General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsLook what our conservative fireman friend emailed us
Yes I have his permission to post this. Come on my friends from DU lets help a fellow convert out.
Hello,
I've started my own grassroots fundraising page to help the President win this November. But, hear me out before you judge my decision or this email.
It has been tough the past 3 years. In 2008, we fell into a recession that was as close to a depression that I hope we will ever experience. I was raised as a Conservative Southern Republican. I still share some of those values and a bit of its ideaology. But, here's the big change. I don't share the idea that my party or any party is always right. I believe that everyone should work together. I also believe the Republican party has fallen so far to the right that they have forgotten what's important. The agenda of recent has been anti-gay marriage, anti-abortion, anti-birth control pills (really?), repealing "Obamacare" - voting 10+ times to repeal something they don't have the votes to repeal - wasting our money and everyone's time. How long have they chased the President's birth certificate? Did any of this make your day to day life any better? And now legislation proposed and supported by most republicans to re-define what constitutes a "legitimate rape"? In doing so this legislation outlaws the use of abortion even in the case of RAPE, INCEST, and risk to the MOTHERS Health/LIFE. Republicans want small government but they want government to be able to tell you what you can do with your body?
> Do you know what the Republicans wouldn't vote on? Wouldn't pass? .... the President's American Jobs Act, which is a piece of legislation not put together by the legislators but by the President and his constituents. Is it perfect? Probably not. Would it have helped? We don't know. But did the Republicans counter with a jobs plan of their own?
> The answer is NO. Has the Job Act passed yet? No!
> None of these decisions equate to bettering the economy! Many Republicans say "drill baby drill" and are natural gas hungry. You know, sometimes it's not a bad idea to evaluate what you do before you do it. Example: Did we find ANY weapons of mass destruction in the hands of those who attacked us in Afghanistan - oh wait, I mean Iraq?
> Yes, the President stopped the Keystone Pipeline and the evil EPA has slowed the natural gas drilling and coal burning plants requiring environmental studies and ECO friendly productions. Ever been to a coal mining town? If such a profitable business creates so many jobs why are towns so poor? No any healthy coal miners?
>
> Now, one word: "fracking." Look it up. Remember I said it's good to evaluate things before you jump right in. Fracking has led to small earthquakes documented in Texas near drilling cites(not a earthquake proned area), polluted drinking water(actually the water burns if you light it). We are desperate for jobs. We all get that. But at what cost? Flammable water?
>
> Think of the bad things we have experienced not having thought out a plan before we started. Deep water drilling = BP spill; going to war with no exit strategy; removing mortgage loan restrictions that led to the housing fall out. It all sounded good at the time.
>
> I'm against spending money we don't have. We have to be fiscally responsible. I get that! But with a saturated foreclosure market, many small and large businesses gone, it's going to take help from the Feds to get this economy going. You may say Obama's stimulus failed; not really. We didn't fall into a depression; the stimulus stabilized our economy. Again, STABILIZED. Truth be known, the amount of stimulus money that the President was asking for was drastically reduced by Congress. So it was limited in effectiveness from the get-go. I know personally that the stimulus package contributed to roads (Charleston's Crosstown), firefighters (25+ at City of Charleston, one hire being my brother-in-law), speed rail system in California, a new fire station in Pigeon Forge, TN. It's out there, and nothing of this magnitude happens overnight.
> Look, no one is perfect, but sit back and take the yelling and accusations out of the situation.
> The economy tanked under President Bush. President Obama came to office inheriting the worst case scenario imaginable. But, the President and his administration stepped up to the plate. Did every idea or action work? No, but does it ever? While the unemployment rate has stayed around 8%, we are fortunate in that it hasn't gone up. Think about where we were heading. Did you know that we have had slow but STEADY, consecutive job growth since the President's policies took effect? It's a recovery,it doesn't happen over night and it doesn't happen over 3 1/2 years.
>
> Job growth/stabilization in last 4 years? YES
>
> College students stay on parents insurance? YES
>
> No longer can you be dropped or denied coverage for pre-existing conditions?
YES
>
> US soldiers out of Iraq? YES
>
> OSAMA BIN LADEN dead? YES
>
> Auto bail-out saves Detroit? YES
>
> General Motors #1 in the world again? YES
>
> Credit cards and financial institutions better regulated? YES
>
> Damaged foreign policy relations repaired? YES
>
> Presidental mandate forcing automotive companies to produce higher MPG vehicles? YES
>
> Vehicles produced now have higher MPG? YES
>
> We are on the right track. Do you think one person in less than four years could repair an 8 year term that created the tanked economy? Remember, Congress holds the check book. Congress also has the lowest approval rating in its history.
>
> Trickle-down economics does not work. Lowering an already-low tax rate on the top 1-2% so they will spend their money on job creation does not work. De-regulation and eliminating the EPA does not create jobs either. The banks were de-regulated and look where that got us.
