This is just a very short personal diary. I've been reading diary entries from people with Republican parents and just realized how lucky I am that my parents switched parties when Rendell was running for the party nomination for Governor of PA.
They never swtiched back.
Back when I lived in Pennsylvania, we asked Independents and Republicans to switch parties so they could vote in the Democratic Primary. Of course, they could return to their previous affiliations anytime they wanted. Many people did switch; I don't know how many switched back. But there are two I know very personally who didn't. These were not young, idealistic people looking for change. They were parents of three adult children.
My parents have remained Democrats since the day they changed their registrations. We hadn't really discussed politics before that...I always assumed they had voted Republican most of the time because that's how they were registered. Of course, I should have known better. It turned out that although my mother was a registered Republican, she had NEVER actually voted for one. She laughed when I asked her to change parties so that she could vote in the Democratic primaries...said she might as well because that was how she voted. My father was also pro-Rendell and switched. Or he may have done it because my mother told him to.
I don't usually ask him how he votes, though. Didn't want to be disappointed. It was my brother's job to rile him up, not mine. Lol. They had some very spirited discussions about Communism back in the day.
My parents are now retired; I've moved out of the country, and my (grown) son has remained in the US with them. When they retired, they moved to another state, taking my son with them.
This time around, I know that my mother, father, and my son will all be voting for Obama and the Democrats running in their state. And the best part of this short story is: THEY NOW LIVE IN RURAL VIRGINIA. You know...the "real" one.