Dinner with fiends.. Talkin' about politics, eatin' some pissaladiere

don't use "bullshit" twice in one sentence, it will confuse them.

I think you should have a card written out to read from.

i think that sounds pretty mean, actually.

awww poor wittle wepublicans.

why should he have to sit there and take it?

xpost - yeah, exactly.

seriously though, obv. don't initiate anything, but no reason to not be prepared if they do.

yeah - I'm hoping the subject doesn't even come up. But my expectations are low, which is probably a bad attitude to have going in.. I should try to change that..

my parents' best friends, who they go on vacation with all the time, are very very Republican. After many years of friendship, I still don't know how they manage to avoid talking politics.

I'd stick with the first two sentences, which are factual.

"fuck you and the horse you rode in on" should be implied rather than stated.

My tone, of course, would be cheerful & friendly..

you wont win any arguments, or friends, by being beligerent, or by seeming hand-wringy. when it comes to this kind of thing, i usually act reasonable, or disingeneuous (also, one of my faults, perhaps), "ack, when i look at the economy, over the last few years, i just get disappointed, firms closing, friends out of work, i never thought it would get as bad as this", "i didnt think bush was that bad, until all this war criticism of kerry, how can a draft dodger attack someone who went and fought for his country, what kind of patriot is that", "im not against bush per se, but i dont really think its right to have draft dodgers running the country myself"

of course, i am a facetious and patronising little shit. but, you know, i cope

"dont you wish the 90s were back, sometimes, never worried about money stuff back then, we seemed to be rolling in it!"

I'm not trying to win friends so much as leave them speechless.. Whether that's because they have no comeback, or because they're thinking "what gall" .. as long as they realize I'm not going to listen to them repeat that Bill Oreilly shit ...

good luck !

Things You Have to Believe to Be A Republican Today

1. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a
bad guy when Bush's daddy made war on him, a good guy
when Cheney did business with him, and a bad guy when
Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

2. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is
communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital
to a spirit of international harmony.

3. A woman can't be trusted with decisions about
her own body, but multi-national corporations can make
decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

4. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of
homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

5. The best way to improve military morale is to
praise the troops in speeches while slashing veterans'
benefits and combat pay.

6. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents
won't have sex.

7. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound
policy. Providing health care to all Americans is
socialism.

8. HMOs and insurance companies have the best
interests of the public at heart.

9. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are
junk science, but creationism should be taught in
schools.

10. A president lying about an extramarital affair
is an impeachable offense. A president lying to enlist
support for a war in which thousands die is solid
defense policy.

11. Government should limit itself to the powers
named in the Constitution, which ought to include
banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

12. The public has a right to know about Hillary's
cattle trades, but George Bush's cocaine conviction is
none of our business.

13. Being a drug addict is moral failing and a
crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then
it's an illness, and you need our prayers for your
recovery.

14. You support states' rights, which means Attorney
General John Ashcroft can tell states what local voter
initiatives they have the right to adopt.

15.What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital
national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is
irrelevant.

If the subject comes up, ask them how such a strong and decisive leader has been unable to do the one thing required of him since 9/11 (capture Osama B).

With conservatives, I usually talk about the economy and education...(which is hours of entertainment.) I try to keep away from the terrorism and Iraq issues, because people don't seem able to have a rational discussion about those things.

It sounds mean to me b/c the implication in your statement is that you're the one who knows better than they do. Obviously, they won't share that opinion. You're not going to change any point of view by saying that they're not informed enough, nor are you going to do any good by insulting them (i.e. calling them gullible). I mean, if you're wanting to retort simply to shut them up, then say whatever you want. If you actually want to plant a seed in their thinking, then I would use another approach.

True: the best approach is to first win their sympathy and then slowly but surely plant *seeds* in their (obv pea sized) brain. :-)

i recently spent a week with my parents at a house in the hamptons that friends lent me. it was the first time in years that we spent more than 2 days together. but as those always went relatively well i didn't expect any major problems. after two days i was calling friends back in montreal threatning to murder them both in their beds if they didnt stop watching Fox news and repeating it to me word-for-word at dinner. One night my father and i got into a fight where we ended up shouting over each other and not listening. the next morning was, to say the least, uncomfortable. luckily we both took the WASP way out and refused to acknowledge the fight. still it remains in the back a lingering odour.

None of this is in any way helpful for your dinner party dilema but i guess i just had to get it out there. thanks for the opportunity to vent.