What If I Changed My Party And Nobody Came?

The first thing you have to know, for this to make any sense at all, is that I've always been a die-hard Republican. My parents are Republicans. My family votes Republican - except my grandmother, but we eventually taught her how. My brother married a Republican. My other brother looks a bit like George W. Bush. My best friend is a Republican, although her mother won't admit it, even when bragging about her political work. I've handed out Republican literature at the polls since I was old enough to enjoy skipping school. I worked for the Republican caucus of the Indiana General Assembly, and some of my friends think I collect elephants.

But tomorrow, I'm hosting a campaign kick-off party for Barack Obama. Obama, it turns out, is a Democrat. I do have to acknowledge that he leans a bit towards the liberal side, but it's still shocking that the people who want to prevent government intervention in citizens' lives are the Democrats. And I guess that means that, come 2008, I'm likely to vote for a Democrat. Maybe more than one. But this one seems pretty likely.

This might be kind of nice. In Jewish Studies, people tend to assume I'm Jewish. There's always that awkward moment of conversation when I have to say "well, actually...." And when the conversation turns political, the Democrats are always "we." Then there's another "well, actually..." moment. At least now I'll know I can say "we," and be talking about the right guy.

So I'm trying to get ready for this party. In Indiana, the Republicans were always the fun politicians...the Democrats had a tendency to be kind of stuffy and position-conscious. One Republican legislator threw a hot-tub party each winter, and had this great party game where you'd strap on a plastic elephant nose and try to pick up plastic rings. I don't know what the Democrats did for fun...if they had fun.

And now it's my job to provide the fun...Democrat fun. I've invited a whole bunch of total strangers to my home. A home which, incidentally, is a complete mess. I've hardly had friends over since I moved. The only people who've visited are the really good friends who will tell me if my house smells too doggy, since I haven't been able to smell anything for a month. But those friends aren't coming tomorrow.

Nope, it's just strangers. And I don't know if I'm hoping they'll show up, or hoping they won't. I do know that the main purpose of this posting is to put off cleaning just a little bit longer - even when "cleaning" is going to mean "shoving everything into the bedrooms and bolting the door."

Above all, I'd really like to claim that I haven't finished my party preparations because I've been sick. Or because I've been reading. Or something. But the fact is, I finished one of my entrelac socks today. And it's red, not blue. Oops.