Have you reached out to republicans like President Obama has?

[RiverStone]

Speaking for myself, my answer is an unequivocal NO!

I am very settled in my partisanship, but thanks anyway.

Whereas I admire President Obama for keeping his campaign pledge to be bipartisan, I also think there is a fair amount of gamesmanship in his actions, which in turn will help lead to another victory in 2012 for our president.

In that regard, it's all politics and a little good ol fashioned idealism. Barack Obama's vision of a more unified America is noble, but as many wingnuts have proven already, they are far less gracious.

My guess is as more rethugs go the way of Rush and his lock-stepping ditto heads, the wacko party will become so marginalized that we will never see them rise to power again (in their current form). I see far too little common ground to be bipartisan, but I'll happily argue the merits of the Democratic way any day.


peace~:)

[WeDidIt]

1. I've given it a shot and extended my hand in friendship

sadly, it was almost bitten off.

[rucky]

2. I tease my Freep-y friends alot more

if that's what you mean.

[Numba6]

3. wel, not quite like Obama has

but then, he's a better man than I am

[QueenOfCalifornia]

9. One question...

WHO IS NUMBA1???!!!

[Numba6]

18. The clue is in the final episode...

We are ALL Numba1 because we're ALL Numba6

"…We all live in a little Village… Your village may be different from other people's villages but we are all prisoners."

The clue is in the final episode...

[Ikonoklast]

32. Is it, "You are Number Six".

Or, "You are, Number Six."

[Numba6]

40. u r # seex?

[leftstreet]

4. Actually, Republican voters reached out to Obama in November

Cuz, like, he won.

[lisa58]

5. Most repubs we know like the guy and voted for him.

[RiverStone]

11. Sounds like you have known more moderate rethugs than I...

The conversations I have had always go back to RW talking points --- i.e. the current economic crisis has nothing to do with Shrub (It was all Clinton's fault), that the Iraq War was justified (they still believe there are WMD's in the sand) and that Obama is a Socialist (they have no f'ing clue what a socialist even is!).

They are sooooooooo locked into their belief based on lies, that I might as well be arguing about religion (not religious here). In my experience, both discussions are usually a waste of breath.

I do happen to live in a conservative area of WA state, east of the Cascades; glad to know you have met some folks not so driven by BS.

[lisa58]

16. We're on the east coast and most people here are socially liberal...

...but they love their money - that's what makes them repubs. They know Bush sucked and everyone is tired of the war (the reason my cousin told me he couldn't vote for McCain) and they think Obama is smart and will do a good job and that's enough for them.

[DesertFlower]

6. a neighbor who i've always had a

cordial relationship with found out that i'm a liberal. he called me dumb, said we liberals were turning this country into a socialist one. said he was leaving the country because of people like me. i thought. well leave, but you're still going to have to pay taxes to this socialist government.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

7. Ewwwwww!

fuck no. The few I know are busy telling themselves that a "Muslim socialist" was elected by the loony-left and are afraid their guns are going to be taken away. One of 'em said it didn't matter because someone would shoot the n****. Why on earth would I "reach out" to idiots like that?

My husband was talking to one of these fine specimens who is a navy seal - he said that Obama had no respect for the military and that this country will be destroyed by terrorists within a few years. :crazy: When my husband pointed out that Bush and Cheney had been sending the military over to Iraq and Afghanistan for 7 fucking years to be killed without finding Osama - well - the navy seal didn't have a come back.

I just try to never talk to any of these assholes about politics because I end up wanting to slap the snot out of them.

[DesertFlower]

12. it's sad isn't it that

they feel that way? since my neighbor found out i'm a liberal i'm actually in fear of him. i had to block him from my e-mail. my husband thinks he's "unhinged".

[QueenOfCalifornia]

21. Jeeze...

All of my neighbors know about my political views. We are VERY outspoken. I was wearing my ARREST BUSH shirt one day in front of the house while watching my kids playing - a moron decided he had to stop and tell me that Bush was a good man, doing a good job. I looked at him and said he was not paying attention and I ranted about Bush lying us into a war, about New Orleans, about the Patriot Act and he just looked at me like I was speaking gibberish - My husband arrived just in time to say that not only should Bush be in jail but so should the VP, Sec of State and the Atty General. :rofl:

We still have our Obama - Biden signs in our windows. We are never taking them down. :)

[DesertFlower]

23. i've actually been to this man's

house for a party and he worked very hard get the neighbors together to pave our road (it's private). we never discussed politics. then i joined facebook and he became my friend. his profile said "slightly to the right of attila the hun" and of course mine is democrat and i belong to all these liberal groups. i joined the "arrest bush" group too. he must have been seething. it started last week when i said i had to get my tax documents ready. he said "don't pay them -- most of obama's cabinet doesn't". we went back and forth, but then he posted on the home page "i'm tired of bleeding heart liberals who are trying to destroy this country that i shed blood for. go live in russia and see how you like it". i sent him a PM and told him i was dropping him as my friend. well he really went nuts. when i dropped him it deleted that terrible remark.

