On my way to a Republican fund-raiser in Manhattan this Tuesday, I had an interesting conversation with a Haitian cab driver that involved the Bronx, New Jersey, and Staten Island. After we had traded pleasant anecdotes about family and the lure of Atlantic City, the conversation turned to the economy. He seemed perturbed that I disagreed with him about how bad the economy was and said, “You must be a Republican.”

I always get that puzzled reaction from people I meet who assume that, because I am a Latina who grew up poor in Spanish Harlem, I am either a Democrat or an independent. A Republican? Surely you jest. For example, a woman who had befriended my daughter and her family was an event planner who complained about some of her business difficulties and, in the conversation, remarked that she couldn’t wait till President Bush was gone. When she learned that I was a conservative writer, she was taken aback, and her visits to my daughter took a sharp decline. They never stay around long enough to debate their biases.

There has never been a clearer divide between the two major parties, and I happen to be on the side that at least pretends it wants a smaller government. My cab driver’s attitude morphed from friendly to adversarial when he said, “You must be doing really well, but plenty of people out there are hurting bad.” Apparently he was one of the hapless homeowners who bought homes they couldn’t afford and, now that he couldn’t afford the payments, he was furious because he can’t sell his house and the banks won’t refinance.

“And the administration is blaming me instead of the crooks who made millions off people like me. Why aren’t they going after them?” he said. I agreed that fraudulent practices were a large part of the current housing crisis, and as far as I know there is an ongoing investigation. But all my driver wanted to do was blame Mr. Bush, whom he called the worst president ever. I almost said to him, “I feel your pain,” but I doubt he would have believed it.

The truth is that I was in the same housing crisis during the Clinton administration (which incidentally only became a success after the Republicans took over Congress with their Contract with America). Nevertheless, we didn’t expect help from the government to bail us out. We cut way back on expenditures and became wiser in the process.

What I wish the government had done then and what I think the government should do now is show faith in hardworking Americans by guaranteeing legitimate bank loans for consumers with good work records.

I had reached my stop at the Women’s National Republican Club on 51st Street, and I had asked my debate partner what he thought about Barack Obama’s choice of vice presidential adviser, James Johnson, who had earned millions while head of Fannie Mae and received loans under a special program created by the CEO of Countrywide, the company castigated by Mr. Obama on several occasions. “Oh” he replied, “He probably doesn’t even know that about him.” Mr. Johnson, who resigned from helping Mr. Obama after the controversy erupted, joins a growing list of dubious connections to the Democratic presidential nominee, but everything’s excusable to Mr. Obama’s enamored disciples.

The verbal sparring lingered in my mind, however, as I entered the reception area, where women were awaiting the special guest, and I observed them through the prism of my Haitian cab driver. Ah, typical Republicans, rich, white, and mostly blond, he would say. I counted only two African-American guests, and the only Hispanics he would notice would be serving food and clearing dishes. The fact that these are very well-paying jobs means nothing to someone indoctrinated in the politics of envy.

Stereotyping is wrong, whether it is about race, ethnicity, gender, or political affiliation. I have absolutely nothing in common with any of the women I met at the fund-raiser except for the conviction that JFK was right about one thing: We should not ask what our country can do for us.

I would suggest that the angry cab driver look in the mirror rather than at Washington, D.C., for answers to his problem. He comes from a poverty-stricken nation and yet complains because he can’t unload his $300,000 New Jersey home. One should feel grateful for the nation’s wealthy, because they’re the ones who spend and create jobs. Best of all, we live in a country where anyone can join their ranks no matter what the humble circumstances of their birth.

America — what a country.

acolon@nysun.com