I hate to say it, but we need to give up on the Amish vote.

[Paragon]

Bush has a lock on the living-100-years-in-the-past vote. :silly:

[loathesomeshrub]

I just heard on the news " They don't vote, but they pray Repuke"

So yeah, forget it

[salinen]

1. O.K.

someone take the K/E signs off the buggy.

[Paragon]

2. "You be careful around them Republicans, John Book."

;-)

[HereSince1628]

3. Keep "dem" Anglischers avay frum us.

Somehow I think there was a mistranslation there

[napi21]

4. I wouldn't totally give up, but I wouldn't spen a lot of time & $$ either.

The older Amish are very strong and set in their way of life, and they will never change. However, yjr youth, at least some of them, are somewhat different. It's shouldn't be total abandonment.

[Lefty48197]

5. I'll never give up! I'm driving a horse & buggy for the GOTV effort

.

[DaveinMD]

6. its okay

we get the Quakers.

[Barney Rocks]

9. Nixon was a

Quaker. Quakers are fascinating people. I have always had an interest in those "old timey" religions. (not that I would want to live that life--I just find them fascinating).

[Doohickie]

15. And exactly what kind of a life do you think Quakers lead?

The Quakers I know are progressive liberals.

The Quakers, by the way, are not to be confused with the Amish.

[Barney Rocks]

17. well--I dated a Quaker for a while--

nearly married the person too!

I cannot speak for ALL Quakers--but the ones in his community were different from people in general in a lot of ways. (And I loved the exposure to them--it was like a different culture--I am just saying I can't speak for all Quakers).

One--the home was very quiet--no tv, no radio. The children were not allowed to play any games that involved dice or cards (which let out a lot of games. The girls ONLY wore skirts or dresses (no slacks, jeans or shorts) and they were not allowed to cut their hair--not even bangs (!). The women wore no jewlery except for a simple wedding band and no makeup.

These Quakers lived among the larger community (they were not set apart like the Amish) you may have one for a neighbor--but they mostly socialized with their own. They were closeknit and helped each other--always visiting their sick. When one would die--people would drive for many miles to attend the funeral of one of their own--even if they had never even met that person.

The meetings were fascinating--there was no structure that had to be followed. The ones I attended were held in the kitchen of someone's home! And people would sit in silence meditating until the "spirit moved them to speak". Then they would speak--and they could speak about whatever was on their mind (politics whatever!!!). The meetings had no set endpoint--sometimes they would last for 6 or 7 hours with the bulk of the meeting being people sitting and waiting for the spirit to move them! Typically my friends family spent ALL DAY in "meeting" and also attended other "meetings" that were not on sunday. The religious "elders" of their community are held above the regular members--and their word is law.

There is so much more to say---actually I could write a book on these people. They were wonderful--very good to their own and very intellectual. But it is a completely different culture! Perhaps all of them do not live that way....but I was fascinated!

[Barney Rocks]

20. I wanted to add--

they are not at all like the Amish--which is a community that stands alone (the Quakers that I knew lived and worked in the larger community). They also had electricity, cars and modern conveniences--although they shunned things like television that they said wasted time. They also shunned things like athletics and plays etc.

I put them together not in trying to say the religions or the lifestyles are the same (they are not), but just to say that I find these religions (ones that evolved from a certain period of the protestant reformation--especially the ones that are very streamlined) fascinating.

[Blaze Diem]

7. ...but then, SOME DUers live & breathe for a difficult challenge like

this. Can we capture the young Amish Voters?
I say, come the next Pres election, we'll have them voting Dem.
The challenge is on!

[Darth_Kitten]

13. We can all rent "Witness" and show it to any undecided young Amish voter

:shrug: I don't know, worth a shot? :evilgrin:

[catzies]

8. FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*wipes water off keyboard and monitor*

[Out the Parasites]

10. Bwaaahhha ahahahhahahahahahhaa...ummm I don't think we should worry about

them, but how do they keep themselves informed on the issues. Can you imagine one of them coming up for the draft? Who would plow the fields?

Bwaaahhahahahhahaa

[Doohickie]

16. You guys are a bunch of idiots,

Implying Amish are a bunch of ignorant hicks simply because they choose to live a simpler lifestyle. I would guess that at least their lifestyle is more sustainable that the oil-drunk existence most of us lead.


You're acting like Beevis & Butthead, laughing at crap you don't even understand.

[Out the Parasites]

23. I was laughing at the speculation of them voting.

I was laughing at the Bush Co. trying to court their votes.

I did not say they were ignorant. How would they keep informed? Even with TV, Phone, Newspapers, all of which they don't readily access, some people in the US have a hard time ferreting out the facts from spin.

If they do vote, it is expected to be less than 10% of their population. And like another poster said. They lived in Amish country and never saw a single Amish person vote. I'm not saying they don't vote, just not as likely.

Also, they are exempt from the draft, so their fields are safe. Which is good, because I think that would be terrible for them to be drafted considering their view on violence.

So, cool your jets, no one here is attacking the Amish.

[Darth_Kitten]

11. LOL it was a battle well fought.....

:silly: :evilgrin:

[Barney Rocks]

12. I heard only about 10% of them vote?

If that is true--we should leave them alone.

My rationale: Living 100 years in the past makes them a natural Republican constituency. This is one group that we don't want to fire up about voting. They are probably in line with Bush on all social issues--and would vote with him on those things. Sects like this don't usually care as much about the economy and jobs--the Lord will provide and all of that.

[maine_raptor]

14. We need to stop the impending Amish/Bush landslide!!!

Quick, need to dig potholes on the roads leading to the polls, maybe hide the axle grease, or even cut the reins.. We must stop these hordes from electing GWB and thus completing their fiendish master plan for world domination.

Do you want to live in a world without Playstations and X-Boxes?

Does the idea of getting up at dawn instead of going to bed then, like "normal" people, concern you, then we need to stop this naked power play on the part of the Amish.

Remember, if Bush wins it'll be your Amish on the line!!!!

[Modem Butterfly]

18. Are the Luddites are still up for grab?

Enquiring minds want to know.

[popstalin]

19. From my "Living Among the Amish" experiences

I lived in Lancaster County PA for a long time and I don't recall seeing many Amish voting. They wake up, they go to work, the sun goes down, they go to bed. In the last Presidential election I was at my polling place waiting in line for 2+ hours, in Amish country, and didn't see one. I also worked a Repug poll in '96 for the Dems in the middle of Amish farms and didn't see any Amish there either.

So don't fear the Amish vote just fear the odor!

[Gold Metal Flake]

21. We can keep on selling crank to their kids, right?

I figger we can raise the price now if we've given up on the vote.

[NAO]

22. Do the Amish have the internets?

How do they get info? If they have no TVs, then they did not see the debates.

OK, now I understand the Amish voting Bush.