Staunch Republican friend opens up to Dems.

[ZombieNixon]

We're doing a unit on US political parties in Government class, a part of which is comparing and contrasting the 2004 Repub and Dem platforms. A staunch Republican classmate (misguided, but a nice guy all around), was reading through the Democratic platform and says "reading this makes me want to become a Democrat!" The way this guy talks about politics, he comes off as an ultra-religious conservative libertarian type (he's a Mormon), but I've opened him up to liberal ideas lately. All it takes is a little persuasion.

This shows the message is already there, we just need the right delivery. There is hope, people!

[blm]

1. The media purposely ignores the platforms and policy positions

and keeps the spotlight on TERROR, while proclaiming that Bush can't be beat on that issue.

Reality: Bush is a terror ENABLER...Bin Laden's best friend.

The Dem platform is the best it can be considering all the different opinions we have in our party. THAT is why the media won't talk about it, and instead have been trying to portray the Dems as out of touch with the American people.

[kiraboo]

2. I think your friend's reaction would be a common one

if only more "republicans" devoted time learning to what the modern-day conservative and democratic parties espouse.

[AngelAsuka]

3. What would be a good listing of our Platform?

No, not the obvious: the nuances between liberal, Democrat, Progressive, et al. Do we have a good source that actually tackles all of these in a comparitive or bullet-pointed style, perhaps? Maybe a site or something? :)

~~AA~~

[EST]

6. Don't want to keep beating the horse (donkey) but,

A constitutional amendment guaranteeing the franchise of the vote for all citizens should be number one of any platform policy list.

[Kahuna]

4. Absolutely. Liberals make more of an effort to follow Christ's

teachings than the so-called fundies ever did. Jesus hates pious hypocrisy. You win no favors with God by being "holier-than-thou." As far as God/Jesus is concerned we're all in the same boat. How we treat each other is how he will separate the chafe from the wheat. That's it. Period.

[ClarkUSA]

5. This type of outreach is exactly why we cannot write off non-Democrats

Considering only 27% of all voters identify as Democrats, I don't see how we'll win another election in Red/Purple states, much less the red counties in Blue states
if we do not see voters of most persuasions as educable.

This is exactly what the GOP are doing with the black and Hispanic Democratic base and Democrats/liberals/progressives may want to start reaching out instead of slamming doors on non-Democrats.

[Warpy]

7. When people read the Dem platform, they realize they're really

Democrats. Then they turn on the corporate news and hear nothing but slanted garbage from GOP talking heads supplied by Scaife funded stink tanks, and I'm talking mainstream news here, even if they're smart enough to ignore cable news.

Then they vote for Bush.

The only way to counteract this bullshit is to develop our own stable of experts to shop around to the networks.

Roaches run from the light, and those Scaife funded yammerers will crumple up like cheap suits if they have to be countered by someone who really knows what he's talking about.