Let's hear your stories about people turning away from the Dark Side.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

I have two, from just the past week.

First: A new guy just started working in my department. So at lunch in the cafeteria another guy and I started slamming Bush like we always do, and the new guy says, "So, are you the liberals around here?" And we said, damn straight, or words to that effect. I added that I was not only a proud liberal but a card-carrying ACLU member. The new guy replies, "Well, I'm a conservative Republican, and I HATE Bush." And he proceeded to rip Bush and the Iraq war up one side and down the other. It was as good a rant as I could have delivered myself.

Then a few days later (also in the cafeteria), another guy and I got into a conversation about politics, and this guy -- a southern Baptist from Alabama, no less -- volunteered the information that he was not only sorry he voted for Bush, he was embarrassed and ashamed, and was going to vote for a Democrat, any Democrat, next time. The reasons? The war, mostly; plus the crappy economy, union-busting, Bush's unChristian policies toward the poor. Another liberal rant from the mouth of a former Republican.

These are only anecdotes; two people out of millions, but I have to believe there are many other angry, disillusioned Republicans who will come away from the Dark Side given a little encouragement.

Any more stories to give us hope?

[babylonsister]

1. None from me, but you get a big rec'd for encouragement! nt

[NanceGreggs]

2. This happened a while ago ...

... but I have a business aquaintance here in Toronto, who is also an American citizen like myself. Every time we saw each other, he would carry on about how Bush was 'such a strong leader', and 'such a strong man'.

His cousin convinced him to see Farenheit 9/11 with him the summer it came out. The next time I saw him after that, someone in the room mentioned the 'Bush as a strong man and leader' thing. My aquaintance looked down and said, "Well, I now know that's not the case."

The segment showing Bush reading 'The Pet Goat' got to him. He never spoke about Bush the same way again.

[LevelB]

3. Nothing specific

But I have noticed that if I point out some lie, incompetence, even criticize how the war on Terra is going, heads nod. Two years ago that would have started an argument.

I think there are a couple of things going on here:

1. Nobody likes to admit they were wrong (especially this wrong);

2. There is genuine embarrassment over the results of these policies, especially how it flies in the face of real Christianity. Consider the timeline for Katrina - that photo of Bush eating cake AFTER <http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/10/katrina.levees/>he was informed of the catastrophic failure of the levees says volumes about "compassionate conservatism".

I think (hope and pray) this dissatisfaction will be roundly expressed by the secret ballot in the mid-year elections.

B

[BlackVelvet04]

4. My 79 year old parents

have decided they will vote for democrats from now on. They are appalled at the abuse of power.

My youngest sister came over from the dark side as well.

That's 3 just in my own family.....3 down, 3 to go.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. My brother and his new wife are still pretty freepish.

No hope there, I think.

[rox63]

5. Fantastic!

Even the former kool-aid drinkers have started to turn. Great news. :bounce:

[seabeyond]

6. my father, this MORNING.. i am so proud of him

first let me tell you i went to a republican campaign dinner for a woman running as state rep. lots of the money in town repugs. all knew i was the only dem. i challenged repug conservative value, religion in our school and the church preaching hate. repug party spewing dems arent christians and not a fellow repug stood up for me, they should be ashamed, tak tests, bonus money off tests of students, shining new black voting box and not trusting repugs, creationism, governor signing legislation from a church to put descrimination in state constitution ....... the corruption, theft, lyin of the repug party....

none challenge. they were amazed at some of the story, they agreed with my conclusions.

so i was telling my repug father about this woman to see who he supported and who his golf buddies supported. he is for her. wants her to win and get the good ole boy out. who is supporting who in this town. he also is backing and supporting the female mayor (our first female) that the good ole boy network is going against.

he went on to tell me the two dem attorney generals were moderate and good in texas, worked with repugs. it was the redistricting that repugs got in and became corrupt.

my father has turned on the texas repug anyway

he was talking about bad teachers should be fired but the union prevented that. he told me, who can not do their job and not get fired

george bush i said

i laughed and laughed. he laughed too

we havent been able to talk politics. this morning we did for an hour, it was informative and useful

he also said he has changed position on death penalty. oh the surprise

[seabeyond]

9. then there was my 54 yr old white texas repug trustfund neighbor

who called my husband over to specifically tell him to tell me. i was right, he was wrong

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. A lady I work with

told me a month ago that she regrets voting for bush more than any other bad vote she has ever cast.

