Politically incorrect

I've been at this online dating thing for a while now, and I've met some good guys. I've also met some jerks. There are a couple that stand out - here's one of my favorites.

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He seemed nice enough - he approached by email on a dating site, and eventually asked if we could IM, so I shared my Yahoo ID.

As a full-time dad, going out was tough for him, but we chatted every night for a week. Our conversations were pleasant - but very superficial. Movies, music, my work and his work were the major topics. Eventually, he got bored with this - and asked me about politics.

Now, let me just say - I am happy to discuss politics with anyone, as long as we can keep it civil. I am not sure how I feel about it coming up in groups - I think there's too much room to offend or hurt feelings. But in a one-on-one conversation, it's fine - as long as everyone is playing nice.

That said, I guessed from this guy's profile that he was a staunch republican. (FYI - hunters are usually NRA members, which means they lean heavily to the right. Often to the point of tipping the boat.) Which probably meant we would not agree. But he asked me a direct question, "What is your political party?" So I answered honestly, "I'm a registered democrat."

Which I am. That doesn't define me, or even begin to sum up my political or social views. But it was the simple, honest answer to his question.

Also, apparently, the wrong answer. At least as far as he was concerned. He went on to explain how the liberal agenda was hacking away at all the things this country stands for. That he was surprised that someone my age, who seemed intelligent, would fall for the socialist beliefs our country was buying into. And that it was upsetting to him that a country that was founded on "Adam and Eve" was turning into "Adam and Steve."

I beg your pardon? This was where I stopped being nice. I can't tell you all that I said - but I can tell you it wasn't pleasant. He'd crossed a line with that comment, and I felt he needed to understand that, while I'm pretty tolerant of anyone's beliefs, certain things are just not okay with me. A complete disregard for civil rights for all people is at the top of that list.

He tried talking to me a couple of times after that (no, I'm not kidding). Eventually, he asked me why I was so distant (??) and I explained that I was really offended by some of the things he'd said. Not just his words - but his tone. He went on to start screaming (all caps; remember, this was IM) that I was proof that all liberals were awful people, that I'd shown him what liberals are really like, and he was glad he'd found out before he wasted any more of his time on me.

Finally, something we agreed on.