[xiamiam]

8. I just cant stand stupid self interest...in that respect I'm less tolerant than ever before..

I've had enough..I try...at times...but ideas based on ideology instead of common sense or common good are repulsive to me..

[Iggo]

10. Fuck no.

I don't talk politics with republicans.

[DesertFlower]

13. smart.

sometimes i think our brains are wired differently.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

14. The only reaching out I do...

is to smack them across their hateful, greedy little faces. There's no reasoning with the ones I know.

[SIMPLYB1980]

15. Yes you would be surprised how many of the moderate ones

agree with us. It's why Obama's poll numbers are so high. But I also live in a State that is split 51 to 50. I have no choice but to talk to them or I would lose half my friends. Of coarse none of them are the Freeper types, those fucking racists, and fascists can rot in Hell.

[grantcart]

17. I reached out before the election and many became Obama supporters

[QueenOfCalifornia]

22. I have to say

that worked for one of the moderates I know - she is very happy she decided to vote for Obama. :) Now... if she would stop being an evangelical. :eyes:

[Are_grits_groceries]

19. No, not like he has, but I have reached out to them.

http://www.ooze.com/finger/html/gallery.html#unknown

[TrogL]

20. Yeah, do to a pull-back handshake and go "nya-nya-nya-nya nya-nya"

[redwitch]

44. The terrorist fist bump works for me.

:-)


:fistbump:

[last_texas_dem]

24. It would be a pointless exercise

to reach out to just about everyone I know who considers him/herself to be a Republican. I do know some folks who supported Bush in '00 or '04 that have since seen the light, but I can only give myself a very tiny sliver of credit for this happening.

One of my best friends is economically moderate, socially conservative; he generally supports R's on the state and national level but couldn't stomach voting for McSame last time around. (He wouldn't vote for Obama, either, but favored him winning over McSame...) I credit this partly to his becoming a fan of Olbermann's and Maddow's shows; go figure... He says he doesn't always agree with them, but thinks they're much better shows with more likeable hosts than their right-wing equivalents.

EDIT: Wrote "shadows" not "shows" the first time; shouldn't type with too much background noise!

[EFerrari]

25. I don't know any Republicans. By design. n/t

[Bluerthanblue]

26. yes- and if we aren't interested in finding

a way to live together in this country without hating each other and judging each other as "repukes" or "_______" then WE individually, are screwed.

Where is the "more perfect union" that we seek? Where is the nation where EVERYONE- regardless of any defining characteristic, really has an EQUAL right to exist and seek the promises that this democracy claims to hold so dear?

I'm as committed to the democratic platform ideals as anyone could ever be- but I find the hatred and predjuce against other people who live in this country who are seen as "repukes" every bit as ugly as the hatred that people within the republican party display for us. No, I find it MORE disturbing- because I would expect those who claim to endorse the acceptance of social equality the Democratic party champions- to walk our talk, even when it isn't 'comfortable'.

There is more of a connection to Lincoln in this administration than most people realize imo. A house divided against itself cannot stand. We're on a threshold here- with an excellent leader.

(sorry for the rant)

[RiverStone]

29. I can't embrace hate

At the risk of using too broad a brush, I will say if a repub is moderate enough, it may be possible to dialoge; yet on balance, I have found the vitriol to run so deep against anything "librul" or "Osama" that the chasm is too wide to build a bridge across it.

Bluerthanblue, where I agree you see lots of hate directed at rethugs from DUers (IMO justified), I don't see prejudice. Prejudice is judgement based on unknown facts. Shrub and Shooter earned every ounce of hate directed their way. Need I say at least we are alive to direct our rage, many more have died as a result of their aggressive policies of destruction.

As an aside, simply spewing hate at the other side serves little good - but if we turn that rage into activist politics --- which makes the world a safer, saner, cleaner, more compassionate place for all nations - we will have done good.

Most of the rethug policies I detest are rooted in evil and arrogance; stomping them out remains a goal. I see no grey area there. Just BLUE. :hi:


On Edit: We do agree 100% that we have an excellent leader in President Obama! And I say that in disagreement of his overly outstretched hand to the rethugs.