>
> Do you like having your home as a tax write-off? Romney wants that write-off taken away. Just like Regan took a similar right off away on vehicles. This will assist filling the short fall created in giving the richest 1-2% lower tax rates.
>
> A lot of people let their own ignorance inadvertantly effect their own outcomes. Sound bites and dog whistles: have you heard these?
"Obama isn't an American." Yes, he is.
"Obama is also black." So what?! Change is good. This country is diverse by design. You can become a citizen, an AMERICAN. Can you go to China and become Chinese?
"He is a socialist." WRONG! But he does care about the middle class and the less fortunate.
"He is after our guns!" It has been 3+ years; you still have your guns and not one gun law/restriction has been signed by this administration.
>
> I really dislike the "socialism" stigma. Ask yourself if you can accurately define Socialism? How about Communisim? Can you define the difference between the two?
>
> It's so easy to be negative; it's easy to be single minded; it's easy to forget how far we have come. It's easy to repeat sound bites from certain groups or organizations.
>
> It's not easy to take the time out of your schedule to stop and educate yourself about the candidates.
>
> One very important thing to think about: can you continue to afford doing things the easy way?
>
> I support President Obama. I don't agree with everything he does or supports. But I think, considering the circumstances, he has done a great job. I've looked into both candidates; I've followed Republican primaries, and I've made my decision.
>
> I'm not voting for a Democrat, a Republican, a liberal, or a conservative.
>
> I'm voting for the person I feel has not just my best interests in mind, but the country's as a whole.
>
> Will you support the President by making a donation of $5 or more to my page today?
>
> More importantly than anything I have said or asked, educate yourself. It's not Fox News' or MSNBC's vote; it's YOURS!!.
>
> I vote, and no matter for whom, I hope you will too!
>
> Thanks for taking the time to read this.
>
> Marty Richard
>
> Thanks for your donation!
>
> https://donate.barackobama.com/page/outreach/view/2012/Marty865
nanabugg
(2,198 posts)Corgigal
(9,291 posts)Im just happy to have a Charleston SC fireman see the light. When you live in a red area, every mind matters.
RoccoRyg
(260 posts)Posting now.
progressivebydesign
(19,458 posts)OverBurn
(935 posts)stuff like this is really from a conservative/republican. I see these so called sudden epiphanies posted all the time. I really don't believe most of them are real. Just a well meaning Liberal's preaching to the choir.
The repukes I know would never admit they were wrong...... ever. If all the sudden epiphanies I've read the last few years were true, I would not be scared to death that the repukes might win.
Though, I've never heard or seen anyone make the opposite conclusion and go from Left to far Right.
formercia
(18,479 posts)IMHO
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)Dennis Miller.
Was always smug, but wasn't always a RW asshole.
Tom Ripley
(4,945 posts)tblue37
(64,979 posts)pretty conservative.
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)Or in the first volume of 'Rants'.
Corgigal
(9,291 posts)and he is a real person, this is not a top secret DNC program in which I'm an pawn. Choose to believe what you wish, however he emailed this out to a bunch of people, mostly firefighter types and I thought it was a well thought out piece for the DU family to read. I've been at DU too long to pop in BS for them to waste their time on.
SleeplessinSoCal
(8,992 posts)ScarlettOhara
(25 posts)Go viral!
LiberalAndProud
(12,799 posts)I understand your skepticism because we expect that all intelligent people are already registered Democrats. It is my experience though, that changing party affiliation is as difficult and soul-wrenching as decrying one's own religion. Emotion, more than reason, rules the day.
[font size="1", color="purple"]Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.[/font]
Contrary1
(12,629 posts)and is correct. As a fellow Hoosier, I don't know any who would ever admit to being wrong either.
LeftishBrit
(41,190 posts)One of our most right-wing Tories from the Thatcher era, Rhodes Boyson, just died at the age of 87, so I've been hearing again about his career - he started out as a Labour Councillor.
Melanie Phillips, one of our nastiest, most right-wing journalists started out on the left of centre.
jaysunb
(11,856 posts)The writer didn't say anything about movements in his beliefs. He said he wanted to do what was best for America.
You may not be old enough to remember,but, there was a time in this country that politicians of all parties worked for the good of the nation when in dire straits. He said he wasn't voting for a party...he's voting for the person he believes will do the best leading the country.
relayerbob
(6,508 posts)But I know my brother - a lifelong USAF officer who has probably never voted Democrat in his life until said much the same things as the OP in 2008 - the GOP had gone too far to the right, were dangerous and were wasting their time and money on worthless crap. He was in NC and helped Obama carry the state. So it does happen - not often enough, but it does. People are waking up all the time
WinstonSmith4740
(3,048 posts)but this stuff happens all the time. I saw it in my late husband. He was a lifelong Republican, voted for Nixon (twice), and Reagan. He started to see the light with Bush (I'm still not sure who he voted for in 1988), but by '92 he did a complete 180. We were watching the Republican Convention, Buchanan was spewing his hatred, and Mike turned to me and said, "Please pick up a voter registration form for me tomorrow. I don't want to be associated with these people anymore." I think one of the reasons you see so little of the movement from left to far right is that the far right has become so full of hatred and animosity that it simply is not understandable to us. Back in the 80's, there was a bit of it but they were mainly those folks who tend to drift to wherever the power is.
