Bush lost another supporter

[Nightjock]

Yesterday my friend Dave asked me if I wanted to go see "that Al Gore global warming movie."

He's a registered republican but lately has been saying he may switch to independent because he doesn't like the "way things have gone the last few years."

When he asked me to go to the movie I was quite surprised because I know Dave hates Gore because he swallowed all the bullshit right wing propaganda talking points. Before the movie he told me "I would never vote for Gore but I want to see what he has to say about global warming."

He sat in silence for the whole flick and afterwards he said "That was outstanding! Gore really knows his shit! Can you picture Bush trying to teach and speak like that for 2 hours?!"
And we both laughed out asses off at that!!!!

AND HE VOTED FOR BUSH TWICE!

We talked all the way home about how serious the global warming problem is (I never knew the extent either.) When I dropped Dave off at his apartment, he got out of my car and said, "Gore is the guy that should be president."

I told him "You're preaching to the choir."

.....I'll talk to him next time about the stolen elections. He learned enough for one night.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. another one sees the light!

:bounce:

[Uncle Joe]

25. To be sung to the tune of

"Another One Bites The Dust".



:kick:

[CrispyQ]

2. Patience & kindness --

hard as it may be for some of us, that is the only way we will win them over.

I'm glad your friend is waking up.

[ForeverWinter]

16. Patience & kindness --

hard as it may be for some of us, that is the only way we will win them over.

Exactly! This is how it happened with my father, a very stubborn guy. He'd call gay people of our accquaintance "fruitcakes". At first, I ranted and railed. He dug in his heels. Then, I calmed down, and said "Daddy, PLEASE do not use that word around me." I stayed firm, but polite, for years. "Daddy, please do not use that word around me." Finally, I felt like he was softening up to the point I could use some logical arguments (he has a BS in physics and a JD... I know he respects logic). He'd say, "These people, based on their CONDUCT" (probably thrown in there cause my mama often states she believes that people are born gay; I say I don't care whether it's ingrained or a choice, that's not the issue, either way discrimination is wrong) "based on their conduct, they want special rights." Eventually, I took a deep breath, and very calmly said, "Please just consider. The issue is two consenting, presumably law-abiding, adults who wish to enter a legal contract with each other. And the legal contract is marriage, which most people would say is a beneficial, stablizing, society-building institution." (Although, personally, I'm not so sure, which is driving the bf crazy, apparently.) His response: "The family structure has always been considered a heterosexual couple with children. Always." Yeah, I wanted to scream, but I said, "I'm sure that's true. But, if a couple of adults WANT to legally commit to support and love each other for life, and if in addition to that they choose to conscientiously raise children, and since we're talking about people who can't biologically concieve children" (with each other, of course, but I didn't say that), "we're likely talking about people adopting children who desperately need a loving home, then what on earth is wrong with that?"
He didn't concede, but I could see he saw I had a point.
Yelling at bigots FEELS right, but as my mama always told me, "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar."
Yup.

[CrispyQ]

19. Welcome to DU, ForeverWinter!

:hi:

Do you live near Denver or are you just a Broncos fan? I'm in Boulder county.

My mother, who voted for the dimson twice, is finally starting to come around. Unless Giuliani runs in '08, she won't be going to the polls. However, if Hilary runs, she will definitely go to the polls & it won't be to vote for Hilary.

[ForeverWinter]

28. Mile "Hi" !

Thanks, CrispyQGirl! Yes, I live in downtown Denver... formerly of Boulder!

[Cha]

3. That so Sweet! I absolutely

adore that story!

I can't wait to it too..eat your heart out frank rich.

[sepia_steel]

4. Amazing. I love it.

Last night my hubby became a registered Dem. Because he wanted a Democrat to be our next governor. This, people, is happening everywhere. :)

[blm]

5. That's the why media works fulltime to dumb the public down -

but, it looks like the public is READY to learn and WANTS to learn. Wait till they understand to what EXTENT the media has been lying about good leaders and protecting the bad ones.

[Minnesota Libra]

6. You go buddy - I've been having similar experiences with.............

....previously staunch neocons/fundies. The tide is begging to turn. :applause:

[immoderate]

7. Catharsis!

His mind's eye just woke up.

--IMM

[texpatriot2004]

8. Thanks for sharing this nm

[Mr_Spock]

9. That's great! Take your time with your buddy

They get overwhelmed easy and need to feel like they are figuring things out for themselves.

Careful with the stolen election stuff - a lot of people just see that as sour grapes and living in the past. Even I try to be optimistic and look forward as much as possible. Vigilance.

