You almost had me. An open letter to the Republican lurkers from a former right-winger.

[Bjorn Against]

Dear Right-Wingers,

As many people here know I used to hold many of the same ideas that you do. Yes, I was a right-winger. I was a right-winger because I believed in the concept of a small government, I believed in an economic system in which everyone who worked hard would be able to achieve the American dream, and I believed that government regulation was preventing our nation from achieving everything we hoped to achieve.

Your people told me again and again that the liberals were out to take away my freedom. They told me that these evil liberals were going to drastically increase the size of government, they were going to tax me to death, and they were going to bankrupt this nation in the process.

I had bought into what your people were saying until I learned that your people were lying to me. They did not just lie once or twice, they lied over and over again. They lied about every single issue under the sun, they not only lied but they sat back and counted their money while people were falling into poverty and often dying. They told us we didn't need to worry about covering everyone with health insurance because if we just cut people's taxes then they could afford to pay for health care and they could contribute to a charity which would help those who could not afford it. But of course as soon as they cut the taxes and cut the social programs the cost of health care would rise, and it would become more and more difficult for people to pay for. But of course the Republican pundits and propagandists who were telling me that we could cover everyone through charity did not have a problem paying for health care because they were all very wealthy. And you know what, despite their promotion of charity they were doing very little to practice what they preached and actually give up a sizable chunk of their disposable income to charity. No, they would only give what they could get a tax write-off for they had no concern about ensuring that people in poverty had access to good medicine they just wanted their tax write-offs and their yachts.

They also told me that I did not have to worry about global warming because there were serious doubts about the reality of global warming within the scientific community. I grew up loving nature, as a child my parents would always take me hiking in our beautiful state parks and they taught me to appreciate nature. I cared a lot about the environment, but your people convinced me that this global warming stuff was just a bunch of nonsense that I did not have to worry about. They told me science backed them up, and I believed them. But it turned out that they were lying about that too. It turned out that all the scientists they told me about were funded by the oil and coal interests. In other words they were taking bribes. None of them had been peer reviewed, they were just taking money and saying what the people bribing them wanted them to say.

I could go on and on about all the lies I was told over and over again, but I would be up all night writing this letter if I were to do that. So I will just make it simple and say the straight up truth that they lied to me on every single issue out there.

I don't associate myself with liars. I started to do a lot of research on a lot of different issues, and I realized that on every issue that progressive position was supported by the facts while the right-wing position was only supported by lies. And so I became a leftist, not a centrist but a leftist. I was not going to move from a lie to the truth gradually, because there is no reason to fall anywhere in the center between good and evil. I had to join the side of peace, justice, equality, truth and freedom and I was not going to settle for anything in the middle of those ideals.

There are two types of right-wingers out there, there are the liars and there are those who bought into the lies. If you are one of those who bought into the lies then go seek out the truth and leave the liars behind.

But if you are one of the liars, then you need to know that you almost had me but I figured you out. I figured out and I am going to dedicate my life to exposing who you are. I am not even thirty years old yet, I've got many years ahead of me and I am going to use those years to make sure that your days of influence come to an end. I will not be happy with the Republican Party being merely the minority party, instead I will not stop until the Republicans have only as much influence as the modern day Whig Party.

You people created me, if you had not lied to me over and over again I may have never really taken the time to learn about the issues. If you hadn't lied to me I would probably be sitting around playing video-games right now, but instead I am taking to my time to call you people out. I have figured out how to use the internet to reach thousands of people from the comfort of my own home, and I am going to use that power to make sure people know just who you are. You right-wingers turned me into leftist, I will do everything I can to make sure you see just how your lies changed me.

Sincerely,
A person who does not like to be lied to

[porphyrian]

1. I think we'll be hearing this from more and more people soon. - n/t

[SoFlaJet]

2. Thanks for being smart enough to ask questions MNAB

I myself used to pride myself in being a person to vote for the man not the party....2000 living down here in Palm Beach County Florida changed that forever for this one-time independent-I will NEVER vote for a republican again as long as I'm on this planet.On note;I voted for the current president's father

[tblue]

5. There used to be an argument for voting for the person not the party. * sure changed that.

I had someone come to my door a while ago, running for State Treasurer, I think. Right off I asked him what his party was and he told me he was a "Schwartzenegger Republican." I told him "Puh-lease, I am so sick of Republics I can't see straight."

