My diehard Rep. dad agreed w/me that Bush is a screw up.....

[kerry-is-my-prez]

and thinks that it wouldn't be so bad if Clinton was back in office and that he did a pretty good job. But then he said he was glad that the Repubs were in office. :crazy:

I went to dinner with my parents and my Dad was agreeing with almost everything I was saying. My mother, however, wasn't so sure and thinks that Islamists and terrorists want to take over the world and the US. I asked her how they would be able to manage that considering that Islamists were a relatively small group and were greatly outnumbered. I also added that most of them have no interest in taking over ANYTHING and mainly just wanted us to leave them alone.

I was amazed at how uninformed she was - everything she said I managed to rattle off facts and dispute and they either agreed with me or seemed to at least consider it.

This is a woman who is quite intelligent. She works 70-80 hour work weeks so doesn't have a lot of time to follow politics, however - she had always gotten most of her info. from my Dad. It sounds like that once in a blue moon - they watch Fox News, however.

THEN she went on about the "assault" on Christmas. I said that if anything there was a attack on other religions, that the Christians run everything in this country and get almost everything that they want. She agreed that one should NOT say Merry Christmas to someone that was non-Christian. I said that people like Bill O'Reilly were a bunch of whiners who were just after ratings. They both seemed to agree with that....

So - to make a long story short - it seemed that for the most part they either agreed with most everything they said or seemed to be thinking that I had a good point. These are two people who pre-Bush almost violently disagreed with almost everything I said.

Unfortunately, being Republican is so much a part of their identity (and everone else they know is Republican) that I highly doubt that they would ever vote for a Democrat. They are basically "Country Club" Republicans and vote with their pocketbooks.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. At least you got them thinking

[kerry-is-my-prez]

4. Yes - and they seemed to be quite impressed with how informed I was.

Ever time I looked at them the had smiles on their faces and almost seemed to be proud of me.

[FreedomAngel82]

9. Aw that's sweet

:) Maybe you can get them to vote democratic before the midterms are here.

[calico1]

2. I am proud of you. n/t

[MemphisTiger]

3. They may have been just trying to shut you up about politics...

I do it all the time when someone tries to control the conversation. Just pretend to agree with them and they'll move on to another topic.

[kerry-is-my-prez]

5. No they kept on bringing up different things and kept it going....

n/t

[FreedomAngel82]

10. You can usually tell the difference

If they kept bringing up different things than I think they were serious about the discussion.

[arcane1]

6. cancel their cable tv service, and your work will be done

well done, I should say :thumbsup:

[SmokingJacket]

7. Awesome. Wish I could talk to my repub family like that...

We end up throwing stuff...

[kerry-is-my-prez]

11. THAT'S how we used to be.....

n/t

[FreedomAngel82]

8. Sounds like they need to just turn off Fox

They could vote for someone still though. My mother used to be a republican but George and the neocons turned her into a independent. My grandparents on my mom's side both voted for Kerry and I believe they're republicans (of course my grandfather loved FDR).

[kerry-is-my-prez]

12. I need one of those Fox busters. I'll install it when they're gone....

n/t

[Warpy]

13. You're right about their never voting Democrat

but if people like them who vote for tax cuts but kinda like good ole boys who stand up to all them mean old liberals start to rethink their support for a party that has screwed up everything it's touched, they'll vote GOP locally and either cast a protest vote for a third party candidate or abstain nationally. Or they'll take the path of least resistance and stay home and comfy on election day.

No, the Democrats aren't ever going to persuade people like that to jump parties, no matter how far to the right the DLC drags the party. However, this bunch in control of the GOP has done to that party what the DLC did to the Democrats, alienate the traditional small government, low tax, fiscal responsibility crowd who form their traditional base the way the DLC alienated the Dem base of working people.

That's why the Dems need to start mending fences with the base and do it now. Enough GOPs may be disgusted enough to sit the next election out, but that's not going to be a permanent thing. If the Dems want to get power and hang onto it, they're going to have to give working people hope for a better future. DLC "business as usual" won't do that.