How does that even happen? Or, even more than that, does it?
The news had been full of reports decrying the “dozens” of people that attended the Tea Parties on Tax Day. Just a few angry, right wingers, venting and eschewing their tax-paying duties. Or so the stories went.
So you can imagine my utter shock while scanning the updates from friends in my Facebook pages when I came across one particular post from a past liberal friend that was ranting in full-fledged conservative fashion. The photo matched the person I knew, but the post made me blink not once, but about three times. I knew I may be in need of glasses, but this had to be wrong. This person that I had known years ago, a conservative bashing, left-wing liberal could not be the same individual now willfully calling herself a right-wing fanatic. If you would have told me that she would one day call herself a Right-Wing Extremist, and proudly blog about it? I would have laughed in your face.
This particular gal was as anti-republican as you could POSSIBLY get.
Naturally, in time, I would have to know more. One day, I bit the bullet, got up the nerve and finally asked for the scoop. Here is what I got:
“Oh Stephanie! Where would I even start? There have been so many changes in my life [over the last few] years, (for the better!) that I just want to cry with joy thinking about them. To say that I have started a new chapter would be minimalizing. I am a whole new book in a different section of the library!!!! 🙂
I can’t tell you exactly when, or even how, I became such a conservative. The first I realized it was when I went to vote in the 2000 election. When I got into the little booth I just stared at the machine, knowing that I could not vote for Al Gore. I bet I stood there for 10 minutes. Heck, I had CAMPAIGNED for the guy. But I knew in my heart that there was no way I could do that. So I voted for Bush and have never looked back. But I think what really got me was when I started researching the Constitution as either firm law or as a “living document”. And I went wild from there…:) ”
All I can say is, “Wow”. What struck me most was the joy that kept bubbling out of her as she shared. It was such a stark contrast to the anger and venom, and worse yet, those comments the media made about the folks that had such a great time at the tea parties? Ugh! What I saw from the “other side” was only angst, name calling and hatred. “Who’d want to be on that side of the fence”, was all I could say as I watched my TV and read articles (after the tea parties) in amazement.
In short, we all joke about people crossing over. And as you can see from the above…it’s happening. One voter at a time.
Just my thoughts.
S.