Pushed a Republican over the edge yesterday

[radfringe]

there's a service tech that works on a couple of our machines... he never fails to pop his head into my office to discuss politics and proclaim his support of bush*

well, yesterday he admitted that he's having 2nd thoughts about voting for bush* -- the bone of contention is the budget and deficits

we talked about it, but he sort of fell back on a wait-and-see what congress does attitude

talk then turned to the "to the moon and beyond" proposal. the service tech talked about how this would have side benefits to helping the economy

I agreed, this would help, but I also mentioned that a better national goal would be to promote and encourage alternative energy sources that would help us break the oil habit. I pointed out that in addition to helping the environment, that this too would provide new technologies and jobs

he asked if I was a tree-hugger

I asked him if he hunted or fished. He said yes, then I asked him if he ate the fish he caught. He said no, worried about pcbs-mercury etc. I asked him if he ate the fish he caught when he was a kid. He said yes...

me: Doesn't this bother you? that the fish you caught 30 years ago were safe to eat, but not safe now, and with bush decimating environmental regulations that the fish will be even less safe to eat in the future? What happens when you go to your favorite hunting spot and find that it's been clear cut of trees/forest or strip-mined and the deer or turkey that you hunt are gone?

him: mmmmmmmm

me: do you want to be telling your grandson all about your hunting days, and how you sat in a tree stand and nailed that 8-point buck only to have your grandson say 'granpa, what's a tree?'

he didn't answer right away, but I saw some lightbulb go off big and bright

before he left for the day, he popped back into my office and said "I was just standing outside, looking over the mountains, thinking back to when I went hunting and fishing with my father and grandfather and later when I took my kids along. I don't want these to just be a memory or turn into a fairy tale for my grandkids. I may not vote for a Democrat, but bush won't be getting my vote."

[usrbs]

1. great job! (n/t)

[Norquist Nemesis]

2. Woo Hoo!!!

Isn't it nice to be able to actually have a conversation/debate with a Republican? That is, without being screamed at and called a traitor or a loon. *sigh*

Great job!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[laruemtt]

3. brilliant psychology!

thanks for pushing him over the edge...

[Minstrel Boy]

4. nice work walking him through it.

love those light bulb moments.

[dbt]

5. One thousand Cool Points to radfringe!

Nice going, Ace.

:toast:
dbt

[booksenkatz]

6. Isn't it sad how

you have to dial it all down, and make it ALLLLLLLL about THEM? What a selfish bunch. I find it physically painful to try to make a case to a Repub because I'm not used to thinking in such selfish terms, at least not since I was 7 years old.

[SammyWinstonJack]

26. Exactly what I was thinking

That's MePublicans for ya. Selfish and self-serving.

[Hubert Flottz]

7. Well Done!

Those are VERY solid and compelling arguments that you made! The sleeping Giant is beginning to stir and we must keep a strain on these misinformed people, who we know are really basically good people at heart, but who have been misled intentionally by the nonstop special interest blitz over the past thirty years! The stupidity we see in this country, that puts people like Bush Incorporated in the WH, is not all to be blamed on people like your friend! The people in America are being spoon fed false and misleading information, from every angle, and they have been for years!

Thanks to people like you who spend your time seeking and learning the real story, I think America still has a fighting chance! You are fighting for your country in the best way you can and fighting for the things that you know and feel are right! You are putting your thinking skills to work, to try and win this fight and that is just as important as serving in Iraq!

[Maeve]

8. Wonderful! But one quibble---

I don't think you pushed him over the edge. You brought him back from the brink!
:hi: rad!

[Vogon_Glory]

9. Bravo! Well Done!

Bravo! Well argued!

A lot more of the huntin' and fishin' crowd would vote Democratic if they thought about the consequences of the incumbent administration's policies, or at least stay at home until their candidates saw the light.

:)

[catmandu57]

10. It's not only him

I can guarantee he has a fishing buddy maybe several, I do. When things get slow it's time to talk, what do you suppose he'll be talking about?
You may have made more than one lightbulb go off.

[x-g.o.p.er]

11. Sweet!!

See what rational arguments, backed with fact and logic, can do? Your post has made my day!!

One person at a time, one issue at a time, one vote at a time.

[Mandate My Ass]

12. Funny how it's always self interest

that makes the synapses start connecting. In any case, kudos for a job well done. :thumbsup:

[zbdent]

22. Well, the current "young" GOP is the excrement left over from the

"me" generation.

Plus, you have a lot of Gen-Xers who were brought up with the world revolving around getting to and from soccer games and being run all over the place, plus "play dates" (scheduling a get together with a friend, instead of saying "Hey Mom! I'm going over to Bobby's."

[HootieMcBoob]

13. plus

In addition to alternative energy being good for the environment and the economy it's also important for national security. That's something that really needs to be pushed. If we can end our dependence on middle east oil then we won't have to worry about Iraq or Saudi Arabia and all of that stuff. National Security -- it's important to stress that when talking about alternative fuels.

[Beetwasher]

14. That's a Damn Good Tactic, Rad!

Kudos!

[9215]

15. You made him think. Great job!

[samsingh]

16. good reasoning.

[rockymountaindem]

17. I think you just made a revolutionary discovery!

Right-wing environmentalism. That would be of great use to our nominee.

[LEW]

18. one of the best parts of this story

is that he may not vote for a Democrat, but bush won't be getting my vote. Staying home is just as good as voting dem.

[salin]

19. this is the way to do it... find the one issue around which

the person isn't necessarily knee-jerk reactive... and plant a seed which makes him/her think... its a wonderful thing when we have to stop and think about issues... sometimes we then even loop back and start thinking about other issues that we were completely knee-jerk about. Very good strategy.

[leesa]

20. Excellent work! You made very valid points in terms he could relate to.

I can never figure out how the GOP media managed to demonize protection of the environment that supports our lives by tagging it with the foolish mantra of "tree-hugger". I have had people say something about wanting to protect this or that part of the environment and then sheepishly apologise for being "a bit of a tree-hugger". Just like they attached shame to being a "progressive" or a "liberal". Total BS...they developed the stigma because these types of people worked against the greedy policies of the corporatists.
Our biggest goal needs to be to dismantle the GOP corporate media.

[blindpig]

21. the environment is THE bottom line

without it everything that we strive for is academic. If only our candidates would hammer * with it like they do the war.

[CaptainClark23]

23. *Stands and applauds*

[eileen_d]

24. Me too

I love all of the Republican conversion stories, but this one had a real "Andy Griffith" quality to it.

:yourock:

[Snappy]

25. Good lesson for us all.

Thanks. Good work.