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Let's start a DU drive to convert one Republican a day.

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aldian159 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 03:21 PM
Original message
Let's start a DU drive to convert one Republican a day.
There are about 40,000 of us, and about 258 days to the election in November. Multiply those numbers and you get approx. 10 million people. OK, I'll be the first to admit that there's little chance us 40,000 can convert 10,000,000 Bush fans to vote Democrat in November.However, if we at DU convert 1 GOP voter A WEEK, that's about 1.48 million more people voting for the eventual Democratic Party candidate. Since they won't be voting for Bush, that's a double plus.

What say you, DU? We Democrats pride ourselves on grass roots efforts and activism, let's all go out and put the rubber to the road in this massive effort to oust the Bush junta.

Please post any personal stories of conversion or any suggestions to make this dream a very real reality.

Thanks.
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no_hypocrisy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 03:24 PM
Response to Original message
1. As much as I like a good challenge, I think I'll stick to the Undecided,
Independent swing votes to make sure they don't go back to the Dark Side.
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aldian159 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 03:29 PM
Response to Reply #1
3. However
if you get one freeper, that's a net gain of two undecideds. One less person voting Bush and one more person voting Dem.
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JoePizz Donating Member (73 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 03:29 PM
Response to Original message
2. To date, I've only converted two in 3 years.
But they were both hard core republicans to the end. They may not vote Democrat in November, but they sure as heck won't be voting for Bush.
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catzies Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 03:33 PM
Response to Original message
4. I DID LAST NIGHT. HERE'S MY STORY.
I have a very good and dear friend whose only character flaw (wink!) is that he's a dyed-in-the-wool GOP voter.

Since the beginning of the Iraqi war we've had many spirited and lively discussions. For my part, I stuck to the facts and avoided name-calling. Instead I countered his points by appealing to his reason and critical thinking, and urging him to see nuances and shades of gray instead of just falling unquestioningly into lock-step Manichean thinking.

I also told him to look beyond labels of what is liberal and conservative, left and right, etc. and for him to take his values outside of the box and ignore those who try to label and perpetuate the pigeonholing. He used to insist FoxNews really is fair and balanced, and instead I told him to be wary of all corporate media, and to broaden his range of sources and think for himself.

In a nutshell, he told me last night it worked. His values didn't change, but the lens in which he looked at them did. He now sees conservatives really aren't, he was against the Religious Right taking over his party, and that Repubs. really aren't ones who get to take credit for a good economy and the stock market going up, and that they're for the "Me" while Dems are for the "We."

He's seen the light.

He's voting Dem, starting in two weeks here in the California Primary.

Praise be.
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aldian159 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 03:38 PM
Response to Reply #4
7. Excellent
I have a similar story, I just wanted someone else to kick things off.My uncle is an old-fashioned Republican, small government, states rights. We sat down at dinner one time and started discussing politics (which prompted my aunt to leave the room, as we can get pretty messy). After several hours of debate, a trip to two different bars to cool down, and a pie, he told me that I was right, and that the party he loved was hijacked by the neo-cons.

He showed me his WI ballot copy last night to prove it. He voted Kerry.
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Faygo Kid Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 03:33 PM
Response to Original message
5. From what I have seen, a waste of time
Like George Romney visiting Vietnam, most Repukes are either "brainwashed," or totally understand the radical changes Bush is implementing, and agree with them. Who could be undecided at this point? Still, there they are. That's our target.
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T Wolf Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 03:50 PM
Response to Reply #5
12. It is a waste of time.
As someone else in another thread has said, repugs are adherents to a faith-based philosophy, facts be damned. When confronted with information that is counter to their Reagan-mind (brain-dead) view, they just shake their head and dismiss it.

A better use of time, effort, and dollars is the disruption of repuke efforts to steal another election. Fight the use of thug-squads in Democratic areas that prevent people from voting. Monitor what public funds are used to promote right-wing candidates. Communicate with our voters to make sure we stay on the registration rolls.

And do anything and everything to insure that our voters get out and theirs do not. This is the real war America is facing - don't fight it with cap pistols.
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justsam Donating Member (218 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 03:35 PM
Response to Original message
6. i pick up about 3 a day
at least for this election, no promises for 2008
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Ganja Ninja Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 03:40 PM
Response to Original message
8. Sit back and watch Bush.
He's converting them faster than any Democrat could. Besides any time you try to tell these people something they act as if your making fun of them and pointing out their stupidity. They go all defensive.
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Nicholas D Wolfwood Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 03:43 PM
Response to Original message
9. Evangelists suck. (nt)
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radfringe Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 03:46 PM
Response to Original message
10. got my quota for next 5 days
receptionist at work won't vote for bush*
she went home told her son and daughter (still living at home because they can't find jobs) to make sure they were registered to vote and to vote for dem nominee

later she talked to her married daughter and son-in-law - told them the same and threatened not to babysit granddaughter if they vote for bush*
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proud patriot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Thu Feb-19-04 03:48 PM
Response to Original message
11. I've gotten 3 reps to turn Dem since bush took office
I've registered 6 people during that same amount of time .

I've Said "please remember to vote" to just about
every social contact I've had .
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