My father, who was born in 1920 and died nine years ago next month, consistently voted for Democrats. He grew up poor in a big city (Philadelphia) during the Great Depression and his political beliefs were largely shaped by Franklin Roosevelt's presidency.
My mother, who was born in 1931 and died nine years ago last month, usually voted for Democrats but sometimes voted for Republicans. She grew up upper middle class in a part of a big city (again, Philadelphia) far from the city's center and is often called "the suburb within a city" (Chestnut Hill).
My mother had a mean streak. You often hear that phrase combined with "a mile wide," but that doesn't apply to her. Most of us have a mean streak that's at least a few yards wide and most of us keep it in check. From the reasons my mother would give for voting Republican, it usually seemed she'd let her mean streak dominate.
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