Repost in right forum...A Bush supporter shocked us today.

[madfloridian]

I mean we were really surprised. We never talked religion or politics with him, as he has been an avid unswerving right winger. He was referring to the war as a holy war last year.

Today we were leaving a nearby store when he was entering. He was his usual brusque annoying self. He came up to my husband, stuck his finger on his Dean button, and we held our breath.

Then he said, I want one of those. Would you believe we tried to let him know about the stances of Dean that he might not agree with? Would you believe he argued us down on every one? I look back now, and I am still not believing.

He said he was a Christian, and he did not tolerate his government telling him lies. He said the Saddam capture lie was the very last resort...he had seen it on Yahoo.

He said a couple of weeks ago he started listening on C-Span and reading their websites. He said he agreed with enough things Dean said that he could work with the rest and accept. He stuck his finger at us, and he said a government should not lie!

My husband reached in his pocket and pulled out a Dean button. He put it on. He said he had been so angry lately and hearing the truth made him feel better. We all had a few tears.

I am avoiding this place for a day or so to get back my perception of reality. This is not reality here. There is a much larger reality out there. I am seeing it around us in real life. These are real people, not anonymous folks changing usernames and posting hurtful things. We are seeing real changes here in our area. When I come here I forget that.

[candy331]

1. Way to go!

You have a strategy to keep you going and I applaud you for it.

[hedda_foil]

2. This is amazing?

That a right wing Republican in Florida can reach this conclusion is on the order of a Christmas (or Hannukah) Miracle.

[sleipnir]

4. Or another Festivus Miracle!!

Happy Festivus (which is today!!!)

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. That's awesome!

Great story! Thanks for making that difference with your friend. :thumbsup:

Dean is not my first choice, but should he win the primary, he will get my money, time and vote.

[Skip Intro]

5. My repub Mom likes Dean

She really does. It shocked me in the begining - a few months ago, but everytime we talk politics (a lot) she brings up Dean. I have been wavering (still am) from Dean to Kucinnich to Clark to Kerry and back again, and recently told her, during one of my Clark moments, that I'd really like to see Clark and bush debate - which would mean Clark would be the nom, with Dean as the VP, as I put it at the time. She said no - It should be Dean/Clark. This is a rush-loving, Clinton-hating, Dem-hating republican saying this. Yet she likes Dean. She really does like him. Still blows my mind.

[drfemoe]

11. really like your sig pic n/t

[barbaraann]

6. Regarding the hurtful things,

I just stay out of the candidate-bashing threads. :-)

Keep those RW conversion stories coming!

[FubarFly]

7. Amen. This is not reality.

In the real world I am seeing evidence that people are waking up to the fact that something is seriously wrong with the leadership of our country. Every day. The popular wisdom I see regarding b*sh is in stark contrast to the media version. Most people I talk to don't think the economy is going well, and are increasingly dismayed about the Iraq invasion. Even when taking in to account the SH capture, many people are still fearful of a hopeless, debilitating quagmire. If we Democrats can manage to unify our message, (no small feat), and provide a clearly distinguished opposing voice, we have a golden opportunity to capitalize on a groundswell of dissatisfaction with the Republican Party. I'm glad others are seeing the same thing.

Thanks for the wonderful post, madfloridian.

[Occulus]

8. That's because

many, many people are coming of ago who trust nothing that comes out of the Great Glass Teat.

You can use that description to your heart's content, by the way. It always catches people off guard and makes them think. It's really a great analogy.

[Clark Can WIN]

9. Well I am honestly happy for you

The more ex Bushbots we get on our side of the aisle, the better. Bottom line.

[frank frankly]

19. nice post, brother!

I like many candidates, so I like seeing a dedicated supporter with their eyes on the big picture

:toast:

[drfemoe]

10. A message of 'hope'

one more person who believes we can do better. Once you (*) lose someone's trust, more lies will never reclaim it. Bless him (and you).

Thanks madfloridian. Rest well and peace will follow.

[Melodybe]

12. None of my repub friends like * anymore, they all like Dean!

I even had my repub father in law ready to vote for Dean until they caught Saddam. Now he's all repub recharged again but I have until Nov. and I'll get him.

Everyday more and more people are waking up and realizing that * doesn't give a shit about them. America will be ours again. Keep your chin up folks, the truth is on our side.

[ibegurpard]

13. Oh, great story!

Thanks for sharing it! :toast:

[dajabr]

14. Damn, that's good!

Thanks for relating that story, mad.

:hi:

[Northwind]

15. Annual Gift Day Miracle!

Honestly, I am seeing things like that a lot here in Dallas, but not thatdramatic. I see an amazing number of Dean stickers on cars as I drive around town.

[LizW]

16. That is wonderful!

This is why it is so important for us to rate important stories on Yahoo and keep them up there. You never know when someone may be ready to hear the truth!

That sounds evangelical, but you know what I mean. :)

[9119495]

17. My NRA voting friend has jumped on board

He has never voted for a democrat beyond a state race. He is a teacher and is so disgusted by NCLB he is going to support Dean.

[NashVegas]

18. Hee Hee - I do That, Too

Would you believe we tried to let him know about the stances of Dean that he might not agree with?

Anytime I hear any of my more-to-the-right-than-me (which is pretty much everyone) friends talk about how they think Dean looks good, I pull out stuff like that. I'm not sure whether I'm doing this because I don't want them to hear about his stance on issue X and have a sudden change of mind, if it's because I'm afraid I'm getting my leg yanked, or if I'm still wondering if I'm not a flake for supporting him.

My mom's a Republican and she likes Dean - but then she hasn't voted for a Republican president in well over 20 years.

[ithacan]

20. reminds me of some dems' reaction to McCain

dems who strongly disagreed with his position on most issues, but liked him nonetheless.

The attraction: He was calling it like he saw it, he did not mince words, he was willing to criticize the powers that be.

[diamondsoul]

21. I'm happy for you and Gov. Dean.

I'm curious, though, did he happen to see Gov. Dean's answer to the question of "When is it accpetable for the Government to lie to the people?", in the last debate?

No, I'm not trying to incite a flame-war, I'm just curious whether he saw it. I didn't think Gov. Dean handled that very well for this particular race and the things the Bush administration has done, personally.

[Triana]

22. Wow...amazing story...

...maybe you should submit it to your local paper. You've written it up quite nicely, maybe they'd print it?

[serendipity]

23. I was shocked...

...when a man I work for, who was one of the $20k team leaders for * in 2000, told me he's leaning toward voting for Dean in the general election if he captures the Dem nomination. (There's no way he'd change his party affiliation to vote for him in the primary.)

He's an old-style Cali moderate repub who's grown increasingly frustrated with the Bush admin's spending and deficit-growing. He's also extremely upset that Bush is not addressing corporate malfeasance. And this guy is among that top 2% of taxpayers who made out like bandits with the * tax cuts.

I've been giving him Dean literature since last summer, and he's been incredibly receptive to Dean's ideas. Since he was a decorated Vietnam vet, I thought he might give Clark a look once Clark entered the race, but Clark leaves him cold.

He's also letting us use some empty space in his office to store our Dean tabling and precinct materials, and lets us use the space for our local Dean meetings.

One of the most mistaken memes about Dean's campaign is that he's "too liberal" to attract moderate repubs and independents. In fact, he's the candidate with the strongest crossover appeal, according my experience with this man and other moderate repubs.