[SushiFan]

10. My inlaws are the only GOPers I know. Whatcha gonna do? nt

[jbnow]

11. I know several republicans

who did not vote for bush in 2004. One actually got tears in his eyes talking about it. He was a proud republican and had never thought his party would come to this or that he'd have to vote against a republican president.

He talked about all that he admired about what were the principals of the party and how bush ravaged every one of them. The way he talked being conservative is not all big business, low taxes. He is rich but hates these tax cuts during a time of war (that he hates) and record deficits.

Others who voted Kerry didn't want to talk about it as much. None were pro-Kerry as much as they were ashamed of bush.

On the other hand an old liberal friend from college called today. I had avoided his calls since he visited last year and announced he was voting for bush. He saw my look and asked in disgust if I was like his other liberal friends who thought bush was some Satan. I told him "not at all" and he looked relieved until I added "he is too stupid to be satan, he is just a minor tool"

Today I asked him what he thought of his vote now. He got into how Muslims want to kill us and blah, blah. I ended conversation soon after that. What happened to him? Fear. That was the basis of his vote last time too, he didn't want to have to buy a gun to protect his family. bush would protect us, kerry would give them counseling.

Just sad. I think I will be avoiding him again.

[Catrina]

13. Don't give up on him, I did, on my sister and her husband ~ we could

hardly talk this time last year, they voted for him twice. But now, they are disgusted. I don't know what changed their minds but now they show me articles that appear in some of the Christian literature they get. The last one was about the PNAC and was written by a pretty Conservative guy. His readers who had disagreed with him in the past, are now writing in to say 'you were right'. Not all of them, of course, but there is a definite turning of the tide happening.

I tell all my Christian friends about Jack Abramoff and what he and his cohorts had to say about Christians ~ I think we owe Jack a huge thank you for keeping all those emails. That really gets to people ~ to find out they were being used, and by a bunch of sleazy crooks!

So, two more, and a friend who was apolitcal, married to a vet, now sees how bad this administration is. She didn't vote last time, I'm hoping she will next time, and it won't be for a Republican ~ she's furious ~

[RazzleDazzle]

14. I missed that -- what did Abramoff and his friends have to say

about Christians? And a link would be especially nice. Thanks.

[Catrina]

23. It's a long sordid story, but here's a small example of how Abramoff,

Ralph Reed and Scanlon used Fudnamentalist Christians when they needed them. While they praised them publicly as 'patriotic, moral Americans', behind the scenes they laughed at them.

Consider one memo highlighted in a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday that Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, sent the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana to describe his strategy for protecting the tribe's gambling business. In plain terms, Scanlon confessed the source code of recent Republican electoral victories: target religious conservatives, distract everyone else, and then railroad through complex initiatives.

"The wackos get their information through the Christian right, Christian radio, mail, the internet and telephone trees," Scanlon wrote in the memo, which was read into the public record at a hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. "Simply put, we want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them." The brilliance of this strategy was twofold: Not only would most voters not know about an initiative to protect Coushatta gambling revenues, but religious "wackos" could be tricked into supporting gambling at the Coushatta casino even as they thought they were opposing it.

http://157.142.201.0/wackos.html

Ralph Reed was making a fortune from gambling money, while preaching to the faithful that gambling was immoral. They are a 'do as I say, not as I do' crowd. Bill Bennett being another example.

Another Abramoff & Co. trick they played on Christians, which came out in the Senate hearings, was to set up 'entities' which sounded like Christian groups, named, eg, 'The Christian Family Group'. All that existed would be a phone#.

Then they would set up phone banks, operated by Young Republicans who would call potential Republican voters, ask them how they felt about issues, like abortion eg, then tell them, 'you might want to talk to the Christian Family Group who are working hard on this issue, etc. etc.'