[rhett o rick]

6. I must be older than you because my last republican I voted for was Nixon.

I was a republican until i woke up. Life was so much easier then. I have republican friends and issues are sooo very easy for them to figure out. Fox talking points make life sooo easy. For example global warming can be summed up as follows:

1. Climate has always changed so why worry?

2. I am not convinced that man has any effect.

3. There is a scientist (somewhere) that doesn't believe in global warming

4. Al Gore flies in airplanes, and last but not least,

5. AL Gore is fat.

Isn't that easier than figuring out the truth?

[The Doctor.]

42. I haven't voted for a Republican since '88.

And I had no idea what a mistake it was then. If I'd known why 41 was a neo-con and not a Republican, I would not have voted for him.
I have not changed my registration, and I will not until there are no more losers left to vote for in the primaries.

The Republican party was a good party once, but no more. Today's self-described Republicans are petty, ignorant, selfish, and vile. It is difficult to explain anything to them because they are conditioned to distrust those who are more informed.

I have explained some things to my more rational Republican friends and many of them have voted Democrat, but there is more to do before we can erase the damage that's been done.

[Morgana LaFey]

3. Magnificent

Simply magnificent

:loveya:

[Bucky]

4. Amen, brother! I still believe in some of those "right wing" things.

I believed in the concept of a small government, I believed in an economic system in which everyone who worked hard would be able to achieve the American dream, and I believed that government regulation was preventing our nation from achieving everything we hoped to achieve.

Those first two out of three I still believe. Government ought to be as small as possible. Just big enough to keep our borders secure, our roads paved, our food safe, our workplaces nontoxic, our homes insured, our banks insured, our health protected, and our livelihood insulated from the predations of large corporate entities who aim, ultimately, to dominate our lives and commercialize all our public spaces.

I do believe in an economic system in which anyone can better her life with a little hard work and a determination to succeed in her chosen field. That's why I'm a Democrat--that's what Democrats work for: the work ethic and honest fair rewards. Republicans talk free enterprise, but whenever they get in power they loot the public treasury and protect monopolists who seek to choke off fair competition.

[Bjorn Against]

7. You know I still believe in the first two of the three too...

But I now know that the Republican Party does not. I know that they are the ones that want to tap our phones, they want secret prisons where they can torture people with no accountability, and they want massive police powers to keep us all in line. That is not the party of small government, small government is a value of the left not of the right.

And the right-wing can not say they believe everyone who works hard can acheive the American dream at the same time as they do everything they can to keep wages down and corporate profits up. They want people to work hard, but they refuse to reward those who work hard.

[Chulanowa]

15. Republicans DO actually believe in a small government

In other countries, we would call their "small government" a single-party military junta ruled by a strongman.

As the quip goes, it's not the size that matters, it's how you use it!

[Labors of Hercules]

23. the work ethic...

Repugnant cons talk free enterprise as long as it doesn't have to be self-made, or can be bought or taken over. Look at all the ones out there CREATING new and successful enterprise: The majority of them are Democrats by design.

[tblue]

8. It's people exactly like you who will help this nation change for the better. We need you more

than ever. As someone who has never been or voted for a Republic, I can't imagine EVER identifying w/them, but I commend you and thank you for opening your eyes and your mouth! Did you ever read David Brock's book, 'Blinded by the Right'?

[Bjorn Against]

9. Never read the book, but I am familiar with his story...

I have heard him interviewed many times, and I do have a great deal of admiration for the guy.

[tblue]

10. It's really, REALLY worth checking out. It opened my eyes to the vastness of the RW conspiracy

One point that got me was when Brock said, some of those Republics didn't even really object to Clinton's policies. They just wanted to bring him down because he was a Democrat.

[Elwood P Dowd]

18. Buy it now!

You can probably find one cheap on eBay or Amazon.

[EOTE]

35. Huzzah and kudos...

I've never experienced the revelations that you've had because my parents were always strong liberals and I tried to emulate them. I don't recall ever discussing party affiliation with them until I was maybe 18 or so, but the Golden Rule and such were always paramount. When I turned 17 or so, I wanted to assert my independence and make sure I believed and acted the way I did because of who I was, and not who my parents were. So, I spent a good amount of time questioning my beliefs and, not surprisingly, found this time to be an affirmation of them. I know I wouldn't be the same person I am today if it weren't for my parents, but I'd like to believe that I'd still be a liberal because of an innate desire to do what's right. Having been on the other side, you can say that you've made the right choice and it was a choice you made on your own. For that, congratulations.

