A strange thing happens in election years if you’re at all political.

Suddenly the woman you’ve been laughing with on your message board about Paris Hilton blurts something about “whoo! the death penalty!” and you start avoiding her. The nice newsstand owner around the corner makes an offhanded remark about supporting Obama and you are now thinking hm, he does put the NY Times in front of the Wall Street Journals, doesn’t he. The cool mom in your playgroup shows up with a Ron Paul pin on her bag and you don’t look at her nearly the same way. Similarly, the cool mom in your playgroup shows up with your own candidate’s pin on her bag forever solidifying your friendship.

Or maybe the chick who just writes the funny blog about funny mom stuff shows that more than a parent, she’s a hopeless partisan with a President Poopyhead shirt in her baby’s wardrobe and her heart and soul in the outcome of this election. Sometimes she gets snarky. Sometimes she’s not above a good scandal.

I think that what unites us as parents is stronger than what divides us politically. I think that essentially we all want the same things for our children, even if we disagree on the best means to get there. Or how to talk about it. And that’s always what I’ve loved so much about this place specifically, and this here blogosphere or whatever it’s cool to call it these days. (I’m always like 6 months behind on the vernacular.)

Here I’ve found friends who have voted Republican their whole lives, friends who admit to voting Nader registering Green (sorry BD!), friends who swing both ways, friends who believe better dead than red state, and connecting us all, an entire site full of friends who put me to shame with their ability to conduct political discourse at a level of maturity and respectfulness that I only dream of being capable of.

Every four years, I fear for some of my diverse relationships as elections roll around and things get heated.

I once broke up with a guy because his goal to was to be “The next Rush Limbaugh.” I don’t regret it. But now I guess always wonder who wants to break up with me.

Phew, I’m conspiracy theoried out for the week.

I would very much like to discuss Gossip Girl. Or Project Runway. Or How that Subway ad with the people throwing soda on each other totally makes me never want to eat there. Or why I spent my first day home alone folding laundry instead of going to a movie or getting a lap dance or something.