Vice Presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance recently talked about this. During a town hall event on NewsNation, he talked about the threat to democracy that some Americans are seeing. He spoke of the importance of communication and just talking to people as a possible way of making the divide a bit smaller. He also talked about something else: disagreeing politically with friends to the point where it gets personal.

"If you discard a lifelong friendship because somebody votes for the other team, you've made a terrible mistake... Don't cast aside family members and lifelong friendships. Politics is not worth it. If we follow that principle, we'll heal the divide in this country."

In the grand scheme of things, I think most rational people agree with this. Election season can get heated, no doubt about it. I also acknowledge the fact that, like my fellow conservatives, I believe this election really is the most consequential election in my lifetime. America is at a crossroads. We are literally deciding whether we are going to continue to be a world power or a third-world nation. Given that sobering thought, it is very easy to see friends who are voting for Democrats in a whole new light.

Thankfully, most of my friends are conservatives. There are two liberals, that I know of, in the bunch. The first one I met years ago in my former life as a pharmacy technician. I worked the evening shift, and she was the night shift, but the two shifts overlapped enough that we became good friends. We would get together at a local dive bar for drinks and just to hang out. But one of our favorite things to do was to needle each other at work in a playful way. She would say something about Trump, and then I would come back with something about Biden. I think it made our coworkers uncomfortable, but we were just having fun. I tell my friend that she is John Kennedy liberal, a liberal in the classic sense all the time. She is a strong Second Amendment girl and a gun owner. We disagree on a lot of things, and she rolls her eyes and shakes her head when I mention Donald Trump. But there is no one with a bigger heart. 

I have some friends that are liberals who absolutely will not even allow me 5 minutes to discuss this country's current situation & future. I no longer respect them, nor have anything morally in common with them. We've drifted apart. Nothing in common now

— Joanna Smith (@joannaonthelake) October 25, 2024

Then, there is my other liberal friend. We met 30-plus years ago when we worked at the same hospital. She is a nurse. If you think journalism is full of liberals, try healthcare. She moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, several years ago, so our communication is through social media. I know New Mexico is a blue state, but liberalism must rub off on some people fast. Nearly everything she posts is about how Republicans and Donald Trump are evil. She is extremely pro-abortion and pro-trans. She recently reposted something that supported the invasion of millions of illegal immigrants into the country. This is someone who comes from a military family. Her father served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Her brother served in Vietnam. Nearly every nephew or other male member of her family is a veteran. She supports nearly everything that would destroy America from within that they fought to defend against. Her daughter once used the term "Trumptards" in a post. When I politely tried to explain to her, a girl I have known since she was born, that she might be describing someone she knows and likes, like me, I got a lecture about not shaming people for their political views. Wait what? 

In the case of friend number two, I have come very close to hitting the delete button. Her posts are often insulting and, more often, just wrong. What keeps me from doing it is that she is now a grandmother, and I want to watch her grandson grow up. But as Vance said, I don't want to be that person. I don't want to start shaving off friends because they disagree with me. It's just not who I want to be, no matter how bad it gets.

The responses to Vance's tweet were mixed, and to be honest, I agree with some of them. One person said they no longer respect their liberal friends and have nothing in common with them. Another said they disagree, "TDS people are mentally ill. They need help." But others thought Vance might be on to something. One said that Vance was right, "in the end, we are all Americans and need to heal this divide." However, one brought up the point that, more often than not, it's the left that disowns friends for different views. It proves a point from the great William F. Buckley that is one of my favorite quotes, "Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views."

It originated before Joe Biden left the race, but there is a meme on social media that says, "Don't lose friends over two men who don't even know your names. It's OK to have different political views and still be okay with each other." Maybe this year more than any other.  

I agree with this in principle. But you cannot begin to engage with people who want to, essentially, eradicate you.

— 𝔹𝕖𝕖 (@Bee__witched) October 25, 2024