Liberals have no shame. A dinner guest in our home stood up at the table, clinked his wine glass and said, “It shows how stupid the American people are, they voted for Bush twice.” He turned to me, smirking, and said, “I know you voted for him.” A biochemist who had been too busy learning liberal doctrine instead of the basic manners of being a guest.

We also had dinner with a couple who spent the evening trashing Rudy Giulliani, claiming that the former mayor of New York had nothing to do with turning the city around, even though he took office in a crime-ridden city and stepped down when it was safe. It would have happened anyhow, they said. As we said goodnight in the driveway, one said with a grin, “We like you even if you are Republicans.”

I once called up a friend before a trip down to Florida, and I told him I enjoyed driving and stopping at different places along the way, staying awhile to learn about the country outside of New York. “The red states,” he said disdainfully. “Those pickup truck people have a lot of common sense,” I said. Click. He had hung up the phone.