The victim would say, 'yes' please give me the number'. When the phone assigned to that entity would ring, another Young Repub. would take it out of the drawer and answer it, ending up with a donation after a promise of working for the 'cause'. According to witnesses at the hearings, they would have a few phones in a drawer, all with different names to collect money from unsuspecting Christians. It was another source of cash for the Abramoff gang.

[Occulus]

26. A little churchy tract talked about PNAC???

Holy God. Literally!

The Republicans are in serious trouble. Looks like my prediction was right: they really DID destroy themselves.

This fall will tell us how bad... if we don't get Diebolded.

[Mythsaje]

15. Silly man...

it's better to buy a gun and protect yourself than trust someone else to do it when there's nothing that says they have to.

Talking about protecting you and actually doing it are two VERY different things.

[babsbunny]

12. Nope, none here.

I think if they do turn away from the dark side, they are so shamed they don't tell anyone who's known the truth all along.

[mitchum]

16. Still I have very little patience for republicans who have come...

to be "outraged" by bush's actions. The aims and agenda of the republican party have been quite clear for a long time. Anti-worker, anti-enviroment, racist, pro corporate, anti- choice....

Just what in the hell attracted to them to that goddamn party before bush "betrayed its noble goals"?

I will welcome their votes for Democrats, but I will still hold them in contempt.

[CrispyQ]

17. On Christmas Eve,

I was at my sister's, who had invited some other couples I didn't know. One of them had noticed my "Visualize Impeachment" bumper sticker on my truck & he tried to engage me in a debate of right vs. left. Two other 'conservatives' were also very intent on our conversation.

He said, "So you don't support the war?"

"Damn straight I don't!", I said. "The Iraq invasion was based on lies & misconception to further an agenda that does not reconcile with the American way." I told them that Hussein was not responsible for 9/11.

The three of them were hesitant, suspicious. Then I laughed & told them that I had just driven 50 miles on I-25 & that it was pot-hole ridden & that I was more afraid of driving 65 mph into a frickin' pot hole & flying off the road than I was of being blown up at the Flatirons Crossing's Mall. They all laughed & two of them nodded in agreement, but not the original confronter.

Then I mentioned that maybe we would be more safe from future attacks if we were spending $5 Billion a month, that's $1.25 Billion a WEEK, in security for our ports, our electrical grid, our water & food sources, our transportation routes, our schools, our hospitals, instead of "bringing democracy to the Iraq people." I pointed out that that's the amount we are spending in Iraq every month -- $5 BILLION! These are not well off people! They are living paycheck to paycheck!

Each of them questioned the figure & I cited & asked if I was exaggerating. I told them that I was not exaggerating & that the information was out their & that they owed it to themselves to check it out & verify that that figure was correct. THEY WERE INCREDULOUS! They honestly could not believe that we are spending that kind of money on a monthly basis.

[roguevalley]

21. I read we spend $100,00.00 a minute on this obscenity.

[progressoid]

18. My RW aunt said she would vote for Hillary if she runs in 08

Granted, Hillary ain't exactly left leaning anymore, but to say I was surprised by her statement would be an understatement. She's had the RW fundie mentality for a long time. But the Shaivo debacle and the war opened her eyes.

I know a couple others that voted for * the first time but not the second. But I think if anything they lean more toward libertarians than Democrats.

[electron_blue]

19. My brother loved Bush, mainly bcs he thought Bush was "da man"

Months after Bush took office, he was already fed up with him. He voted for Kerry last election. 'course, he lives in Florida, so who knows whether his vote got counted.

My dad converted somewhere between Bush 1 and Bush 2, not sure of the exact date. But he used to be a card-carrying Republican and now is either independent or Green party, who votes Democratic in Presidential elections.

My friend Ruth, voted for Bush in the last 2 elections, but now has switched, saying she no longer believes he has the troops best interest at heart. She says she feels duped. She still says she is Republican, but she claims she is voting Democratic this fall.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

20. Kicking for more stories!!

Cause I don't have any of my own. :(

[Katherine Brengle]

22. My Husband!

I met my hubby a few years ago, in a karaoke bar, and we didn't talk politics at first. I knew that he was a Marine reservist, and that was about it in terms of things that might color his political views.

Well, a few weeks into our relationship, he said something (and dern I wish I could remember it now) and I almost fainted--I said, "Oh my God, please tell me you aren't a Republican???"

He said, "Hey, they're the ones that raise my pay." (As a Marine)

I said, very seriously, "I can't date a Republican." (I meant it too, as much as some of them are very nice people, I could never be in a romantic relationship with someone whose views were so opposite my own.)

He proceeded to tell me that he didn't really know much about politics, and he just figured that being in the military automatically made him a Republican. (So, I let him off the hook because he just needed more education...)

Fast forward to the election of 2004--we went to the polls together, and when we came out, he said, "Okay, I have to tell you something, and don't get mad..."

"What?" says I.

"I voted for Bush."

:sarcasm:

"Are you serious?"

"Nah, just wanted to see the look on your face. What person in their right mind would vote for a fuckhead like him?"

:evilgrin:

LMAO. After living with me for awhile, he had absorbed more information about politics than any sane man could stand, but he's the better for it, and so am I.

I love converting people!

[Tsiyu]

28. Funny story

I bet you DID have a :wtf: look on your face!

[Katherine Brengle]

31. indeed, lol. n/t

[leeroysphitz]

24. Anakin Skywalker turned away from the dark side!

Betraying his master and teacher of many years in order to save his son and make up for the many sins he'd commited over the years...

We were all so proud...

[Carla in Ca]

25. My sister-in-law, Diane

She and her husband were here a week for, ahem, the holidays, and they have been very conservative in the past. Well, she completely stunned me when, during a careful conversation about politics, she exclaimed "I love Michael Moore!" After my husband and I picked our jaws up off the floor, we asked her if she had ever seen F911. She said no so we pulled out our copy and she watched it. She also said if she lived closer, she'd attend my Code Pink protests with me.

I still can't believe it. It is a miracle.:hi:

[Hestia]

27. my brother apologized for voting for Bush too...

I had sent some news links about Abramoff and he admitted he was wrong when he voted for Bush! Boy, all I could remember is him ragging me for voting for Nader, my mother voted for Gore. I honestly think we'll see more people him and the guys in the op...

[rman]

29. Please inform your "turned" repubs

not to vote for "just any" Dem.

It should not be that hard to clarify to them that certain Dems are for all intents and purposes collaborating with Repubs/neocons.

Urge them to research the stances on issues of reps they might vote for.

Lack of voting on issues is what got us into this mess in the first place. And the MSM isn't going to inform anyone of anything relevant. If anyone wants to be informed they'll have to inform themselves.

[DarkTirade]

30. I've said it from the very beginning...

Bush is not a republican. He's just taking advantage of republican votes to get in power, like many others at the top.

[rg302200]

32. Oh wow, I have many stories...

First, my father owns a small business and has been a democrat his entire 58 years on this planet. About 3 years ago a guy started to come into his shop who happened to be a retired Marine and die-hard Republican. Well after 3 years of my dad's friendship the Bush loving Marine turned Blue and recently ran for a city council seat on the Democratic ticket. He even told me dad "Well Dave, you showed me the truth and turned me into a Democrat."

Second, A preacher here in my hometown recently came up to my father and said "Dave, you finally turned me after 16 years, I am going to organize a Republicans for Ted Strickland organization." This guy was so hardcore republican that to him Reagan was the second coming.

Finally, My future in-laws were dead red republicans who bashed liberals every time they could. Until I got a hold of them. I took every opportunity to trash the repukes and their talking points, to the point that they were embarrassed to admit they voted for those idiots. The other day my future father-in-law came up to me and said "I am going to vote a straight Democratic ticket this year because those damn Republicans have Ohio so screwed up now."

These small miracles give me a reason to keep up the good work everyday. I love to see people realizing their mistakes and coming over from the dark side!

[Viva_La_Revolution]

33. kicking again because...

this thread just makes me giddy with hope and joy.


Happy Valentines Day everybody!
I :loveya: USA :patriot: