Poles at the Polls

I've always been proud to align myself with the "Marin hot-tubbers" on the progressive political left.
I like to get into discussions about politics and religion with my Grandma, who lives on a farm in Kansas and says things like, "oh, Jaime, you wouldn't get an abortion, would you? I just don't see a good reason for that kind of thing," and "You're not going to vote for that Clinton woman are you?"
Here comes a huge stereotype, but I think the way my grandma thinks of my views is right in line with the general consensus of the Midwest of us Californians: (Sure, wars are messy, but I'm proud of our troops and I stand behind our President. Obama? Doesn't sound like a name I'm gonna trust. Tornadoes and hurricanes and ice storms been ripping through here my whole life, I don't know about all that Global Warming stuff. Seems to me it's getting colder.)

Okay, my grandma's not that bad, but there's a huge, flat, red portion of our country that's influential enough that John Kerry's not President right now.

Over the holidays I discovered that our very own San Diego is a breeding ground for Christian conservatives, too. And one of them's now my stepfather-in-law. Kansas is one thing, and I love my family dearly, despite our political differences. But in California, being surrounded by liberals apparently makes the far right that much more militant.

Dude doesn't recycle, because "recycling is for liberals."

My grandma recycles.