When freshmen girls begin sorority recruitment, they are given a list of five taboo “B’s” they should not discuss: boys, Bible, bling, booze – and Bush. By Bush, Panhel means politics.But for the gentlemen rushing the frats, no topic is off-limits. And lately, in the lead up to the election, it’s hard to remember what guys used to talk about at parties. “Politics comes up a ton just in conversation,” says Weinberg senior Ryne Misso. “Along with NFL football, it’s the top thing talked about at our Sunday night dinners with the freshmen.”With fraternity recruitment heating up, toeing party lines has put freshmen on their toes. “I don’t want to talk to someone either far right or far left and make a bad first impression because I don’t fall on their side of the fence,” says Kurt Duenser, a McCormick freshman hoping to join a fraternity. “If someone brings it up to me, I try to change the subject because I’d rather talk about sports or the frat or beer pong or something where I’m more knowledgeable and more comfortable.”Savvy rushees worry politics could make or break their bid chances. Weinberg freshman Jonny Adair worked on a congressional campaign but stays silent in the frat quad. “People judge you on who you vote for, so I always just say I don’t know yet,” he says. “I don’t want someone to be like, ‘Oh, that’s the kid I had an argument with. He’s an ass,’ next time they see me.”But Misso says that he and members of his fraternity view political talk as just another way to engage freshmen. “The election is a conversation starter. Like, ‘Did you see McCain dodging that question?’ The conversation usually starts on mistakes one of the candidates made, and evolves from there,” he says.But conservatives beware: Even in the wake of the election, it might behoove you to bite your tongue. “My house is very, very liberal,” says Weinberg sophomore Andrew Leff. “I would warn freshmen to watch what they say because people can react harshly sometimes.”That doesn’t mean frats choose their pledge class based on their political affiliations. “Any house that considers it negative for guys to talk about their political beliefs doesn’t have the right criteria for choosing guys for a house,” Leff says. “We like guys who can have real conversations, can think for themselves and have real opinions.”And if those opinions don’t jive with most of the house? That’s okay, says Michael Lobel, a Weinberg sophomore and coordinator for Students for Obama. “There’s plenty of other things we can have in common and can bond over,” he says. “We can still have a good game of SuperMario SmashBrothers.”