An observation about my own extended family- the women tend to value and understand the importance of relationship more than the men, and the women tend to all leave the room when the men start arguing politics, be their points of view liberal or conservative.

When my Dad was alive he simply refused to argue, and had no problem telling both of Mom's brothers to stop forwarding right wing e-mails or he would have to block all of their e-mails. His own family would argue religion but not politics, and he refused to engage in any of those debates when he realized, early in his adult life, that no one was actually communicating or listening to one another.

I was fortunate to have two parents who were more thoughtful than ideological, and whose political and philosophical views changed over time based on their own life experiences, compassionate observations, life education, and who accepted that there are no "one size fits all" answers to the business of living life on life's terms to the best of our abilities. They were two people who were willing to grapple with complexity, who were deeply compassionate, and also deeply respectful of the validity of different points of view, even when the same was not afforded them.

We have a more familiar and familial relationship with one of Mom's right wing brothers than the other. With the more familiar brother, we are all comfortable telling him to shut up, we ain't gonna talk politics, and he largely has shut up. With the less familiar brother, Mom is not comfortable confronting him, so often avoids his calls. She has no desire to alienate him, however, and understands that he does not have the capacity her youngest brother has to tolerate differences at least to the point of shutting up. She also understands he is absolutely sincere when he calls to check on her well-being and when he has made clear he is there for her in any way he can be. She simply accepts his limitations in the ways he can be "there" for her.