I've been seeing a girl I REALLY like a lot, but she's fairly liberal. She's cool with my gun collection (as an interesting aside, she was actually injured while target shooting by a ricochet and treated as a GSW victim, but I digress...), but not so cool with my libertarian politics. We're in agreement on religion, drugs, appreciation for the wild places, but not on the role of government. I prefer governmental minimalism, and she gets all giddy over various government programs that claim to "help people." She even volunteers for the "Haven" program which helps battered women/children/etc.

How do I make her understand that conservative politics are really the way to go? It's not that she's too dumb to get it--she's smart as a whip (OK, maybe smarter than me). But she is a child of liberal parents and a liberal education.

I feel kinda like that Imbrog|io character dumping my chick problems on this board, but dammit this one's a keeper if we can get passed the politics issue. Any HELPFUL comments appreciated.

Hold your ground.  Don't be a preacher or a crusader.  If you lead by example, she will eventually respect your opinions and question her own time-honored beliefs.

I speak from experience.

What is wrong with helping battered women out?  True some of them are going to be lifelong victims, but some of them will be able to use the help.  I don't see what is wrong with volunteering or getting involved on her time.  

The only problem I foresee is that you are probably going to run into issues is mixing your two social circles.  She may have a bunch of liberal "wuss" friends and you may have a bunch of conservative "mean" friends.  These are somewhat non-compatible cultures, and you may experience ANTAGONISTIC RESPONSE.

My newly ex-girlfriend is a PhD candidate at Harvard.  Her friends are 1-800-patsies.  My social preferred social circle generally works in sawmills and the woods.  Lessee, now, after 3.5 years together WHAT do we have in common?  Sadly, the truth is "not much."  

You two are going to have to establish open lines of tolerance and communication.  Blechhh....

Good Luck

The Fungus

 

Agreed, don't be pushy. Beyond that, though, go "compassionate conservative" -- remember, you're not opposed to helping people, you just don't think the government's any good at it -- too much chance for inefficiency, corruption, so forth. If you can, dig up examples of government waste & inefficiency -- they lose millions in "administrative costs" while running a lot of these programs.

Nothing wrong with that!!

Maybe it's time you realize you are a heartless conservative. But, like RipMyer said, nothing wrong with that.

One of the best ways to attack goverment programs is comparing them to private charities.
1)So much more of the money actually reaches the people with private charities.
2) They have better control over deciding who actually needs the help.
3) People give because they believe in the programs & they give willingly, as opposed to goverment programs.
   My wife and I do not always agree politically, but it makes for more interesting dialogues.

Nothing. But helping battered women shelters destroy men's lives for sport is a major screw up.

Ustulina, nothing wrong with helping battered women at all. It's just not something that conservative fellas do, so I thought it would make a good example of how she is (really sweet!).

AnotherPundit, I already made the mistake of using the "efficiency" word when talking of social policy--that nearly ended it.

Her: "How can you talk about 'efficiency' when you're talking about people?"

Me: "Yep, it sounds pretty cold alright...ummm...ummmm...but minimalism is best DAMMIT!"

SS109, I've tried explaining the benefits of private charities, but she claims that wealthy folks don't give. Not something I research (again, she's smart). Guess I could use some concrete examples of govt. programs gone bad.

Thanks people.....

I do not believe that you should try to convince her of anything.

My wife's familly ( they are in the UK ) hate guns. I will not waste an ounce of saliva convincing them if they are too stupid after 8 years of knowing to realize that guns do not kill.

Just make sure she understand that most of those charities have chair ---what they call it---Chairperson--and these Ah either get paid 200.000 k a year like it happened here in FL with the United Way, or are only doing it to foster their political agenda.

If I want to help anyone, I do it on an individual basis and only to people I know need it.

I have friends that I help when they are down and viceversa.

I do not feel I owe society nothing more than respect for others and common sense.

I will rather buy a BUM a breakfast than give a penny to any of those charities.

Never try to change the other person. Disagreement in relationships could be healthy. respect her views and she should respect yours. Remember you two are individuals. This is where the "compromise" part of the relationship come in. Arguments could be healthy providing it does not get outta hand. Make her understand where you're coming from and understand where she is coming from.

I think Aretha Franklin sang it best....R E S P E C T [i]find out what it mean to me.....[/i]

She's already on your side. She like guns.

Get her to read unintended consequences and see if you can't reenact some of those kinky sex scenes.  have her *pretend* to jab a sharpened chop stick in your eye while she's riding you.  yeh! just remember I said pretend.  And not when she's mad at you.  

NSF

Wow, good advice all the way around.  Not much I can add except that women are more emotional and nuturing than us guys. Can't help biology and evolution. It comes out in their political attitudes. Had women never been given the right to vote we wouldn't have had to put up with Clinton for 8 years. I'll leave that one alone for now. Anwayy, play it cool like the others have said.

