My nan (grandmother) is a registered Republican, and quite proud of it. She believes in traditional gender roles for men and women, is strongly anti-abortion, and belongs to a country club. Her husband was the Chairman of a Fortune 500 company, and she is more of an economic conservative than anything else, being significantly more progressive (but still not great) on social issues. A signed picture of George W. Bush hangs in her basement, addressed to my grandfather. She's voting for Barack Obama in November.
(More below the fold......)
My grandfather was a great man, full of wisdom. He believed in letting people be who they are, but he didn't seem to think the government should help them do so. He loved the John McCain of the early part of this decade, who wasn't afraid to take a stand for what he believed in. He passed away (my grandfather) in 2005, and thankfully never saw McCain pander to the right wing of this party like he is now (although even then he was showing signs of heading in that direction).
My grandmother, quite frankly, thinks McCain is too old to be President. She is in her late seventies, where McCain would be at the end of his second term. (heaven forbid) Palin sealed the deal for her. She just said the governing Alaska isn't even close to comparable to governing the country, and that McCain's judgment took a big hit to her. "What was he thinking?" sounds great with a slight British accent included.
She has decided to vote Obama in November. In Illinois, it won't mean too much, but at least she isn't writing checks the wrong way anymore. (not surprising looking at their fundraising numbers)
I would just love to hear your reaction, and whether you are seeing anything similar among your family/friends/acquaintances.
Thanks again.