by Vivian Luu
Copy Editor

It was the middle of the night on September 30, 1986—a date that will live in oddity. The doctors at Northwest Hospital were amazed. They were floored. The nurses ran screaming from the room. Even my parents looked on with horror at what had appeared out of the mass of blood that accompanied my arrival. It can’t be! Impossible! But there I was and here I am: an anomaly, a misprint, a Republican Seattleite.

Okay, maybe I’m not the only Republican on campus. But ask yourself this: Are you a Republican? Do you feel like you’re the only one too? Chances are that you either replied “no” the first question or “yes” to both. It’s not bad to be in a minority group, but political opinions seem to be especially sensitive and extremely important to us Seattleites.

Do yourself a favor and attempt to have a conversation about politics with someone in line for Whidbey Coffee. People here love to talk about their democratic processes. So what’s the problem? Isn’t it good that we like engaging in politics? Yes, all of that is fine and dandy except for one thing Votingresearch.org recently released a study which found the Emerald City to be 16th on the list of the most liberal cities in the United States. That’s great news if you are a Liberal…bad news if you’re a Conservative.

All I know is that I stopped putting Conservative stickers on my car after my friend in high school had his tires slashed. (He later moved to Montana…smart guy.)

Case in point: I have been able to chat politics with fellow students and the second political question I am asked (after “Really? You’re really a Republican?”) is: “Why?” And then they would give me a terrified look that screams, “You have a creature on your face devouring your nose and I’m afraid it will jump on to me after it’s done with your carcass.” The conversations that follow usually result in me defending my views as more people gather to watch or add their own opinions on how my opinion is wrong. From Environmentalists to Socialists, everyone has a beef with Republicans like myself and therefore everyone has a beef with me.

Maybe it’s my fault that I have conservative values and darn it, I haven’t been able to shove them down yet. I admit, though: The Republican Party has had its fair share of “downs,” but I don’t understand why I must bear the burden of defending them. Did you have sex with Monica? Well I didn’t start the Iraq War, even though I voted for those who did.

To make a long opinion short, election years are nightmares. Living here in Seattle, I feel like a cockroach in a shoe store. As I sit here, reflecting on political warfare, I’m reminded of the lyrics by (ironically) War: “Why can’t we be friends? Why can’t we be friends?”