Four people have made this same comment just today. They were responding to the "Scoop" article in the N&R this morning about my recent episode with the Chair of the Guilford County Republican Party.
Two of the comments came from gay neighbors of mine, another from one of the sponsors of a fundraising party that I am having on Tuesday and the other came from a black friend of mine. They were all very surprised. Hidden behind their reactions to the article was the unspoken "how could you be one of THEM?"
My neighborhood is one of the most diverse in Greensboro and I am not just talking about racial diversity. I count almost equal numbers of gay and straight friends on my front porch during our frequent porch parties. My house has long been the center of activity here in the Aycock Neighborhood, black children are playing X-Box in front of my TV as frequently as white children. That is why I live here. Not very "Republican" in the stereotypical sense, huh?
People who know me know of my social leanings and they distinctly moderate. I am "pro-choice", I am a borderline "environmentalists wacko" as Limbaugh would say, I support "gay rights" because the gay families I know are more family oriented than many of their "straight" counterparts. I abhore any kind of racial injustice. I did not support the invasion of Iraq but now support finishing the job.
The reason I registered as a Republican three years ago after 30 years of Democratic affiliation was based on fiscal issues. I think that our government must exercise more restraint. I firmly believe that government is best that governs least so I generally don't support any "progressive" or redistributionist approach to social problems.
"Social liberal and fiscal conservative" sounds wishy washy I suppose, but that is why I hate labels. Before the article this morning the friends I mentioned judged and support me for how I live my life. Now that my Democrat friends discover my affiliation as "one of them", they see me in a different light somehow.
8:21:29 AM 
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