Oh, with regards to David Brock's book. Check it out if you get the chance, it's a very entertaining and enlightening read.

[conscious evolution]

11. They lied.

That needs to be repeated a lot.

[earth mom]

40. Yup-EVERY WORD out of their mouths is a LIE. nt

[sicksicksick_N_tired]

12. Did you write that?

Please forgive my ignorance.

It's personally touching to me and I'm printing it.

My Father faithfully spews the Fox talking points. I reason with him. I don't back down. I demand thoughtful 'conversation' beyond the talking points, never allowing him to stray from the point, and he gets so frustrated his face and neck turns bright red. It's aweful, at times.

I always hug him, afterwards, and tell him I still love him even though we have trouble having a talk about politics. He always responds, "too bad you're on the side of communists".

A few nights ago, I finally retaliated against his gross 'you're a commie' implication and stated, "only a fascist pig would refer to me as associated with communism,...I'll bet you don't even fucking know the difference between fascism and communism". He was stunned. Then, I hugged him and said, "I still love you."

My Dad,...he isn't a 'thinker'. He's a bread-winner and that's all he can handle. So, I forgive him BUT his willingness to be blind to what is right before him is, to me, akin to a destructive addiction, and,...I am not willing to enable that. I told him, his denial will not divert me from the facts and the quest from the truth. He shakes his head like I am forever lost.

Oh, well. Such is life.

[Bjorn Against]

14. Yep, I wrote every word...

I still have some very right-wing family members who I love dearly so I can understand your situation with your father. I can not even talk to my Grandma about politics because it brings way too much bitterness to our relationship. If she were not my Grandma I would have no problem in confronting her, but I don't want to tear the family apart so I pretty much am forced to accept her right-wing leanings and she is forced to accept my progressive beliefs.

[EnviroBat]

32. I go through the same crap with my old man all the time...

I watch him slipping away, getting old, dying. And I see the rift between us growing wider and wider until, one day, I know I will no longer see him at all.

[Lochloosa]

13. MN Against Bush

I promise never to lie to you.

[WinstonSmith4740]

16. This is too great!!

Welcome to the light!! My husband's epiphany came during the Republican convention in 1992. After listening to Pat Buchanon for a few minutes, he turned to me and said, "Will you please pick up a voter registration form for me tomorrow? I don't want to be associated with these people any more." It was a swe-e-e-t moment, when you stop and consider he voted for Nixon and Reagan.

The REAL good news is the younger kids seem to be on to Bush, and this band of "republicans." I teach high school, and a vast majority of the kids absolutely can't stand them. In fact, out of about 200 students, I only have one who identifies himself as a repub. And I'm working on him.:evilgrin:

[Raksha]

29. My husband had two words for Pat Buchanan's 1992 speech:

Sieg Heil!

Of course he was a lifelong Democrat like me.

[and-justice-for-all]

17. Rethugs: the right hand of fascism.

"the liberals were out to take away my freedom. They told me that these evil liberals were going to drastically increase the size of government, they were going to tax me to death, and they were going to bankrupt this nation in the process."

If you take out liberals and insert republican, it makes sense. because those are all the things that they want, not us. I don't need the government telling me who I can and cannot marry and its only a matter of time that we come to the point were we will not get a tax return because someone is going to have to pay back Bush's deficit from hell. Right now, we are only paying interest and none of the principle. So, yes, in time we will have to be taxed to death because those foreign lenders will want their loans payed back. Bush is Bankrupting this nation...

They take the bullshit that their pResident is doing and then turn around and say thats what "liberals' are doing or want to do. So, anytime a rethugs opens his/her mouth, listen to what they are saying because more likely then not its what THEY are doing, not us.

[Bjorn Against]

19. You are right, and that is why I say they lie on every single issue

Believe me I will have posts on those very issues you mention in the future, keep an eye out because one of my main goals here on DU is to take on the most well known Republican talking points and I promise detailed posts in the future which will tear those talking points down.

[vickitulsa]

37. Had to reply to this, even though I'm late on this thread.

This twisting of the truth around to its opposite is something we call PROJECTION in the psych field.

My father was a real pro at this. He was a sneaky, cheating liar, and he always thought everyone else was sneaking and cheating and lying, and he constantly accused both his family members and others, even perfect strangers, of such behavior.

I think a most perfect example of how the liars use language to disguise their own evildoings is the term "free trade." "Free Trade Agreements" in all the modern forms we're getting way too familiar with are nothing but ways to choke trade and guide it and control it, carried out by the mega-corporate interests that are the most wealthy -- but continuingly greedy for more.

Capitalism is fraught with trapdoors, and the Repukes are using every one of them to trick and abuse innocents along the way to controlling all the wealth and thus our society. They want, in the end, to have a huge worker class, servant class, peons, peasants, serfs, who struggle along in poverty or near-poverty all their lives, working themselves to illness and injury and death without any recourse because they have to try to keep the wolf from their doors.

While the small, ultra-wealthy class in power rakes in yet more obscene levels of income all the time, living lives of decadence and luxury at the expense and off the backs of the masses who work themselves to a nub. As a Hoyt Axton song says, "Work your fingers to the bone, what do you get? Bony fingers!"

The rich masters have made tremendous progress in the last six years toward their ultimate goal of total control.

I'm glad a lot of folks like MN Against Bush are waking up to the lies they've been told and the crap they've been sold -- and speaking out about it! Their voices have a weight that lifelong Democrats don't, especially when it comes to persuading other dupes of the right to open their eyes.

I wrote a song once, about a man who lied to me all the time. Called it "Master of Lies." Lyrics went like this:

Lies lies lies, you're the master of lies
And the woman who loves you and believes you
Is a woman who cries.

Chance after chance after chance I gave you
Lie after lie after lie you told me
Why did I think I could ever save you
I should have known not to buy what you sold me

Lies lies lies, you're the master of lies
And the woman who loves you and believes you
Is a woman who cries


Seems to apply pretty well to the lying Repuke party, too, and they're leaving a lot of their "faithful" weeping in the aisles these days....

[NovaNardis]

20. Welcome to the Light Side buddy

Glad to see you. ;-)

And it's always nice to see that people can be shown that the side that screams loudest isn't always right.

[unkachuck]

21. excellent thread!....a big happy kick from me....n/t

[deucemagnet]

22. Very well said, MNAB.

I'm glad to have you on our side. :patriot:

[glitch]

24. Awesome. I hope you send this to some newspapers.nt

[LaStrega]

25. submitting to papers

I work for the Minneapolis Star Tribune (or to right-wingers "The Red Star") in close capacity with several Editors. I'd be happy to pass this by them ...

Very well written. Bravo

[StarTurtle]

26. MNAB, I am old enough to be your mother.

And if you were my kid, I would be the proudest human being on the face of the earth right now.

This is beautifully written and I'd love to see it in the STrib or the Pioneer Press. Thank you.

[StatGirl]

27. What she said.

The future of humanity doesn't seem so bleak when I read your post! :)

[SoFlaJet]

30. and welcome to DU to

Statgirl,LaStrega,and StarTurtle

[calazini]

28. I come from a family of half freepers

My parents being amoung the dark side. My father, a staunch Republic, was forced to admit to me (probably the most liberal of all my family members) that this administration was a complete failure and could do nothing right. I smirked to myself and thought 'welcome to the light'. I'm hoping that he'll vote next time for someone without an R after their name, but I'm not holding my breath.

My finace is a recovering Republic. He says that he has learned more from me regarding politics than anyone else in his life. We encourage each other to debate the topics and we have some lively discussions. I told him I would forgive him for voting for Bush, but I won't forget. :evilgrin: He's seeing the light now.

[pberq]

31. good work and congratulations!

[Canuckistanian]

33. As a thinking person, I've never been able to figure out RW thinking

At least the with current crop of Bushies. The suspension of disbelief is almost pathological.

And it's all about the lies. And I'm not talking "little white lies" or "quotes taken out of context" or "differences in opinion". I'm talking lies that could be debunked, utterly, with a five-second Google search.

They make the most outrageous statements then turn around and say, "I never said that". When pointed out the link to the actual words, they'll say "Well, that's a biased source". Discussion over.