[olkaz]

27. I have lots of friends and family that are Republicans

And they've largely been supportive of Obama.

So excuse me if I don't share your enthusiasm in shutting them out completely.

[RiverStone]

35. Not completely --- but close.

No one in my family or extended family embraces anything repub and I have no close friends that are red either.

My personal values are so vastly different, I see little common ground.

Question: Do they also support the Democratic platform? Have they changed party affiliation or do they support local Dems? Not suggesting a unity pledge, but just wondering if their support is limited to a singular vote for Obama.

[olkaz]

36. They didn't even vote for Obama.

Largely they're just happy with the people Obama has chosen so far. Of course they don't support the whole Democratic platform, and I wouldn't expect them to. They're Republicans.

I've never understood the prevailing attitude on DU of "Republicans as friends? WTF?". My wife, when I met her, was a Libertarian-leaning Republican. Not that it matters, but she's now more liberal than me. How are we supposed to make any progress at all when we isolate ourselves from Republicans (which many in this thread appear to be proud of)?

And also, does politics really need to come into every friendship? I mean, I have met fascinating, brilliant people who vote Republican.

I realize your OP was about shutting out the Republicans still in congress with votes, but we should never forget that there are good-hearted, generous, and loving Americans that think differently than we do. I find it legitimately puzzling why diversity is supposed to be one of our strengths as Democrats, yet so many seem proud of associating with only very like-minded people.

Again, this isn't really pointed at you or anybody in particular, but I've always struggled with this, and this post got me riled up. Have a great day!

[RiverStone]

37. Good question

You said:

I find it legitimately puzzling why diversity is supposed to be one of our strengths as Democrats, yet so many seem proud of associating with only very like-minded people.

Well, the very like-minded people we hang out with are diverse and believe in diversity!

Alas, we exclude the opposite.

Guess that makes me an anti-bigot, bigot. :)

[liberal1973]

28. Hell No

Sure I'll reach out and help them get on the boat.

[AzDar]

30. Only to allow them to Smell The Glove.

That's right.

[ClarkUSA]

31. Only when they're Obamacans already.

[treestar]

33. A little here and there

It has surprisingly little effect. Most of them are willful about their ignorance. They have some emotional stake in believing what they do about keeping all their money and never helping the poor and that they are better than others as more "successful" at collecting dollars and better than others on grounds of birth (whether it be race of gender or being born on American soil).

[NatBurner]

34. i let people with mccain/palin stickers get in front of me in traffic

if they signal properly-

otherwise, fuckem

[Life Long Dem]

38. Sure have!

hey guys!! we luv you!:grouphug::pals::fistbump::headbang:



the no spin zone! :rofl:

[POAS]

39. I did but I forgot to open my fist....n/t

[graywarrior]

41. No

[ddeclue]

42. Actually - surprisingly - YES - I spoke with Mel Martinez' regional director in Orlando

and spoke with Congressman Mica (R-FL07) about trying to get them on board with Obama's recovery plan and they were polite but basically very cool to the idea. I tried to get them involved in an economic town hall meeting that would be bi-partisan but they begged off for scheduling reasons and weren't really willing to commit to supporting the recovery plan - they didn't want to be seen as actively opposing it but they wouldn't really support it directly either. (and these two are relatively moderate Republicans compared to the Cornyn's and McConnell's of the Republican world.)

I tried....

Doug D.
Orlando, FL

[Two Americas]

43. yes

If you are talking about everyday people who have been voting Republican, then the answer is a strong and unqualified "yes." Of course. How else can Democrats get elected? During every election campaign over the last 40 years, Republican voters are the only people I talk to, and I talk to hundreds every time and convert a fair number. What should we be doing?

Talking to one's neighbors or co-workers who have been deluded into voting Republican has nothing whatsoever to do with compromising with those in power, the Re;publican politicians.

Too many liberals are going about this backward. The people are not our enemy. They are the enemy of the Republican party.

The divide in the country is between the haves and the have-nots, not between the two groups of everyday people voting for the two different parties.

[spanone]

45. no and i don't intend to, i have seen what it got President Obama

he is a better man than i could ever be

[JayMusgrove]

46. People who voted for McCain are not deserving, nor appreciative of

my hand in understanding and support.

These people are so self-centered, selfish, and myopic in their view of the world, I just hope they fail to show up to vote on election days.

[cherish44]

47. I know some really pig headed Repubs but I know some that are very supportive of Obama

My GOP friend said the day after the election, "Well I didn't vote for him but you know what? I'm excited!"