Relevant to the discussion below, I just stumbled across a thoughtful observation in the comments to this post over at Done With Mirrors:
People who advertise their politics online, as I and many others do, can't really escape the consequences of what they have supported. I voted for GWB this past election, having no illusions about a lot of the things he wants to do that I dislike, about a lot of the people who back him hoping he'll do things I despise, and about his questionable abilities in a lot of important areas.Posted by Ben Brumfield at July 28, 2005 11:44 AM
Yet I find myself going to work every day among people who were certain that this past election was a pure black-and-white decision, and that a vote for GWB was a vote for the world going to hell, everyone going to war, the economy going in the tank, the homeless flooding the streets.
In that environment, if I have to talk to them about politics, I have to address their view of things. And I end up looking harder for good news than I ought to. Instead of seeing the world in balance, as I feel it, I tout the "hits" and overlook the "misses" by the side I voted for....
That edges me into a more partisan position than I feel. Basically, I avoid this by not talking about politics in the office, with fanatics I know disagree with me. There are many other reasons to not do that (including "life's too short"), but that is one of them.