What is the best reason to convince Repubs to vote against Bush ?

[kentuck]

Certainly, it is always difficult to get Repubs to vote for a Democratic agenda. Just as it is difficult to get Democrats to vote for aRepub agenda. In politics, the opposing Parties always try to plant seeds of doubt in the supporters of their opponents. Most of the time, it is done with negative ads. However, we should not assume that is the only way.

So, what would be the most persuasive argument one could make to Repubs to not vote for George W Bush. We know he has been a divider for the nation but he has been a "uniter" for his Party. We do not think he has the capacity to be the leader of this country but they think he is straight-forward and down to earth and does exactly what he says he will do. We think he has destroyed our credibility around the world and has set back our nation 40 or 50 years. His supporters think he stands up for America and they don't really care what the UN or other nations think.

As an American to an American, how do you persuade Republicans that George W Bush is not good for our nation?

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

1. So he doesn't kill us all?

That sounds like a good enough reason to me!

[NMDemDist2]

2. i have been using an argument hubby gave me

it has been effective (if nothing else it shuts them up)

"so is bush incompetent or is he lying?"

there are so many lies and incompetency to bring up, it always works. It is kinda dirty in the vein of "Do you still beat your wife" but hey it's fun to watch them squirm lol

[kentuck]

4. Are you saying we shame them into not voting for Bush ??

Do you think that will work? :)

[sniffa]

3. if they don't i'LL give them a wedgie

and a noogie for good measure.

[ithacan]

5. check on power

that it's not good for one party to control both houses of congress and the presidency, that there needs to be a check on power, and since Congress is firmly under Republican control with no chance of change (yes, I know I know, but you don't have to tell them that), it's important for the president to be of a different party.

Look what happened to supposedly fiscally conservative republicans when they were totally in charge...

With Kerry as president there'll be a check on those kinds of excesses.

[drumwolf]

6. here's one major reason conservatives shouldn't vote for bush

Bush is the 180-degree opposite of a fiscal conservative. His budget spending is way out of control, so much so that some paleocons, libertarians and Goldwaterite types even say that Clinton was more "conservative" (in the fiscal sense) than Chimpy has been.

[kentuck]

7. I think that is persuasive...

And you don't have to mention the obvious...foreign policy failures, etc..

[charlie105]

8. Simple question: Are you better off and safer than you were

4 years ago?

[German-Lefty]

9. Depends what he believes in.

If he's a fiscal conservative, talk about how spending has grown faster under Bush then Clinton. Anyone can rains/cut taxes, it takes damn good leader to keep government running and do it with less money. Mention the Cato Institute, a conservative/libertarian think tank and what they think about Bush's spending and his war in Iraq.

If he's a Christian Fundamentalist type, ask him so now that the republicans control all three branches of the government what have they done for you cause?
* have they outlawed abortion?
* have they stopped gay marriage?
* have they put prayers back in schools?
* have they outlawed evolution?
No, so you're not getting anything out of these guys anyway.

Then ask them about all the things Bush has done wrong. Are you better off then you were 4 years ago?

And of coarse talk about the F-ed up S-t the country has been through:
* tax cuts for the rich
* 911 - the stonewalling afterwards
* the outting of a CIA officer by the administration
* a war based on false pretenses
* anti-enviromentalism
* attacks on the constitution
* ect

Oh, and show them what right wingers are really like. Give them some links to www.freerepublic.com. Where people say stuff like "our troops should be allowed to torture." There is such a climate of hate and evil there. Most people would want to disassociate with them.

Talk about the climate of fear, hate, and anger. The total disrespect for democracy.

[kentuck]

11. Excellent !

:)

[Killarney]

10. It depends on WHY they're Republican

If it's because they are a fiscal conservative mention that Bush created the largest deficit in history and it's only going to get worse as he spends more and more on Iraq and future wars. Mention that President Kerry with a Republican House and Senate (which is likely) will be the most fiscally conservative option. There's a great article in Fortune magazine about just that. How we are most fiscally responsible when we have a Dem pres and Rep Congress.

If they are Republican because they are Christian--mention how Bush is un-Christian--- death penalty, hurting the environment, no compassion for poor and unfortunate, killing thousands in unnecessary wars, etc.

If they are Republican because of the military, mention that they have been fooled if they think R's take care of the military more than D's. The Democrats made the GI Bill. The Democrats fully fund veterans aid and veterans benefits while Bush has CUT it. Just because the Democrats don't go to war as often, doesn't mean they don't treat the military as well. In fact it means the opposite. We only want to use the military when we HAVE to.

If they are Republican because they hate women, blacks, gays, etc, then walk away because you'll never change them.

[sweetheart]

12. Expose the abuse of the military

Republican thinking is very tied in with militarism, yet to be
defeated in war, to be weak, is the fear of every militarist, and
to exploit that fear is to shake the republican propaganda
foundation, that "daddy" is not taking care of things.

[kentuck]

13. Interesting...

Hmmm-mmm

[KharmaTrain]

14. It's If They Will NOT Vote For Bunnypants...

Many have hit on the various types of Repugnicans and the very valid reasons I feel a good portion of them are unhappy about this regime, but they I think they still feel that it's better than a Democrat. Yep, still. But that's shifting. This is kinda gonna develop like 1974 after Watergate.

I don't expect a lot of "lifelong Repugnicans" to cross over. The best is they either get so frustrated with how things are that they just stay home on election day. That's more realistic. Or, some may go to the polls and just avoid voting to re-select this regime. My neighbor is a perfect example of this. We've talked many times of how he doesn't trust this regime, but the pressures on him from family and friends virtually prevent him from voting Democrat. He couldn't walk into the local precinct on election day and take a Democratic ballot without someone noticing. This is something that happens on both sides, and has to be taken into account as well. He says he'll probably take a Repugnican ballot but not vote for the top of the ticket.

Right now, if you can't at least get an agreement from a Repugnican on either the invasion or the poor state of the economy, it's not even worth going further. You've hit someone whose not affected by all the devestation going on and lives in a bubble. That right now covers at least 40% of the voting public.

[Bonhomme Richard]

15. I spoke with one yesterday and......................

he wasn't ticked with bush but saw a few problems with Kerry. Of course these problems were minor, made up or whatever but he was trying to justify voting for bush. He didn't like what was going on in Iraq and at the end of it all I said that the only way we were going to get out of Iraq was to replace bush saying that he had so pissed of the rest of the world leaders with his dumb comments that none would help us as long as shrub ran the show. He agreed with me and I was shocked. That changed his mind and he said he wouldn't vote for bush. Now whether he votes for Kerry is another matter but it doesn't make any difference. One less vote for bush is a vote for Kerry.