Sleeping with the enemy

Meeting the presidents of College Republicans and Penn Democrats together for coffee, it's hard to ignore the elephant - or donkey - in the room.

However, the way College juniors Zac Byer and Lauren Burdette, the respective presidents of the most prominent politically right and left groups on campus tell it, theirs is a friendship based on similarities, not difference.

"I mean, we're both History majors," said Burdette.

Byer added, "We ruminate on the history of the American Revolution."

With this year's highly emotional presidential election still a month away from conclusion, many Penn students may find themselves rooming with or even dating someone from the opposite end of the political spectrum.

Most politically fraught friendships are not on the extreme level of Burdette and Byer, although they do raise eyes sometimes.

"Everyone thinks we're having an affair or something" joked Burdette. "No, I'm not having an affair with Zac Byer!"

Dating the enemy, however, can be tricky, especially for the conservative minority on campus.

As College junior and former Daily Pennsylvanian Spin blogger Michael Tate put it "There's very few girls at Penn who are Republican."

"Talk to any conservative on campus, he's probably dating a liberal," Byer confirmed. "I've only dated liberal girls."

But neither see political affiliation as a hindrance to hooking up.

"I wouldn't not date someone because they were a Republican," said College sophomore Rachel Thomas, an intern for Obama.

But there are definitely pitfalls. Just ask College freshman Ayelet Menche, a moderate conservative dating a liberal.

"[Politics] come up all the time and sometimes we'll argue about it" she said, adding that "it gets annoying and I tell him we have to stop talking about it."

For others, though, it's not what you believe in, but to what degree.

"If someone was as hardcore conservative as I am liberal, we wouldn't be able to be in the same room together, let alone date," said College freshman and self professed "bleeding-heart liberal" Rachel Baker.

Even so, in dealing with a veritable Romeo and Juliet scenario, many ease the tension by focusing on commonalities rather than differences.

"I think we're motivated by similar things" said Burdette, adding, "There's so much similarity between the managerial aspects of campaigns, so that's something we probably have in common with more than other people in our respective parties."

Byer agreed. "My goal is not to change Lauren's mind, because that's not possible right now," he said, "and Lauren's goal isn't to change mine."

Then how vital is political affiliation in a relationship?

For Baker, the UPenn Jewish Students liaison for the Obama campaign, "marrying someone, it's important - and choosing how to raise your kids, but in friendships it's not."

Most Penn students, it seems, are of the same mind.

"The best part about Penn is being in an environment where there are people with all viewpoints" said Tate. "It's a breath mint."

"If you restrict yourself to dating or having friends who are only the same political affiliation as you, it can be pretty boring," Thomas said. "I mean, disagreeing with people is pretty fun."

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