One compassionate conservative: "I can't be a'gin him..." [View All]

[IndyOp]

The only way to close the gap between 'us' and 'them' is to try and understand why they think what they think - is it lack of information; is it propaganda from media and church; is it *'s powerful 'regular guy' act? My experience yesterday revealed how very much they identify with him.

I started talking to the men at my local Citgo yesterday (red, red state). I told them that I bought my gas at Citgo because it is owned by the people of Venezuala and that * had turned away aid to the victims of Katrina offered by Chavez - the same man Roberts wanted to assassinate. The younger man stopped me and asked me "But why do you think President * is doing that. He must have a reason..." I told him that the only reasons I could think of were that * is an egomaniac and won't take help from anyone, especially if it would highlight the fact that he has failed so miserably re: Katrina. The older man told me that he had two family members in Mississippi - siblings - and he had not heard from them. Conversation went on for 10+ minutes and we covered a lot of ground - I made points about how far more of our tax money goes to the rich than the poor; how we have to stop supporting political parties as if they are sports teams... My voice got very LOUD as time passed and when I left I could feel how riled up I had gotten.

The end of the conversation was discouraging: "He is under so much stress. There is so much pressure and everything is on his shoulders. It seems like everything has happened while he has been in office - 9/11 and now this hurricane. I can't be a'gin him. I can't be a'gin him."

I didn't think of a reply until after I was out of there, "Thousands are dead and all but the rich are worse off now than 5-years ago. What would it take for you to be against him?"

What would you say?