Just had to share - as you may know if you've read my other diaries, I attend a Friday morning business meeting. We're a small group of very small local professionals and business owners, most of us one or two person shops, Larry the accountant, Dave the architect, Sue the promotional products specialist, etc. I'd venture to say none of us will see our taxes go up under the Obama plan!
The group leans more Democratic than Republican, as does our small ex-urban New Jersey town, most of the time. Certainly this year! But the Repubs in the group are a pretty vocal minority.
I won't pretend that our group is any kind of measure for national trends, but the banter has changed quite a bit over the last few months. These guys just don't have as much to say.
It used to be there was a lot of mostly friendly shouting out across the room between the two parties. When I wrote a furious letter to the editor in the local paper about my Kerry lawn sign being stolen, I walked in to the meeting that Friday morning and one of the friendly Repubs shouted out, "it wasn't me!"
Ever since late September the Repubs in the group have been getting quieter and the Dems have been smiling more and shouting less. We had our moments, like the week before election day when the former township mayor (and local garden store owner) told us "when you go in that voting booth the world could change so you'll hardly recognize it," and I told him that's exactly what I was hoping for, and had been my whole life.
Today I walked into a discussion between two group members over how we present ourselves to visitors to our meeting. The attorney said, "maybe Megan could mediate between the Republicans and Democrats in the group if we start arguing in front of the visitors." (I'm a mediator.) I told him I can't mediate that dispute, I'm too partisan. Then I thought about it for another minute, and said, "Actually, there's nothing to mediate. You guys are marginalized and in decline. There's nothing left to argue about."
Smug, moi? But the funny part was, they just kind of nodded. These are two very moderate guys I was talking to, and I wouldn't be awfully surprised if they voted for Obama this year, but they've always held up their side before in an argument. Last week one of them was shaking his head and predicting doom and gloom from liberal economic policies, and I put my hand on his shoulder and said, "don't worry, it'll be okay. Trust me, you're going to love it." And he just kind of nodded and shrugged.
I'm enjoying this!