However, USTULINA has a good point.  My girl's best friend's boyfriend is a liberal bed-wetter of the worst sort.  It's a good thing they live in Seattle (of course) and don't come calling much.  I guess the last time they were down (I was away) he started in with this diatribe about how all guns should be banned because people in the ghetto are killing each other over a pair of shoes, etc. My girl is sweet as apple pie and maintained her cool.  She of course didn't wip out her CCP and snubby, but tried to reason with the little communist.  If treason like this happenes in my home when I'm there I swear I'm going to order the whiny little shit out of my home and march him out to the curb at bayonet point.  In the interest of my relationship (That would probably effectively end it) and out of respect for her I'm going to take steps to make sure the aforementioned  situation can't arise.  Be warned...

Rock her world you knuckle dragging caveman!

Mary Matlin and James Carville can do it. I would imagine that they lamblast each other every once in a while, even though they publically deny it. I bet it is never boring.

If she's cool with your guns, and the only thing you have to argue about is her volunteering to help battered women and children and shit like that, marry the girl. Agree to disagree. Do it politely. Don't be a fanatical asshole. You've already won 99% of the war, why be greedy? Eventually, you may gain the other 1%, but if not, you're not so bad off. If she's as smart as you say, she may actually agree with you and just testing you. Sounds like her "liberal" parents and education didn't really do that much damage. Count your blessings brother.

You know, mom used to say...
"If she can't handle your conservativismaness(sure it's a word!!!) then you don't need her!"

But she also said...
"Why can't you bring home a prize like the Hell's Angel like your sister had over for dinner last night?"

Or

"Why don't you go play with your cocknballs."

Mom drank....a lot.

Dear God...

All the hot and loose chicks are lefties.  

even Rush will tell ya, when it comes to your personal life, jsut dont fight with your friends over politics, even if their silly librals. he said that on larry live the other night.

My .02 cents (with change).

My father told me to look at marriage as a business arrangement. Find some women that meets your needs and goals in life, so I did.  My MAIN needs/goals were a stay at home woman, a best friend, and a good mother for my children...period!  Everything else after that was less important in my book.

My wife is definitely less conservative than I am, but not by much so I guess I got lucky. I suggest you figure out what is really important to you and what it is you really want in a women.  Also realize that in marriage it's not the man that tries to change the women, but the women that tries to change the man.

All other women before that were just girls I was looking to f%^&, so their politics didn't matter.

sgtar15

But I AM a heartless conservative!  So's my wife!

We actulaay agree on most things, out sticking point is abortion.  She sees it as a privacy issue (get the US out of my Uterus,) while I want to make it an issue of medical necessity.  After all, damn near everyone knows how a fiveskin works, and I MADE SURE that both of her boys knew.  The safest think they could do if they got a girl up the pole is to run away and get married, I don;t see abotion as "retroactive birth control" and I will be a little calmer in 10 years or so...

FFZ

Sometimes I really think guns are the test issue. If they can "Get" why personal ownership of firearms is so important, then they'll eventually come around the rest of the way. I think.

I'm still trying to convince my wife that if abortion is legal, I can "abort" my boys until they are 21.  Scares the Sheet out of them, anyway.

Troy

SHOW THIS TO YOUR LADYFRIEND...


 I thought you might enjoy learning about this newly released information.  It certainly answers a lot of questions I've had
 over the years.
   

 The fire at Los Alamos has one significant consequence. A secret scientific
 document was discovered in a bunker whose security systems were mostly
 destroyed by the fire. This document was leaked to the public last weekend.

 Actually it reveals nothing that we didn't already suspect. But it does show
 that the government has known all along that besides arsenic, lead, mercury,
 radon, strontium and plutonium, one more extremely deadly and pervasive
 element also exists.

 Investigators at a major research institution have discovered the heaviest
 element known to science. This startling "new" discovery -- kept top secret
 for 50 years -- has been tentatively named Governmentium (Gv). The new
 element has no protons or electrons, thus having an atomic number of 0. It
 does, however, have 1 neutron, 125 deputy neutrons, 75 supervisory neutrons,
 and 111 team leader neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.

 These 312 particles are held together by a force called morons, which are
 surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since
 it has no electrons, Governmentium is inert. However, it can be detected, as
 it impedes every reaction with which it comes into contact.

 According to the discoverers, a minute amount of Governmentium causes one
 reaction to take over four days to complete when it would normally take less
 than a second. Governmentium has a normal half-life of approximately three
 years; it does not decay but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a
 portion of the deputy neutrons, supervisory neutrons, and team leader
 neutrons exchange places.

 In fact, a Governmentium sample's mass will actually increase over time,
 since with each reorganization some of the morons inevitably become
 neutrons, forming new isotopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads
 some scientists to speculate that Governmentium is formed whenever morons
 reach a certain quantity in concentration. This hypothetical quantity is
 referred to as the 'Critical More-ass'.
   

      It's a good thing we DON'T get
      all the government we pay for!