How into politics is your significant other?

[Taylor Mason Powell]

Poll question: How into politics is your significant other?

I'm just curious as to how similar or different are our partners, spouses, boyfriends, girlfriends, etc., from ourselves, in terms of political involvement or engagement in the issues of the day.

Plus, I've never started one of these poll thingies and I wanted to give it a spin...

[FlashHarry]

1. Mine voted for Nader in IOWA last time!

Needless to say, she won't be doing that again!

[GiovanniC]

2. My Significant Other

Is a Republican.

But still a good person, believe it or not, and does not like Bush.

[NMDemDist2]

3. but He rants and rants better than me n/t

[lyrical di]

14. i said mine is more than me

Actually, you are right. He RANTS more than me, posts more than me, writes more letters to the editor, and stands on the streetcorners screaming at Republicans more often than me.

I on the other hand. Go and research candidate's stands, find out how to volunteer to help them, and arrange meetings (which I drag him to). I also speak with state and federal representatives while he screams at them from the safety of his easy chair.

on edit... spelling

[NMDemDist2]

17. well mine mostly just rants

he doesn't come to this forum (or any forum) and isn't active in the party politics

but he does cover in our business for me to do the political thing

[CharlesGroce]

4. looks more or less like a Normal distribution...

I suspect with a better designed poll we would easily discern that.

[Taylor Mason Powell]

5. Are you attacking my poll-designing methods??

:-)

[newsguyatl]

6. don't have a significant other

but have to tell you that person would HAVE to be a liberal.

[Taylor Mason Powell]

23. Sure, you say that now...

...and then one day, BAM! Out of the blue you meet her...

and all of a sudden you're in a Carville/Matalin type situation and you're asking yourself, "how did I end up with a Republican!"

Cupid works in mysterious ways...

[livinginphotographs]

7. She's a total Democrat....

but doesn't know why. She listens to me when I rant about politics, and votes Democrat because her mother did, so I don't really care either way. She's right and doesn't even know it.

[saracat]

8. My signifigant other was

an independent and I converted him to the Democratic Party! He now holds a party position!

[WindRavenX]

9. Doesn't care

And that's becomming a problem.

[loathesomeshrub]

12. Here too

He voted for Bush last time, was very torn, but didn't like Lieberman. This time he will vote for Kerry, and thinks its enough. He doesn't want to hear about the things that outrage me! Doesn't want to hear me talk about politics any more. I keep telling him that he's an ostrich, and should know about everything the Repukes are doing.

[Taylor Mason Powell]

24. Oooh, sorry to hear that!

Try not to let it become a problem if you can. Take it as a blessing - a "politics-free-zone." A person with whom you can forget the worries of the day and just relax.

My honey isn't into politics at all, save for a few issues which directly affect him (e.g., gay marriage), and I actually find it a little refreshing, in a way. He is curious though, and sometimes asks me about certain things in the news, and I express my opinions...he listens politely but deep down inside I can tell he doesn't care all that much. That, or he thinks I'm nuts. And I love him for it.

(My guy is not a U.S. citizen, so he doesn't vote. That's a big part of it...)

[Misunderestimator]

27. Doesn't care... and it is a problem.

[Taylor Mason Powell]

30. It was only a problem for me once...

one time my honey and I had a mini-fight because I felt he was insufficiently pissed off that the presidency of the United States had been stolen.

But, he's not a U.S. citizen, and he didn't grow up here. I try to imagine how I would feel if I lived in another country and there was similar political shenanigans there. I suppose I wouldn't get all that exercised about it until it started affecting me personally...

[dusty64]

10. My partner doesn't

really give a crap about politics despite my best efforts and will happily vote the rethugs out just to keep me from ranting and raving for another four years.

[iamjoy]

11. Mine Is Lazy

He feels like I do on most issues, but doesn't want to get involved. I keep telling him "voting is not enough" He tolerates my giving $25 here & there to the Dems & Emily's List. I haven't given to an individual candidate since John Edwards dropped out and my husband asked if we would get back the $75 we sent to the campaign.

My husband isn't really crazy about Kerry and even though he hates Bush he doesn't want to feel like he's voting against something. He indicated he may not vote. I indicated I may not stay married to him.

Really, I think he was just yanking my chain and I love him, but it would be nice to go to some of these things together.

[Taylor Mason Powell]

25. I know what you mean...

Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a partner who was as passionate about the issues as I was... but I'm not sure how much apoplexy one household can really take!

He is who he is, and I wouldn't change him.