It happens. Some people just take longer than others. I'm forwarding this to my sister and brother-in-law. He was raised in a military family, so he's pretty conservative, but not crazy. He's a totally rational, really nice guy who just hasn't really thought outside the box yet. His idea of balancing out Fox News is watching CNN, but at least he realizes that Fox is not all that balanced. R & R's lies are so obvious that I'm sure he's doing some real soul searching right now. I just hope they both see the light before election day.
Cha
(295,899 posts)have an Epiphany. Most people are complex and we do have brains and can figure things out. This is an example from your friend, the fireman..
Thanks for sharing Corgigal!
genxlib
(5,506 posts)I know literally dozens and dozens of firemen. They tend to be all-american straight laced types and might lean to the right a little.
But one thing they definitely are is pro-union. Life threatening occupations take the union feeling to a whole new level. I was with many of them after 9/11 and their reverence for the "brotherhood" is very real.
I think the anti-union and anti-public employees rhetoric has been a real eye-opener for them.
Many of my friends have taken pretty heavy hits to their salary in recent budget cuts. And yet they are still vilified as pampered and overpaid. Whenever I see someone complaining it pisses me off that these people will run into a fucking building for them and they still get disrespected.
Kudos to your friend
calimary
(80,693 posts)something - where they see it a LOT: "these people will run into a fucking building for them and they still get disrespected."
That's what makes me boil!
Picking on firefighters and police officers and other first responders, and teachers, the human infrastructure of our whole society!!! Those are the "bridges," the "highways," the "tunnels," and "levies" and more. Their work and their presence is foundational, supporting the whole damn society. The WHOLE THING! It ALL depends on these people. Your very life depends on these people. Literally. And that includes the teachers, who become first-line guardians for our kids if there's an emergency during school hours and the student body has to be secured.
It is an OUTRAGE (YES I'm yelling) that these people, the backbone of our civilization, are so disrespected. How when the bad guys start wanting to nickel and dime us, they start with these. HOW DARE THEY!!!!
It's not just an outrage, it's downright UNPATRIOTIC. It's un-American! It's totally foreign and - speaking in a language the bad guys will clearly understand, "other."
I seriously do not understand why anyone would vote republi-CON by now, except the really rich and the really bent, or ignorant, or maybe they're the same thing. They AREN'T in favor of ANYTHING that enhances, supports, or secures the greater good. And I mean GREATER, as in the whole country, not just this little sliver of the population that is doing well enough for themselves that they don't need any extra help. They're the crowd that's so hell-bent on actually taking rights AWAY, whether it's from women or minority voters. That one alone is a stunner for me. It's so anti-American I truly can't believe I see organized and state-sanctioned voter suppression and nullification in my own country. I just can't believe that is so. And who's in charge of that? NOT the Dems!
The whole thing just leaves me completely bewildered.
gateley
(62,683 posts)yardwork
(61,408 posts)abelenkpe
(9,933 posts)Liberalynn
(7,549 posts)calimary
(80,693 posts)Should be said, read, and SPREAD!
And shared!
B Calm
(28,762 posts)that voting republican is like shooting yourself in the foot for the entertainment of the top 1%.
Pakid
(478 posts)Thanks for posting
Maineman
(854 posts)In the next election, people can vote for a mixed race Black man who has been working very hard to do the right thing and do a good job, or we can vote for a super wealthy, out of touch white guy who is a liar and a tax cheat.
Romney has a master's degree in money making, an MBA, like George W. They specialize in transferring money from the masses to the few (citizens to corporations, customers to owners, suckers to wall street bankers, etc.), and like other recent Republicans and based on his own history, I would expect Romney to continue doing exactly that.
As Thom Hartmann pointed out in "Skrewed," history shows that democracy requires a strong middle class. By weakening the middle class, Republicans are weakening democracy. I have no reason not to believe that a group of big money persons and corporations seek to install single party rule, primarily using Republicans to get there. We the People versus corporations and big money really is a very serious battle and a very current battle.
danny6114
(1 post)Most conservatives won't get past the first paragraph, before leaving and claiming a liberal really wrote this.
xtraxritical
(3,576 posts)All this with a totally lame obstructionist filibustering Congress that has the lowest approval rating of any Congress in US history.
What patriotic American's the Tparty turns out.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)I love this!!
Rider3
(919 posts)This was the best opinion piece I've read in the longest time. Thank you for the post!
calimary
(80,693 posts)Glad you guys are here! We need you!
This stuff in the OP is mighty powerful to arm us all, including you, for the battle ahead.
Now get to work!