OK here's my beauty salon experience.

[Fla Dem]

I went in to get my hair cut. My hair stylist is a truly nice person who has had some hardships in her life. Just this past year she was injured and couldn't work. No health insurance so she couldn't even get the physical therapy she needed. She is a single mom, 2 kids in high school. Lives paycheck to paycheck and tips. Lives with a s/o. Anyway we are talking and she mentions the election. I am non committal and say make sure you vote Tuesday. She says she is unsure who she should vote for. I ask her which way she is leaning. She says well maybe Kerry, but doesn't know how he is going to be able to get other countries to help us get out of Iraq.

I tell her that Bush has burned all his bridges with European allies. Other countries in the middle east have contributed nothing to help stabilize Iraq and it's in their best interest to help us. I tell her I firmly believe John Kerry can get the cooperation of those countries. She says, how can he, HE'S JEWISH !!! They won't believe him. They will think he's supporting Israel.

I do everything I can from laughing. She is, after all, holding the scissors. But I say, John Kerry is NOT Jewish. I asked her where she heard that. She said just from friends and the radio. I tell her that Kerry's grandparents lived in Nazi Germany, they converted to Catholicism and emigrated to the US. She says, so he's Catholic. I say yes! She says, OK then I'm voting for Kerry.

There was no anti-semitism expressed in her comments. What she had heard was that because JK was Jewish, the Arab and Muslim countries wouldn't work with him because of his ties to Israel. But what truly amazes me is she was hung up on this issue, when all the other issues Kerry supports would be to her and her kids benefit. Well at least I was able to tip the scale in Kerry's favor.

[RevCheesehead]

1. Life works in mysterious ways.

Hope you got a good haircut, too! Congrats!

[blue neen]

2. It's truly hard to believe how misinformed some people are.

It is hard to believe she was hung up on that issue.

You did a great job!

[gmoney]

3. Nice job!

another stone in the landslide!

[donco6]

4. That's probably the most disinformed story I've heard yet.

Jeez, the simplest of inquiries would have cleared that up. You just have to wonder why people think their level of responsibility for finding out about the stances of candidates is so Damn Low.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. I just had this ahen "discusion " on line with an idion

on AOL.

This is the new talking point. Thanks for confirming it

[Democat]

6. Anti-semite right wing talk radio hosts spreading lies about Kerry?

That's impossible! :)

[dave123williams]

7. Your hairstylist needs to learn to read.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

8. Having gone out with a few hairstylists...

I can tell you that very few of the ones I went out with had degrees in PoliSci. ;-)

[DrBB]

9. No antisemitism in HER comments? Okay. But how about

...in those "radio stations" she was listening to.

A very nice object lesson in how right wing propaganda works--is MEANT to work. Under educated people who have led hard lives, whose fears and lack of attention are preyed on. Of COURSE she was meant to think he was "jewish" and therefore--for whatever "rational" reason--not a good candidate.

See David Neiwert/Orcinus on how the "mainstream" right channels in ideas from the genuine fascist fringe. An object lesson here, as I say.

[Fla Dem]

10. Absolutely. Totally agree with you that they spew hate

and the masses absorb the message because it feeds some primal fear.