If he voted though, you can be damn sure I'd make him vote Kerry! Or he'd be out on his ass! :-)

[iamjoy]

31. Oh, Mine Gets Mad

It drives him nuts that Dubya stammers and stutters so much.
He (my spouse) doesn't like children, but is very pro-education because he thinks that benefits all of society.

He'd just rather complain - which is normally my job.

[fudge stripe cookays]

13. He keeps me apprised of stuff I don't know about yet.

reprehensor does more political reading than I do. I get most of my news from you guys and other internet sites, and hear about most of the main political books from people who've read them.

I've found I can't fully immerse myself in political books. When I get REALLY REALLY angry I get depressed and I'm ineffective. So he gives me the high points and I continue to function decently.

Since he's Canadian, he can't vote down here, but he's been such a rock for me while I was out on the trail stumping for Dean. He helped me with the meetup I led, and he kept the house running on an even keel (laundry, dishes etc) while I was in Iowa, or about town volunteering.

I'm so lucky. I couldn't be married to someone noncommittal right now. I don't understand people who STILL say they're not interested in politics. They're also not interested in fighting fascism. What's wrong with these people?!

[napi21]

15. My husband isn't interested in politics at all, but agrees with me

the few times he'll listen to any complaints about Shrubco. I drag him to all the elections, and asks just before we pull out of the driveway, "OK, who are we voting for?"

I'd like him to be more interested, but it's a good thing that we have nothing to argue about. It's a guaranteed Kerry vote that we don't have to fight for.

[Justice]

16. My SO works in government

and said they would go to work on Friday, even with the day off - there was no way they would take a day off in Reagan's name.

[Only Me]

18. Mine can remeber that WE are Dems but not always Why??!!

He is so funny, it's embarrasing. He doesn't know anything about politics. I have been a Dem since I was a kid, about 30+ years and my family was very mixed and still is. My husbands family is also mixed.
But I have always had a very clear understanding of why I am a Democrat. It is as natural for me as breathing. But my husband struggles with the differences in the parties. He gets very confused about the names, positions and roles of our officials. He is a Dem at heart, he is just unpolished.

[CrispyQ]

19. But hey!!!

I got him registered to vote after 30+ frickin' years!!! And he's gonna vote for Kerry!

[MoonRiver]

20. He's into it but doesn't obsess like me.

He's the involuntary, but reluctantly grateful, recipient of my knowledge base, however! :D

[Seeking Serenity]

21. That special someone in my life only really cares about a couple of issues

That special someone in my life only really cares about a couple of issues. The rest, well, not so much.

DH is a Republican, but pretty much only for tax reasons and the judiciary. He's fairly socially libertarian, although he is anti-choice (he's actually anti-Roe, thinks it should be up to the states).

He says he'll vote for Bush, even though he's getting fairly disgusted at the handling of the war. He says he couldn't vote for Kerry for the two reasons stated above.

I love him dearly, despite our political differences.

[Djinn]

22. I converted mine

well not really - he was fairly apolitical before but the opinions he did have were a bit right wing - his family pretty much all vote conservative (in a not think about kind of way) and one side runs their own business that deals with one of the more "ardent" unions - and to be fair the particular union is a tad corrupt and I can see why they're none too keen - so have taken a conservative view on all unions.

My other half now gets into more arguments at parties than I do about Iraq, Bush and our own little man Howard.

Amazing what a bit of information can do. I know it's probably a bit judgemental of me but I often wonder, apart from the rich, why ANYONE in possesion of the facts would vote conservative these days.

[SarahB]

26. He's into it and informed, but less obsessive about it.

[clyrc]

28. I decided my husband was worth pursuing

when we were in the same dorm lounge watching the election day coverage in 92. I skipped all my classes that day, and he only showed up when the pizza arrived, but everything he said was so intelligent and so on the mark that I was very intrigued. I'm to the left of him, actually, but we are both VERY interested in politics.

[Pachamama]

29. My husband shares my politics, appreciates my passion, but doesn't....

...get as "obsessive" about it as me...it doesn't mean that he doesn't care, I just think that things are very overwhelming for him at work and he is trying to stay focused and he'll definitely vote for Kerry and every now and then when the TV is on or he's reading the paper and he sees something outrageous, he'll mention it and just shake his head about how shameless this administration is. There are however times where I wish I could talk to him about the latest "outrage", but he can't because it upsets him too much....I suppose that's why I come to the DU sometimes is to "vent"....

I will say however that if he told me tommorrow that he's voting for Bush, I'd seriously consider divorce - not that I treat marriage as not being important, but if I found myself with someone who with everything going on and who has commented himself on the "outrageousness" of this administration and then voted for Bush, I would find myself wondering "who am I married to".