Loving Rush Limbaugh AND being your friend

I like to be liked. In fact, it really, really bothers me to have anyone dislike me. Being youth pastors for all those years, we did make some enemies, but as those "youts" grow up, they either a) forgive us or b) realize we were right or a combo.

Anyway, this whole wanting to be liked thing has really messed with the political side of me. I'm a conservative, Republican, basically. I have pretty much checked out of politics in the last several years, as my brain cells have been directed toward keeping my young alive, but, you know, I listen to talk radio, read the news, read blogs and try to keep up.

The thing is, I'm a relatively nice person, or at least I try to make people think that. So even if I think your political candidate is a demonized baby-killer hack, I probably won't mention it, except maybe right at election time, when I might say something along the lines of, "FYI: Your candidate was caught knifing a child last night in an alley outside a nightclub." just to keep you informed. But for the most part, I'll keep my mouth shut, and think dark thoughts about the other party and their policies and the eventual downfall of civilization based on your beliefs.

I'm just going to vote for a pro-life, fairly mainstream candidate who I think can win. And that's my right, as an American. It's your right to vote for whoever you want. I just don't like the invective.

You know? I mean, do I have to have your permission to like Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Palin? To be okay with loving America, and not being totally against war? I feel like I have to HIDE this stuff, and that's bunk, because I have friends that are anarchists, and friends that are liberal, and friends that are libertarian, and friends that could identify every actor in Gossip Girl and not know the name of the Vice President. And maybe I think you're totally wrong- but I'm not going to be insulting and offensive about who you choose to vote for. Most of the time, anyway.

I don't know, maybe I'm just personalizing something that I should be objective about. I just feel defensive of having opinions that are mocked in the mainstream, even though I know a lot of people agree with them.

*edited to add an ending because it seems awkward to end there. So, there you go.