Can a Democrat Really Date a Republican?

Can a Democrat and Republican make it work? Dating across party lines has been a hot topic this year in confessional op-eds, think pieces, and advice columns, and it usually focuses on some talky liberal wondering, Carrie Bradshaw-style, if their hot Republican lover is really worth the political differences… Check out a few samples below and see where you stand on the issue.

Salon: “I almost felt smug about how well we fit. None of our friends could have a bipartisan relationship like ours. But the endless election cycle of 2012 is proving a bit of a challenge for our cozy across-the-aisles romance. The sparks of our debate – which can be so thrilling – have more recently been tipping over into brawls.”

xoJane: “After consulting the masses, I came to a personal decision: I will only shtup a Republican if he is so extraordinarily hot as to make my underpants physically melt, and only if he is the most liberal kind of Republican who hearts the gays. Basically, my best bet is to shtup a Log Cabin Republican who is feeling ‘experimental.’”

Margaret Cho for BuzzFeed: “I’d say there are mixed political relationships that work. We all feel a little differently. I don’t get conservatives but I have had friends who are(!) and we just argue and then I storm off. But we’re all just people anyway; we’re all just trying to get by.”

Match.com’s Up to Date: “So if you begin to date someone with a radically different political perspective, I recommend you make a few ground rules at the start. I like the slogan ‘Let’s agree to disagree.’ Then save your political discussions for nights out with like-minded friends and focus on the ‘sweet spots’ in your budding partnership.”

Jewish Journal: “Everyone always points to Mary Matalin and James Carville as shining examples of a couple with different political beliefs and a stable marriage.  But honestly, have you seen them bicker on tv?  I love watching them but I don’t want to fight like that in my home.  I want my home to be a place of tranquility and calm and little social justice fighters playing pin your favorite president on the blue donkey.”