Politics trump everything for some
Sept. 11, 2012
Katy Grimes: A few days ago, the Wall Street Journal ran a story about a couple in a long-term mixed marriage — he’s a Republican, she’s a Democrat. The story chronicled how difficult their life can be every four years.
I would think that every day would be tough, not just every four years.
But one Presidential election, the husband had to travel overseas, so he asked his wife to mail his absentee ballot for him. Instead, she threw it out.
“Bonnie Pollak, a Democrat, weighed her options. Should she be loyal to her spouse, respect his legal right and mail the ballot? Or remain faithful to her deeply held beliefs and suppress his vote?
“It was a real dilemma,” says Ms. Pollak, 58 years old, a student in a doctoral program in social welfare who lives in Manhattan. ‘I decided to do the right thing.'”
Had I done than, I’d be single today.
We are family
We have this problem within my own family–my dad is a Republican, my stepmother is a Democrat. My sisters are also Democrats. My brother is Republican.
However, I am the only representative of the private sector in my family–everyone else works for the government.
Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinner at the parents’ can be challenging–especially because I am a political journalist, and frequently get asked questions about the state of the state. They just don’t like my answers.
He says it took him at least a year to stop being irritated, and to this day he doesn’t trust his wife of 35 years with his correspondence. “Isn’t it illegal to throw away mail?” he still asks her.
Family differences can be challenging enough, but having a devious, disrespectful spouse is entirely another matter. Mrs. Pollak must surely be a pompous witch, and Mr. Pollak wimpy.
Ms. Pollak, of the tossed ballot incident, says when their three children were young and went away to sleep-away camp, she sent each a long letter detailing why it was important to become a Democrat. (Mr. Pollak fired off a rebuttal when he found out.)
“Only a Democrat would find an ethical dilemma in deciding whether she should keep the promise she made to him to cast his ballot or to deceive him and deny him his right to vote. O tempora! O mores!” one commenter wrote.
If Mrs. Pollak’s “deeply held beliefs” don’t involve honoring her husband’s request or his right to vote, she needs her head examined. Apparently Democracy is not one of her deeply held beliefs.
Fundamentally different world views would make for a nasty marriage – especially with her “deeply held beliefs.” But Mrs. Pollak’s decision to suppress Mr. Pollak’s vote is a vile breach of trust.
That’s what this entire election is about.
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‘I decided to do the right thing.’
Here in a nutshell is the degenerate moral outlook of the left. Violating your spouses right to vote and breaking a sacred marital trust is considered the right thing to do because it advances a desired political outcome. Never forget that because it perfectly encapsulates the left wing mentality. The end (political victory for socialism) justifies any means including marital deception, law breaking and hypocrisy.
“He says it took him at least a year to stop being irritated, and to this day he doesn’t trust his wife of 35 years with his correspondence. “Isn’t it illegal to throw away mail?” he still asks her.”
Any man married to such a perfidious, backstabbing, ungrateful harpy deserves to have his vote thrown in the trash along with his heart, mind and whatever may be left of his appropriately low self esteem. What a dunce!
Notice how the wife in this little morality tale is a stereotypical urban lefty adult parasite who, though apparently middle aged, is still in school chasing a worthless degree in order to avoid productive work. This couple is a case study in dysfunctional marriage and the human propensity for self delusion. No doubt their children will end up with the same capacity for treachery and loathsome gullibility.
Katy, like you I have a family political dilemma. My family members are mostly Conservative/Libertarian. My wife’s family are all smug left/liberal government workers even though they get more lucrative offers from the private sector. They’re all irresponsible Birkenstock wearing spendthrifts who act like tomorrow never comes. None of them has a clue about history, philosophy, political science or economics though they have post graduate degrees. They react to the truth as if you had stabbed them with it. I could make a small fortune by setting up an “Obama Is God” T-shirt kiosk at the in-law gatherings. It’s kind of like a perpetual Democratic national convention but without the entertainment. Maybe that’s why I avoid them so much these days.
Dyspeptic, Your comments are right on! How a true conservative could live with such a person is beyond comprehension.
I think Katy, and Dyspeptic too, spoke for a lot of us out here whose family and other relationships have become strained during (what seem to us to be) these terrible times. Thank you
Susan, Larry and Dyspetic – you hit the nail on the head. And yes, family relationships and even friendships have become strained because of the liberals and left-leaning entitlement mentality so pervasive today.
And yes, it took every bit of strength not to mention Mrs. Pollak’s post-graduate schooling… typical. She’s probably doing it on government grants and financial aid.
Katy
There are Mrs Pollaks on every side of every issue, including Repugs. She is a terrible person who cannot be trusted, if you do not have trust you don’t have a relationship, you have a train wreck
In my family we simply cannot talk politics, ever. We have super right wing, bible thumpers on one side and ultra left, liberal tree huggers on the other- and me in the middle, whom the right calls an ultra lefty and whom the left calls a Faux News conservative……..how there can be these two extremes out of the same family is baffling to me.
Poodle you a swisheeee moderate?
Such perception!
As a wife I would never do that to my husband or adult children. God only knows what else she does. She is deserving of a DIVORCE!!