My Parents' Mixed Marriage

Not many people know this, but I am the product of a mixed marriage. I was blissfully unaware Rosetta Stone software of it growing up, which I think speaks well of my Mom and Dad, who apparently wanted to protect their six children from the raw emotion and even hatred that was out there then -- but seems to me to be out of control today.My parents met when he was in his mid 20s and already out in the world, and she was barely out of her teens. Her parents were strongly opposed to any sort of relationship and did their best to nip it in the bud. They took her away to Europe for the summer, hoping that the spark would die. It didn't work. Pop met the boat when they returned to New York. Her parents reluctantly accepted what they could not change, and Mom and Pop were married in late 1938 and remained happily married for 63 years.Is that sort of mixed marriage even possible today? I seriously doubt it. After all, Pop was a Connecticut Yankee and a hardcore Republican, while Mom was a classic liberal Democrat from New Jersey (she was an early supporter of Jesse Jackson in the New Hampshire primary). She ran for office in our hometown several times, winning handily each time and proudly fighting for a Democratic agenda to preserve green space, limit McMansions and otherwise "interfere" in individual's rights to do whatever they wanted to. She did all this in the solidly Republican town of Darien, Connecticut.My parents respectfully disagreed, but they also discussed and debated issues between themselves and with us -- everything from Vietnam to gay rights, and lots of issues in between. Their views weren't set in stone, even though their leanings were clear.A couple of key words in there: "respectfully", "discussed" and "debated". And things did not fall Rosetta Stone Chinese apart; the center held, contradicting Yeats' grim vision.So what on earth has happened to Republicans and Democrats? The latter seem to me to cave in at every twist and turn, particularly on the issues I care about most. Democrats should be fighting (speeches don't count as "fighting") for increases in spending on early [Rosetta Stone ] childhood programs and Pell grants; they should be fighting to eliminate the Bush tax cuts for the rich; and they should be challenging tax loopholes that allow GE and others to actually make money on their tax returns. What do Democrats believe in these days, besides avoiding conflict and trying to make each defeat look like a victory?In the wonderful movie Win Win, an inept high school wrestler spends an entire match trying to avoid being pinned. He's OK with losing a decision (3 points) but not giving up the 5 points for a pin.Or an older reference, from the Eagles' song, "After the Thrill is Gone:"Same dances in the same old shoesYou get too careful with Rosetta Stone French the steps you choose.You don't care about winning but you don't want to lose.