Taxachusetts

Massachusetts is generally viewed as a blue state among blue states. Taxes are high, gay marriage is legal, and wool-knit sweaters abound. However, my associate and I were in for an odd juxtaposition as we drove up to our relatives' house in rural Massachusetts. There were still wool-knit sweaters - alpaca wool, as the colder climate provided them the ideal setting to start an alpaca farm. But as we quickly found out, locals here despised taxes, secular values, and "big government". As we awoke Friday morning, a group of locals had assembled to haul alpaca-related materials to a nearby farm. My relative gleefully pointed out that I had just seen the inauguration, initiating a round of mockery at my expense. "How was the messiah?" I didn't dignify their pseudo-clever remarks with an answer.

My associate and I went into town mid-day for food. The town was quaint and brimming with new england charm, and there was a Quizno's right on the town square. We went in, and it turned out the store was linked to an all-purpose video rental/pharmacy/sports supply store. The staff was friendly, and they were nice enough not to ask us about our political views.

We spent the afternoon reading and catching up with our family, then in the evening we drove to a slightly larger town and ate at a nice restaurant. It was a pleasant meal, although it was a bit bittersweet since it would be the last dinner my associate would have before leaving for home. I was to stay for a few more days on the east coast visiting friends and relatives.

In rural Massachusetts, an area perhaps as conservative as the Southern towns we visited earlier, I recognized the same mood as I had in liberal California four years earlier: conspicuous indifference. Two years ago, these people were dismayed by the political ascendancy of their antithesis: a black man, a practitioner of big city politics, a socialist who pals around with terrorists. They had spent the previous year cultivating their hatred of this man, and now he's their president. Democracy can be difficult. On the days following the inauguration, after two months getting used to the idea of Obama as president, many had discovered the best coping mechanism was absorption in their daily routine. In the bluer parts of the country, we learned that lesson on January 20, 2005.

Across the Aisle

In the interest of bipartisanship, Obamathon Man looked into what Denver Republicans were up to, and stumbled upon the Denver Metro Young Republicans. Presumably, they included "Metro" in the title because there are more republicans further out in the metropolitan area, and not to recognize the metrosexual community (if such a thing exists). The DMYR had a few nasty things to say about the election, but for the most part they tried to stay away from sniping, focusing on strategically placing themselves for the 2010 and 2012 elections. Obamathon Man may just have to drop in on one of their meetings at some point.

Politically Impolite

So I'm here in Denver, doing a little last minute christmas shopping with my associate. We're looking over the best Barnes & Nobles has to offer, and apparently that's some cheesy Sarah Palin "authorized" bio. Gee willikers! So we start having a good old time at the expense of Alaska's first gal. "I'll find those answers and bring em to ya!" A well dressed woman walks by and I look over just long enough to catch her giving us a look that could freeze Mauna Loa. Welcome to Denver folks! In LA, that never would have happened - no one cares what you do or say in public. You could catch on fire and no one would notice.

To be fair, I saw plenty of Obama stickers and posters left up here, so the situation is not one sided. But the Republican contingent is not backing down. Unlike LA, they still have a strong foothold, and though they now appear to lie dormant, they are poised to strike back at the least opportunity. Denver: the town of mile high tempers.