My GOP "friends" cannot even justify their support of the GOP!

[KansasVoter]

I have had two lunches in the last two weeks specifically to ask my GOP friends why they are Republicans. I said they could tell me their point of view and explain their position. These were friendly discussions. And besides politics, I get along great with these people. I heard the same augments.......

Tax and Spend Liberals (easily countered with the last 8 years of Bush and Reagan years, and they agreed!!)
People on welfare are lazy, but have no proof this is true and cannot provide any proof even a week later.
Deficit out of control (countered with Reagan and Bush Deficit and they admit the Obama Deficit was caused by Bush)

On top of no reasons for supporting the GOP, they both admit.....

The GOP has a lot of crazy people in it. But most are not crazy.
They cannot name any Democrat that is crazy as Bachman, Etc. (even though one person mentioned Olbermann!!)
The Tea party has a big % of racists in it.
The GOP is just blocking everything.
Poor people deserve health care.
The government is controlled by rich people and corporations.

So basically they CANNOT justify supporting the GOP except both of these people have great jobs and great benefits and basically do not want to help anyone who does not.

Folks, the real issue here is that the GOP supporters do not give a shit about anyone who is in need. They think they will always be well off or that they will be rich someday and that anyone who is not well off is a lazy POS who deserves it.

And that is why the GOP says crazy non-factual stuff, because their supporters do not spend 10 minutes investigating it.

The people on this forum realize that if you have a job and benefits you are just damn lucky and it could change at any time. And we want to make sure all Americans are taken care of, even if it means we need to help them out with our luck.

I hate the GOP worse now that I did under Bush. And I would not have thought that was possible until now.

[valerief]

1. Wow, you described the typical, non-teabag GOPers to a T!!!! nt

[AmericanMan1958]

2. "Ditto"

The Party of "NO" are more self-serving then ever.
The country is failing and they can not defend their actions.

How can anyone of right mind, continue to support the GOP's actions?

[KansasVoter]

3. That is the answer I was hoping to get!!!

[gratuitous]

4. Prod their brains into activity

A lot of so-called Reagan Democrats became Republicans in the 1980s due to a perception that the Democratic party no longer held their interests very close. Republicans were very good at the "are you better off than you were four years ago" and the "morning in America" canards that got people focusing on one or two specific issues to the exclusion of everything else. If you thought things were worse under the Democrats, then vote Republican. And if you felt good about voting Republican, ignore any real world consequences, and bask in the good feeling.

Bumping them off the scheid, as you seem to have done with your friends, gets them to engage their brains, and question the received wisdom of the past 30 years. "Hey, deficits seem to be a Republican problem" or "Wait, I'm not a racist" are good entrées into their mindset. Get them thinking about what they believe, and you're more likely to break the Republican spell.

[barbtries]

7. good advice.

[Winterblues]

5. The GOP say "you or me" and Liberals say "you AND me"

That is the difference boiled down to the very basics..

[opihimoimoi]

9. BRAVO... :o)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp72a6rx9-M amazing grace

[renate]

10. oh that is EXCELLENT

And so true! That's the perfect explanation.

[harun]

6. You hit on the key falsehood of GOP mindset

"They think they will always be well off or that they will be rich someday and that anyone who is not well off is a lazy POS who deserves it. "

Dem's should attack that point, show how it is false and destroy the GOP.

[Qutzupalotl]

8. The problem, as I see it, is a fear or hatred of the "other".

Whether that "other" is dirty hippies, lazy welfare bums, frightening socialists, or dark-skinned people. GOP leaders and pundits reinforce and attempt to justify these prejudices. So getting people to vote D or at least stop voting R will require some deep changes to their opinions of people they've hated for years.

Countering their intellectual arguments, as you did so deftly, is likely to simply leave them in a state of cognitive dissonance -- unsure why they still want to vote the way they do. That is still a positive step, since it might make them a little less likely to vote R, but a true conversion to D probably won't happen until they meet someone they're supposed to hate, and realize they have a lot in common.

[KansasVoter]

11. So true. I am shocked they cannot even explain why!

[izquierdista]

12. Well, you've gotten 1/2 way

Now, to get the rest of the way and convert them, they are going to have to have an EMOTIONAL reason to vote (and be) Democrats. African-Americans have an emotional reason -- civil rights (and also pride in one of their own). Hispanics have an emotional reason -- being treated fairly on immigration matters. In fact, looking at any traditionally Democratic demographic, I would say equality and fairness lead the list in emotional reasons to vote Democrat.

Since these Repubs have not been swayed by those emotions, you are going to find a new one to get them to jump ship. I'd go with the pride of taking financial and personal responsibility. That Chris Coons ad in the videos forum is full of financial responsibility. I think if Democrats pound away on how fiscally irresponsible the Republicans have been, they may win over more converts than anything else they can do. Democrats have been getting a bad rap for a long time, and from people like "Voodoo economics" Bush to "Deficits don't matter" Cheney.

[KansasVoter]

13. I think the GOP supporters are not much when it comes to "thinking"!

[izquierdista]

14. Exactly

If you are going to get them to root for the new team, they need an emotional reason, like "the old team lied and gambled away all my money".

[Ruby the Liberal]

15. My elderly mother is in agreement with 99.9% of Dem policies, but votes a straight R ticket

Because she is against abortion. No matter that I tell her that this candidate or that one is pro-life and a Dem, or challenge her with what W & Co did about abortion when they were in control for 6 years (nothing as it is a SCOTUS issue) - she votes R.

This past election, she told me that she wished she hadn't voted because she thinks Sarah Palin is a moron who isn't fit to run dog pound (no offence to animal caretakers - I think it was a reference to the old canard of 'being elected dog catcher') - but because the Republican party took the pro-life crowd hostage in the 1980s, she sticks with it.

Le Sigh

[KansasVoter]

16. Good story! Thanks!