ship. My father-in-law got his jollies and began speculating on them being drunk, partying too hard, blah, blah, blah. I immediately went downstairs, introduced myself and let them know they were not the first and would not be the last. I kept the two women company while the man went with the port representative to arrange transportation to the next port of call.

Awhile later I noticed the two ladies were back so I called over the balcony, "white or red?" They chuckled and said they were in a white mood so I took some wine down to them. I let them know that while they were missing a day at sea they had an opportunity for a wonderful adventure. I told them how glorious the drive up the keys could be (they were flying out of Miami the next morning) and recommended some nice restaurants for dinner. They were NOT drunk. They were on a business trip and their idiot boss was the one who made them late. Granted, a boss who takes his small family-owned company on a cruise is a nice guy...but he was still an idiot. Propositioned me when he came back from retrieving his passport from the pilot ship.

I'm trying not to be judgmental, but considering the folks in my unit who assumed the worst and took glee in these people's plight were Republicans (and got a bit put out that I took wine to them) and those of us who felt concern and wanted to cheer them up were Democrats just struck me as a bit too coincidental.

I love you guys for caring about everybody regardless of their circumstances.

"If it needs 'exfoliating', call your doctor or parish Priest" :rofl:

cut away the rhetoric and you have opposing mindsets. Dems care about others, repugs don't.

If you had called out to me, "White or Red?" I would not have known what you meant & would have answered, "BLUE!" ;) But I would have loved whatever color you brought me! B-)

Taking glee in people's misfortune, whether deserved or not is just plain mean. I see that awful trait in my rw mother.

among all my redneck, repug kith and kin. That's why I'm still Blue in Texas after all these years.

is a trait shared by most.

All that is required is that we get off of our judgmental and pre-conceived notions every now and then.

In my life I've noticed that Republicans have more of a struggle letting go, even when a situation would require it. But I've seen it done quite more often than I would have thought.

Maybe, along with serving up wine, you've given some food for thought and self-examination to your roommates. As for myself, I regularly find that I have to nudge myself to let go of my ideas of what "Republican" means in the real world. (It's often very different from what goes on in corrupt Washington.)

But in general, Democrats seem to be less afraid of people and more willing to give folks the benefit of the doubt. They're not so worried that people are going to "pull one over" on them, and so, they usually are more willing to act when others are in distress.

I think that may be one reason why it took Democrats in the general populace so long to see just how deeply corrupt the Republican leadership had ultimately become!

An exception has been many of the actively Christian Republicans I've known. For them, "Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.", is taken seriously. They challenge themselves to see Christ in every person, and would have most likely been side-by-side with you in creating a positive situation from a negative for someone other than themselves alone.

We will be seeing more of those Republican individuals voting for good Democratic candidates in the future. More and more Republicans are even coming to see themselves as Democrats as more individual Democrats voice the basic values they live by and find important--just as you have done here.

:rofl: