I've known this woman for about 18 years. We have gotten into the occasional dinner party discussion on politics and I know where she's coming from.
She says she's an "issues" voter and has supported various local Democratic politicians. Up until now I always went into "agree to disagree" mode with her. However over the weekend she ended up sending me and a whole bunch of "Undisclosed recipients" :mad: a bunch of links to John Stossel and Dennis Prager, ending with the following.
You folks know what side of the aisle I sit on. I was listening to 990 a while back and thought Mark Taylor filling in as a guest host on Dennis Prager said it well, I’ve included the link below. You're welcome to listen to the full hour. I don’t agree with everything said. The section I appreciated most starts at about 17 minutes into the hour and lasts until about 24 minutes. He speaks about personal liberty and responsibility versus equality, and what does it mean when something is a 'right'. (FYI, this was aired after the second presidential debate.)
Personal freedom and responsibility is a big part of the conservative view. This may help those that aren't on the right side of the aisle understand to some degree where the view on that side comes from. Funny that I should have a business that relies a great deal on personal responsibility.
Keep in mind while listening that the question here isn’t whether people in need should be taken care of, both sides of the aisle have compassion, caring and a desire to help the needy. The difference is who does it and how. And what is a ‘right’ according to the Constitution wherein the government is obligated to protect and/or provide for that right.
My response:
I do indeed know which side of the aisle you sit on. However, guys like Dennis Prager and John Stossel are such total shills and enablers for the neocon (and what a con it is) agenda that I find it difficult to believe that someone as intelligent as you would buy into their bullshit.
If we as a country don't elect Obama and a Democratic Congress, we might as well roll up the sidewalks and declare this country and the idea of a true democracy finished and done with. Because if we go with McCain and Palin and their divisive agenda it's over. The dream of the authors of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution has foundered on the rocks of corporate fascism - "It's just a goddam piece of paper."
So, go ahead and take your libertarian, Ayn Rand-ish Republicanism and vote for the two vilest politicians that we've ever seen in this country. People who make Richard Nixon and G. H. W Bush look like a couple of saints.
I'm hoping that by midnight on election day this country will have turned around and made the right choice, put the politics of division away and put adults in charge. People who aren't afraid to face facts and aren't afraid to confront stupidity. That's why I'm voting for Barack Obama and Joe Biden. That's why I'm going to do my best to make sure that Republican legislators in this city, this county, this state and this country disappear.
All the best
She wrote back:
Is there republican legislature in this city? BTW, I vote Democrat locally. I believe that the left philosophy works well on a local level.
I don’t get the sense that you bothered to listen to any of the links I sent? Am I wrong? I would have liked to have heard your response to the Mark Taylor piece.
No matter what happens on the 4th, I’m thrilled to see so many people engaged. I hope that it leads to a change where we see a large majority of eligible voters exercising their right to vote and actually paying attention to what’s going on in the political world.
She still doesn't get it.
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