The dimensions of the problem: the plumber at my house this morning: "Isn't Obama a terrorist?"

[mahina]

"There's a clip going around of him not pledging allegiance to the flag?"

After the very kind and able man finished his work, we had a talk. He excused himself and got in the truck to go to the next job still believing the lies he's heard a thousand times.

I am a good persuader, but I get too worked up and start kind of yelling. Not loudly, just, you know, very emphatic. It doesn't always work. It isn't usually effective, actually, when I get too worked up.

Yesterday phone banking I came across two really memorable calls. One was a white middle aged veteran in Nevada who told me that he can't get a job because he speaks English, we are being invaded by Mexicans, etc.

The other memorable one was a softspoken hispanic American woman who would be voting for the first time. When I gave her the polling place, she asked me if she had to pay. To vote.

I told her no, dear, you don't have to pay. Thank you for voting. Took all my presence of mind not to say, upon signing off, "aloha."

I got choked up and had to stop calling while I got my composure back.

We've got a lot of work to do.

Aloha.

[smoogatz]

1. Was his name "Joe?"

Better make sure he's really a licensed plumber.

[mahina]

18. No, Allen. From a union shop. Of course!

:)

[Patriought]

20. Hold up...

"from a union shop-of course" forgive my if I'm misreading your implication here, but virtually every union has endorsed Obama.

And some of the smartest and most insightful people I have ever spoken to have been Union Steelworkers.

[krumpli]

2. He doesn' t know what a terrorist is.

And he doesn't know that we usually arrest or kill terrorists if we know where they are.

Ask him: should Obama be arrested?

[mahina]

19. Good point!

[panader0]

3. I swear that photo is Sandy beach

I used to go body "whompin'" there too when I was in high school (Punahou, class of '68)

[krumpli]

6. Hm, how do you know? To me

it looks like any other beach.

[liberal renegade]

12. I don't see a beach

all I see is water....

[mahina]

15. He's right actually.

Welcome to DU!

About that wave, don't feel bad, nobody would know that unless they were really familiar with it.

[mahina]

14. You got it! Sandy's waves are unmistakable, like Waimea,

except I won't go anywhere near the break at Waimea. I just see it from the beach. But you can tell that wave anywhere.

Punahou 68? I'm sure we have friends in common!

[crikkett]

4. thank you for the work you do. You are making a difference.

:hug:

[mahina]

24. My joy! Back at you!

[End_the_Oiligarchy]

5. Right-wing Mesmerizing

A lot of good decent people get caught up in the right wing hooey. It's sometimes hard to still see them as good decent people, but you just have to remind yourself they're under a trance put on them by Limbaugh, Hannity, Faux News, World Net Daily, Matt Drudge, and others.

[krumpli]

7. You know I don't thing willful ignorance is a quality of

"good people".

I'm sure most of these gullible creatures believe these things because they want to believe them. It's their way of
admitting that no way I would vote for a black guy.

[mahina]

17. He' a young kid, not even 25 yet, local, (=brown)

and I am sure he hears all the stuff from the men he works with.

[SammyWinstonJack]

21. You're right. Which makes them not good people, at all. It makes them selfish people.

If they really wanted to find out about Obama the Man, the Human Being, the American citizen, there are plenty of resources out there that aren't hateful, right wing and propaganda spreading.

The fact that these people don't seek out the correct info about Obama shows they are willfully ignorant and happily so.

Any excuse not to vote for a black man. They should really grow up.

[CoffeeCat]

8. I ran into a guy at McDonald's...

...who tried to give me the same malarkey.

McDonald's was packed, because Happy Meals were $1.89 that day. Our family sat next to another
family, and I struck up a discussion, which moved to politics.

The guy said, "Well, Obama is a terrorist." I said, "Do you actually believe that? You actually
believe that Obama straps bombs to himself and sits in front of restaurant, waiting to detonate
himself? Are you serious?"

We had a very friendly conversation. I used a lot of humor to point out the absurdity of his
opinions. I think he's been listening to Rush.

I talked him down a bit...but so many of these people are just so far gone.

[ContinentalOp]

9. So what's his big terrorist plot? He's going to win and then kill himself? -nt-

[liberal renegade]

13. I'm

:rofl:

[NWPatriot]

10. wait, wait, wait....

Do you mean to tell me that this Hispanic lady thought she had to PAY to vote???

What evil maroon told her that????

It hurts my heart to hear that.

[Arugula Latte]

11. Mahalo for your work trying to inform people of the truth.

:hi:

[Dogmudgeon]

16. Just get them to talk

The more they talk, the more they can see how little sense these stories make. They may not have an instant conversion to the Democratic Party, but they will find it more difficult to believe RW talking points.

And a lot of times, they WILL become Democrats, Progressives, and "Reformed Republicans".

Talking points go into the brain like noxious post-hypnotic suggestions. Bring them to consciousness, and the spell is broken.

--p!

[mahina]

23. Now that is a great point. Good thinking!

I'll do that.

I think all he heard from me after he asked that questions was "ackackackackackac lies ack ack ack ack ack"
Your way would have worked much, much better. Thanks!

[Name removed]

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