Red, Blue, and Green City

Apparently, delusions of martyrdom really are a prerequisite for being a Republican. In "Blue City Conservatives," Matt Rosenberg throws circumstantial stories together about how hard it is to be a Republican in Seattle. Boo hoo. It's not enough that their party controls every branch of the federal government and the most watched news channel in the country. Now we're supposed to feel sorry for them because they have to hold "support groups" because they're in a city that disagrees with them? It might enlighten them to know that there are plenty of stories of harassment from both sides of the political spectrum, like when a man began screaming at me about how Teresa Heinz Kerry was a terrorist after seeing my Kerry bumper sticker in Wallingford, or when over 100 people flipped me off on Election Day because I was holding a Kerry sign in the U District. I didn't take any of these incidents seriously, though. Jerks come in red and blue, but at least I live in a blue city, where reason, compassion, and environmentalism play a huge part in politics.

David Haldeman
Seattle

Thank you for the story on Republicans in "blue city" Seattle. I am regularly the recipient of the animosity shown toward those expressing a minority viewpoint in this city, and learned the hard way that I can no longer engage in meaningful issue dialogue with friends and neighbors. And although I consider yard signs visibly polluting in general, I would fear for my personal safety (and property value) if I were inclined to display the wrong kind of sign in my northeast Seattle neighborhood.

Even in UC-Berkeley of the 1960s, I recall lively dinner-table conversations in which one could express alternate viewpoints without fear of reprisal or disdain. I look forward to the day when, in the words of your reporter, Seattle becomes a "two-party town."

Jane Johnson
Seattle

As a former Seattle resident, I did not always agree with the "true believer" liberalism of the city, but I have no sympathy for how "hard" it is for Republicans in Seattle. As a soon-to-be-former resident of the most red area of a newly red state, I can tell you that living in intolerant, ignorant, and often bigoted (and I mean racial slurs and segregation–style bigoted) Bush-land is far worse. Sheesh, the worst Seattle Republicans have to do is listen to people who hate Bush and the intermittent harangue about eating meat and pay for a few social programs they might not agree with. In red states, blues have to listen to and experience racist, sexist, homophobic language, policies, and social practices that do not simply wish suffering on the leaders of the blues but wish and cause suffering to real people.

Michael C. Souders
Portales, NM

I rarely write letters to the editor, but I was moved to by Matt Rosenberg's article on the perils of being a Republican in Seattle. Even though I am a lifelong liberal, I heartily wish the Republicans he profiled were the Republicans in Washington, D.C. They seem reasonable, moderate, not trying to push Christian values down your throat. They seem to understand that we do have to worry about global warming and climate change. I would dance naked in the streets if these people were in Washington versus the scary, dominating corporate toadies currently ensconced in Congress and the White House.

Marcy Rodenborn
Tacoma

While the transplant "Blue City Conservatives" profiled by Matt Rosenberg stand about slack-jawed and perplexed by the bizarre values of their new neighbors, perhaps they should consider why they moved to big bad blue Seattle in the first place. What is it about those liberal values that creates such appealing places to live?

Peter Mitchell
Seattle

I read with interest and good humor "Blue City Conservatives." My only question is, since when is it a bad thing to have a geographical area defined by liberal politics? It seems as though Republicans aren't satisfied until every last political district in the nation is a shining red bastion of conservatism.

While the personal stories included in the article were engaging, I don't feel sorry for my conservative-minded neighbors having "little voice" in local politics. As a Democrat, I choose to live in Seattle because I know that here, there are many others who feel the way I do. After all, Democrats are allowed to have some blue cities, too. As a Republican, perhaps Matt Rosenberg should move to the Eastside, where he can be surrounded by others who mimic his sentiments. Essentially, if you don't like it, leave (and stop whining about it). There are plenty of red cities to choose from.

Tasha Burwinkle
Seattle

One correction to "Blue City Conservatives." The Bush hater who rose through his sunroof did not say, "Guy, you faggot Republican," but yelled, "Die of a heart attack, you Republican faggot!" Hopefully my heart is fine, and I don't qualify for the latter slur, but imagine the reaction if a Republican had yelled at a Kerry supporter in a similar matter, a hate crime for sure.

Warren E. Peterson
Seattle