I got into it with a teabagger today - Democratic Underground

The Hitman

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Sun Mar-21-10 05:51 PM
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I got into it with a teabagger today

I live in D.C. I decided to go down to the Capitol to see both the immigration and health care protests. While I was standing behind the teabaggers a Latino came over with his two kids and watched the scene.

About 20 mins later, a white, female, older-than-middle age teabagger walked over to me. She came in oozing this "maybe I can use Spanish and win the hearts and minds of the people who don't look like me" swagger. In very broken Spanish she asked him about his kids and his family. Then came the punchline: the "grupo" (in this case SEIU), that printed his sign was was "socialista." I could see the look in his eyes and the discomfort he felt in front of his children.

I couldn't stand it. I had to speak.

"Hola amigo. Habla ingles?"

The man was fluent. Lived here for 20 years. Didn't need her to be condescending with her Spanish on a third-grade level.

I apologized up front. I told him our country failed him. We've exploited undocumented workers for too long. I then thanked him for his hard work, and told him that we appreciate it. I told him without him, or the millions of other immigrants, our country wouldn't exist today.

I promised him that one day -- maybe not this year, but one day, things will be better. I told him that his group was not socialista, but even if it was, SEIU is fighting for the right things in our country.

The teabagger woman was enraged! She went on and on about how she married a "Mexican" who has "2 master's degrees" and didn't get a handout from anybody! How dare I get involved when I don't know anything about immigration.

I told her that was laudable and commendable. But I pointed to the man and his family and said "but leave this hard working AMERICAN alone."

She went on and on about socialism and religion. I saw a large cross around her neck. I asked her "didn't Jesus say to love our neighbor as we love ourselves? Did he ask Lazarus for health insurance before raising him from the dead? Why are you here opposing healthcare reform?"

Her reply:
"Jesus also used the whip on the moneychangers in the temple. Sometimes you have to do that."

We both shot her the ultimate "Wow, you are a total idiot" look. Defeated, she said something about the progressives getting to me and walked away.

I talked to the man for about another 30 mins, hearing about how he and his friends have been marginalized. He said he had to take a bus back to Georgia and head in to work tomorrow. I thanked him, told him buena suerte, and he went on his way.

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I usually keep my mouth shut with these teabagger folks. I've been the type to just let them air their own idiotic comments. They seem to be doing a great job at destroying their own brand.

But not today. I was not going to let some pompous unsympathetic woman harass this poor man and his young family. No way.

No matter what happens tonight with HCR, or with immigration reform later this term, let always remember who we are fighting for: those who can't fight for themselves. Maybe had I not spoken up she would have harassed him and his family. Maybe his children would grow up with that as one more painful memory during a childhood of growing up undocumented.

But not today.