IDP you are a very gifted and good writer. You and others here do an outstanding job expressing how I feel in words much better than I can.
One other thing I would like to add that from my experiences living here in the cesspools of liberalism is that many lefties are very angry and unhappy people on the whole. Dennis Prager does a good job of explaining
this . This can be backed up by research done by
pew and Arthur Brooks. One of the reasons I feel many lefties are not, I do not know how to put this nicely................
as radiant in the faces as conservatives, is because their anger and what seems hatred for our conservative values is worn on their faces.
Yes there are exceptions as my neighbors who are passionately liberal would do anything for you. They are very nice and pleasant to be around. However, they seem to me to be the exception not the rule around this area anyway.
I have had many encounters with lefties especially living here and if they do not agree with your views seem ready in an instant to explode like a hand grenade, in fact they to me are as human hand grenades.
One quick example I will share to reinforce your points. A couple years ago I was moving snow at work with a skid steer, I was doing another project for a few minutes and I left the machine idling. This man approaches me yelling and screaming to the effect that somehow by leaving the skid steer idling I was adding CO2 to the atmosphere and was contributing to flooding in Nicaragua of all places. I told him I did not believe in man made global warming and if there is it is because of sun storms. He went nuts and off on me for a couple minutes, he poked me in the chest and was shaking with anger. I did my best not to disrespect him and laugh. In stature he was much smaller than I and there was no way I would have lifted a finger to hurt the man as I could not see him at all causing me any bodily harm. I went form laughter to sadness for the man……………. to experience how someone could become so hostile and angered over something so small, trivial and insignificant as having a machine idling. I simply said to him, Sir I disagree with your views and told him I would be happy to give you a number that you could call to complain about me. He left in anger shaking his head and believe I saw tears coming form his eyes.