[Cocoa]

10. I've had a similar experience

a two time Bush-supporting co-worker (technically my boss) who is now as enthusiastically anti-Bush as he had been pro-Bush. Number one reason: anti-gay intolerance.

[robinlynne]

11. lovely!

[proud patriot]

12. Outstanding

:D

[Swede]

13. Ahh,one more vote for them to steal.

I know I shouldn't be such a pessimist.

[neoblues]

14. And I was just feeling like it was Hopeless...

Hopeless that the American Public would ever be able to overcome the current political division.

I mean I've reached a point where I can't tolerate further erosion of what I consider to be proper American values and the "backwash" republicans represent the very epitome of degraded (and degrading) values. There can be no further compromise and they are, and have been from the beginning, absolutely fixed in their beliefs/attitudes--so there would seem to be no hope of a reconciliation.

It's a pleasing happenstance that more and more of those infected with intentional ignorance and malignant thought processes have begun to realize their folly (and to varying degrees have been reconsidering their positions), but the media pundits are as malicious as ever. Perhaps that represents a kind of desperation in their efforts to keep their flock bamboozled and addicted to emotional thinking (by appealing to the most base of human emotions and prejudices). I hope so and think that it's from viewing the media that my serious concern for the future of both our country and relations between citizens has been brought to such a state of hopelessness.

Fortunately, examples such as the one presented remind me that (a) people really can change, and (b) the media doesn't represent either reality or the truth about the public. They present, rather, their own version of what they hope the public will be like--which does have considerable success in terms of making the public conform to that view. People are, by and large, very susceptible to suggestion--especially fed to them via multimedia programming such as we get on television. (Seems like unless we can get comparable access to the media, we should lead a campaign for Americans to toss their media habit in the trash--retire their televisions or some such; but we'd still need some means by which to communicate with the majority of people--and the internet just doesn't reach enough people)

Thanks for the hopeful report!

[Sabien]

15. so what

King George 2nd can't get (s)elected again...

6 years too late.

[Kenergy]

17. We will prevail

Thank you for that post Nightjock

[Wetzelbill]

18. Bush is like a piece of food somebody put inside their pocket

to save for later. It may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but when you forget about it, leave the thing to rot and stink for a long time, then you finally realized how stupid an idea it was in the first place. From that point on the thought of it just makes you want to puke.

[Javaman]

20. Stories like this break my heart....

This is one fine example of how the repuke MSM machine destroyed this nation.

People like your friend Dave fell for their bullshit hook line and sinker, but then presented with actual facts, they prove themselves to be clear thinking individuals.

Your friend Dave sounds like a decent guy, but he had been lead astray and we the people are now paying the price because of it.

I hope it's not to late.

[Skittles]

21. thank you

these lazy SOBs bought every piece of shit the GOP was selling because they thought they would benefit and they were too damn lazy to find out the truth....so they are coming around NOW? Guess what: it is way, WAY too late

[robbedvoter]

22. I have the same feeling. Sadness (although props to OP!)

What might have been if not for lies + apathy.
I envision sometimes a Nuremberg of these times. I want the media luminaries in those boxes too.
All those yammering that "Americans have lost their patience with this recount business". The "serial liar, earth tones,dull"
And every "no difference" idiot too.

[IronLionZion]

23. You may enjoy some of the works by Robert Reich

That's a small guy with big ideas on how to talk to these people. You have to be calm and rational and explain things in a very sensible way and they'll usually get it. Screaming at them or treating them like idiots will only reaffirm the myth of the wild-eyed latte liberal elitist.

Unfortunately, some DUers need to have the lattes pried out of their cold dead hands before they'll let liberals like John Conyers get any real power in Congress.

[PurgedVoter]

24. I hope, after they open their eyes, they stay open.

The last thing we need is for the easily fooled to start dominating our party too. If at their moment of awareness, we can teach people to examine with a critical eye, then we have a true convert. I hear from reasonable yet fooled comrades, that Michael Moore is mean spirited. Yes he does seem that way from an immediate manners point of view. But if you look at the spirit and truly mean nature of those he goes against, if you compare him to BumRush, Insanity or Oreally, suddenly his heart becomes apparent. Rent a Michael Moore for him next. Let him see a patriot truly driven to exasperation because he saw what was happening and where it was happening, before Bush made it crystal clear.
K@R

[barbtries]

26. love this story

in fact, these are my favorite posts anymore. maybe i'll give my brother a call and find out if he's taken his head out of his ass yet...

[drm604]

27. "I'll talk to him next time about the stolen elections."

Point him to Kennedy's Rolling Stone article. It's well done and will say it all for you.

[deaniac21]

29. Dave isn't by any chance athletic is he?