Tuesday, February 05, 2008

My grandfather's view of the world is 50 years old

Scene: The dining room table, 8 a.m.-ish. I'm at my half (covered with newspapers and half-read magazines), and he's at his (covered with a binder-sized checkbook and various financial-looking things, because that's what he's playing with these days)

Grandfather: So, are you voting today?
Me: I voted absentee in CT last week. Who are you voting for?
G: Clinton, but I'm voting Republican in the election.
Me: (choking on my coffee gulp) Why?!
G: Because I'm a businessman, and Republicans are better for business.
Me: What are you talking about? Why bother voting in the primary at all?
G: I'd rather Hillary than that other guy.
Me: How can you vote Republican? Look what Bush has done to our country!
G: He kept terrorism away.
Me: Ummm... September 11?
G: That was the only one
Me: Ummm... two wars? Rising sectarian violence? The entire world hates us?
G: Oh, they've always hated us, because they're jealous of our wealth.
Me: (increasingly incredulous, with all sorts of anthropological theory whizzing around with my neurons) The dollar is down against almost every currency in the world!
G: It went up a little this morning.

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