I've mentionned my dad on here several times before, mostly as an example of the "old guard" Republicans. He's a Navy vet, but was a huge fan of both JFK and Bobby Kennedy back in his youth. He admires people like Colin Powell and George H.W. Bush (though he thought he stank as a President--too out of touch with regular people). To him, being a Republican stands for fiscal responsibility, environmental conservation, less government intrusion into his own life. He's not anti-welfare or public aid for the poor, but he would prefer to see the dollars put into programs to help the poor break the cycle of poverty, rather than just giving them "hand outs," as he calls them. He believes in a strong national defense, I suspect as a result of the "duck and cover" drills he had to do as a kid growing up in Chicago. He wants America to be the leader of the free world, but doesn't want us to alienate everybody else in the process.
In short, my dad is not that big a fan of Shrub's.
Let me brag a little more about my dad before making my point. He's incredibly well-read--reads just about every bit of non-fiction he can get his hands on. Loves Tom Clancy--but also loves the Daily Show and The Simpsons. He plays in a symphony orchestra. He travels all over the world for work, and understands that Bush's "my way or the highway" approach is wrong, wrong, wrong. He was raised in the Catholic Church, but hates organized religion. He doesn't condone homosexuality, but doesn't feel it's his place to tell others how to live their lives. He's anti-abortion, but knows that (in the word's of Atticus Finch) he can't understand someone else until he's walked a mile in their shoes. If more Republicans were like my dad, I wouldn't hold their party in such contempt.
That said, my dad can't stand the Clintons. He can't stand Ted Kennedy. He subsribes to the "tax and spend" stereotype of most Democrats. He thinks that liberals are ruled too much by emotion and not enough by common sense. He believes that Democrats are weak on defense and too "tree huggy." He respected John Kerry, but didn't really like him. He felt he was "too much of a suit, too establishment." Like I said though, he wasn't that enamored with Shrub, either, especially since he sent my little brother (also a Navy pilot) to fight in not one, but two wars. Before the truth came out about the WMDs, my dad was a staunch supporter of the war. We were guests on the Oprah show, and he gave a stirring (though dead wrong, in my opinion) speech that had Tom Freidman on his feet applauding. I have no clue who my Dad voted for--either Kerry, and he doesn't want to give me the satisfaction of knowing that he voted Democrat--or Bush, and he's too ashamed to admit it.
I hope that little bio of my dad can help you understand my surprise this afternoon, when, in the course of discussing the Rice confirmation hearings, my dad said:
"That Senator from California, what's her name? Boxer? She's teriffic."
A moment of stunned silence while Julie tries to figure out what to say
"Really dad? You liked her?"
"Yeah, I liked her! Out of all those idiots, she was the only one willing to stand up and actually hold Rice accountable for her decisions as NSA. She was great on that Ohio election thing, too. And Kerry did a nice job with Rice. And that Senator from Wisconsin. Russ what's his name. The rest of them, Democrats and Republicans alike, ought to be ashamed of themselves."
Later this afternoon, at my request, my dad, a lifelong Republican, actually signed on to Barbara Boxer's site and signed her petition to hold Rice accountable. I'm still stunned. Thrilled, but stunned.
I've confided on here before that my moderate conservative father has often lamented the fact that he didn't get a chance to vote for Howard Dean in the election. I never would have guessed it, and still have no explanation for it, but he loves Howard Dean. I thought that was an anomaly, but I'm starting to see a pattern here. My Republican Lite Dad doesn't necessarily like Republican Lite in his politicians. It seems that more "Democrat" the Democrat is, the more he likes them. He's actually starting to see Dems as the party of social moderation and fiscal responsibility. And I know a lot of guys like my dad--middle-aged, ex-military, lifelong Republicans, who can't stand Shrub and his minions. Specifically, my dad and his friends are outraged by the way this administration treated Colin Powell.
If only Democrats like Biden, Feinstein, Lieberman, Clinton, and others would get the message. Middle of the road only gets run over by the bus. Be true to the ideals of your party, be true to your constituents. Ask questions even if it's not popular. Be willing to say what you really think, even it it means putting your foot in your mouth once in a while. Act like a real Democrat, and you just might get my dad's vote.