The same thing with evidence of wrongdoing. When a progressive source says they have evidence of a crime done by a conservative, it's immediately discounted as a lie or even flat out ignored. Even if the evidence is as real as Monica's blue dress. Even when they present no counter evidence, detailed explanations or even a half-hearted attempt to disprove the "lie". Just saying it's a lie seems to suffice. Hannity is famous for this.

And the hypocrisy. I'm not even going to go into this one. The word seems to have lost it's meaning when it comes to these people. It happens on a daily basis.

And lastly, denial. The denial of things turning worse daily is also staggering. The war in Iraq. The budget deficit. The outsourcing of America. Corporations ravaging the nation, stealing, plundering, polluting. The income disparity shooting through the roof. Horrendous signs of societal breakdown like violence against the homeless.

To hear the RW talk shows, America has never been better. But then for those rich, white, priviledged talk show hosts, it is better. For them.

[ejbr]

34. I NEVER thought I would say this, but...

I have begun to feel sorry for real Republicans and real conservatives. Not because this administration will cause them to lose influence, heaven knows I have always wanted that, but because as the author clearly states, they were lied to. As a progressive, there are some people whose words I take at face value: Gore, Edwards, T. Kennedy, Durbin, Pelosi and Olberman as examples. I would never go out of my way to fact check their statements.

REAL Republicans and REAL conservatives treated their pundits and the Bush administration in the same way, giving total trust to the wrong bunch. Although I am all for creating new progressives in any way that we can, I find it unfortunate that it might be lies that infuriate some to such a degree that they become progressives out of spite. I know the author did research and joined us for the "right" reasons, but if conservative ideals mean something to a right winger, I would hope that they would stand by their beliefs (another thing I never thought I'd say!) and just drop the liars.

Welcome to the progressive community! We are much funnier, you know.
:pals:

[Up2Late]

36. Sounds like we have a potential candidate for higher office to me!

Good Stuff, Keep fighting for what's right!

[drm604]

38. K&R

:kick:

[mahina]

39. Behind every conversion like this is a patient Dem who is not concerned about being right,

only concerned with bringing America back to the light.

I feel strongly that in this dark time our redemption will depend on our willingness to accept the truth about our actions as a nation. The Iraq war is a clear example but we've been doing this kind of shit for decades, all over the world, on a smaller scale in much of it never told to the American people unless they went looking. See your notes on Cambodia, Laos, Chile, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Nigeria, Guatemala, and on and on and on.

Come on Democrats!

[Uncle Joe]

41. This letter rocks!

:yourock:

Thanks for the thread MN Against Bush

Kicked and recommended

:kick:

[The Doctor.]

43. I'm here for the same reasons.

Thanks for posting this. K+R

[Time for change]

44. Wow -- Congratulations on having enough of an open mind to question your beliefs and do something

about it. Not many people do that.

[valerief]

45. Great letter. I really want to know WHY you originally bought into it.

Did you come from a relatively privileged background and it was just part of your culture? Was it anti-liberal religious preaching? Family? Schoolteachers? Preachers? Television????????

Thanks.

[Bjorn Against]

46. Here is a link to a thread I wrote a few monthes back which will shed some more light...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3007528

[valerief]

49. Interesting. You bought into the personal responsibility thing without

taking into account that most people are not born with the same advantages. How are you gonna win a race when your competition are perfect human specimens and you've got no arms, no legs, and asthma?

I see you had a Kathy Lee Gifford moment during your conversion. Good for you. Welcome to the world of rational thinking.

[nebenaube]

47. hate to say it this way but... DITTO!

I'm not a right-winger but my old man is... He's coming around and I could not have expressed what you have in this letter. But I will make damn sure he reads it.


<edited>

[illinoisprogressive]

48. You wrote an excellent diary. I really could feel your betrayal in it.

This must have been very hard for you. To be so disillusioned as to go to the opposite. But, you will be wonderful for those of us trying to understand the right. Why they are so hostile, angry and why they seem to run on hate.
And why so many are so blind to Bush. Why they won't criticize the wrong he does. I believe many know it but, feel they would be disloyal. But, why this extreem blindness in fear of disloyalty.
anyway, I do hope you feel peace with your move to the left. That you are happy you did and feel a sense of happiness and acceptance.
You are a brave person and I want to say that I admire your courage in the face of feeling so betrayed and hurt.
And, I hope you know, you have friends here.