The lonely Republican

Okay, I'm going to break my own rule about putting all the political links in one post. But this isn't a link -- it's original content. Yes, a story about one of my own family members.

Early this evening I called my 84-year-old mother, who lives in suburban Portland, Oregon -- a town called Tigard, to be exact. She lives in a retirement community, about 100 standalone houses with retired couples between the ages of 55 and 95.

Uncharacteristically, our conversation turned to the election. She asked me how I was voting and I told her Kerry. She said, "Oh, you dirty dog!" -- which is pretty strong language for her. But then she said she had tried to get neighbors to come over to her house on election night to watch the returns. She only wanted other Bush voters, of course.

She couldn't find any.

She asked the guy next door. Kerry. She asked the people on the other side. Kerry. Finally she turned to the lady sitting next to her in church. Kerry. I asked her how many people she had asked. She said, "Oh, not that many..." I got the picture she had asked six or seven people.

Well, it is Oregon; it is near Portland. But I would have thought, among retirees, in the suburbs, more Bush support. Nice to hear.