this evening...in the Bluest city in the Reddest state...

[bevoette]

my AA husband became so upset at Guiliani's speech that we had to change the channel. we ate dinner, and he was very quiet. very distressed.

as he cleaned the kitchen (yeah, i'm lucky that way B-)) i came back to our office to watch some of Sarah Palin's speech

i got about 10 minutes in, and he came in w/ a shaky voice and said "i can't stand this, it's making me sick, let's go"

so we put on our shoes and got the leash and walked the dog for about a half hour. it's a beautiful night here in Austin, crystal clear, almost a cool breeze...(almost, heh)

and he talked about how hateful and ugly those speeches were making HIM feel, and how he knew some of our friends would vote for this ticket no matter what, b/c even though they are best friends with him...they just wouldn't, couldn't vote for a black man

and how he just couldn't understand it

and now it's making ME cry just writing about it

and my mother - my mother the undecided, who has lived and breathed Republicanism for decades, who i have/had almost convinced to vote Obama, but who keeps getting the hateful chain emails and the barage of crap from the downtown Houston CPA firm she works for and all her coworkers on a daily basis - i thought about my mother visiting this past holiday weekend...

and how she started out reserved, and how Obama "sure was ambitious" and how he "sure did have a laundry list of things he wanted to do" and "i just can't imagine how he's gonna pay for all of that!"

and how after everybody else went to bed Saturday night, she and i stayed up and talked...and my MOTHER began to cry because she said she was "just so tired of feeling like my government doesn't even care about me. i don't have any money and i don't have any power, and once they get to Washington, that's ALL THEY CARE ABOUT!!"

and she said again..."i dunno...i think i'll probably vote for Obama"...but i know i'm gonna have to keep on her and keep giving her info and dispelling the hate, b/c she gets it EVERY SINGLE DAY where she is...

and so, tonight...i told my husband we had no choice but to just have FAITH...to have faith in the majority of the American people.

i want to believe most Americans are NOT hateful. we are NOT evil. we are NOT stupid.

i want to believe that. my husband wants to believe that. and my poor, sad mother wants to believe that...even if she has a hard time admitting it.

[Wheezy]

1. I think

you expressed the feelings of a lot of people. k&r.

[az chela]

2. We will stay united thru this and we will win!!!

Do NOT give up

[femmedem]

3. The hate on display was upsetting.

Deeply upsetting. And to hear the crowds roaring at the most hate-filled lines.

You and your husband sound like you have a beautiful relationship. And there are so many people like your mother, who are realizing this government doesn't care for about them, and are willing to change lifelong voting habits.

I hope the rest of your night is more peaceful.

[Whisp]

31. I described to my husband some of Palin's 'hi-lites' as he was out for the evening...

I thought maybe I exagerated a bit because I sometimes get all excited and blow things a bit out of proportion.

but when some clips were rerun on CNN of her speech, he lets out some gasps and shook his head.

yes, it was as bad as I described - the lowness, the meaness the scorn and mockery of Obama's good works.

this is all to be expected tho, and they will go even lower in the days ahead - but I have every confidence that Obama is a few steps ahead of them and is prepared. He has not disappointed me yet.

[Historic NY]

4. Me too, I won my brother over...we both have black friends......

I told him how could he ever interact with them again if his animosity for blacks especially Obama was so great....Who did he think they would vote for? I want the best man/woman I don't care about skin color... because we all have the same colored blood.

[canichelouis]

5. Had the same conversation about hope and faith this evening

But after so many years of thw same ol' same ol' stupidity of the masses

it's fading.................

Still there, just wore and faded

[countingbluecars]

6. I am feeling what you are feeling.

I tried to watch some of the speeches tonight, but I just couldn't listen to the lies and distortion. I am sad and frustrated.

[NoSheep]

7. I'm right there with you. You tell my story to the nth.

:grouphug:

[NoSheep]

8. dupe

:grouphug:

[NoSheep]

9. dupe. New computer...is DU acting weird tonight? I'm on a virgin Dell. Tell me it's not this stupid

new OS-Vista.

[Stardust]

17. I'm on a Dell with Vista, too, and I see tons of dupes tonite. D'oh!

[kstewart33]

10. Don't lose hope.

I did not watch Palin's speech tonight because I knew I'd end up being as upset as you and your husband.

I've read all the reviews I can find, and the consensus seems to be that she can deliver a stemwinder, but the speech was quite sarcastic and not substantive.

The Repubs are going back to their base because that's all they have. They have no record to run on so this is all they've got. The big question is whether the public will buy this hatred and extremism. If they do, then sadly, the voters will get what they deserve, and the rest of us will have to live with it.

But let's look ahead. By Monday, the convention will be over and then the real campaign begins. I look forward to Sarah's first press conference and all the questions that have been raised about her. If she's huffy and puffy and laughs them off, I doubt that will work. The National Enquirer promises more details about her affair, and the media won't ignore that unless McCain has thoroughly intimidated them. But the public loves a scandal, so if there's meat there, the media will report it, I think.

What will Obama and Biden do? After tonight, Palin can no longer pay the victim role and she's fair game. Will they go after her? Their decision is the next interesting turn.

We're still ahead. Things are still looking good. Tonight was Palin's easiest night of the campaign. Let's see how it goes from here on.

[maseman]

11. Visiting Austin in twp weeks

Can't wait. I here it is a great city. Also, I loved your post.

[4_Legs_Good]

12. I had to turn off the sound during Guiliani's speech too

It was just so hatefilled and cruel.

David

[Stardust]

13. Hugs to you and your dear hubby. I know just how he feels. I missed

the Ghouliani speech (so glad) but was absolutely sickened by Palin's speech. I so very much hope your husband is not right about his friends not being able to vote for a black man, but that's the fear I have, too. So many ignorant people out there.

Keep working on your mom. Don't give up, please. That you have managed to keep her mind open despite the venom she has to endure is really amazing. I heard recently that it takes 60 hits to convince one voter. You're doing a great job.

[GrizzlyMan]

14. If I were him I'd lose those "friends"

They're obviously not very nice people. Honestly, I eliminated all my fundie/gop friends long ago and my life is better for it.

[Old and In the Way]

15. We'll win in the short term...or win bigger in the long term.

I think we'll have a large enough majority to overcome any election fraud they may try to pull. If not, McCain will crash this country with his co-pilot along for the ride. I truly hope it doesn't come to that, but we change the political dynamics now or the rest of the country will understand what we know in a few short years.

[Bread and Circus]

16. Tell your husband, I feel the same way. Physically ill, and that's no exaggeration

[CitizenLeft]

18. you damn near made me cry.

Hugs to your sweet hubby, and to your brave Mom.

We can do this. YES WE CAN. I know that's a rallying cry, but it's more than that... it's the very core of that faith you and your hubby cling to.

We can win this!

And keep at your Mom... she gets barraged every day, and I know it's exhausting, but you have to fight back against their propaganda BS twice as hard.

YES. WE. CAN. :hi:

[bevoette]

19. well, i feel a little better...

had a good cry

took a xanax,lol

and then read a hundred or so replies to the blog posts at MSNBC and CNN

uh...it'at about 90%-10% - people HATED it

so...there's that. heh.

[Duppers]

20. you're telling my story too

only we have no close friends near.

And my 83 yr. old, out-of-state, religious, republican mother?

I'm making her swear on a bible she'll vote for Obama. I've not let up on her.

Dem political taxing us to death? How we gonna pay for the damn rethugs spending us to death in this insane, illegal Iraq war?

Ask them that.

[BadgerKid]

21. Americans are not evil.

I think people in general are starting to care again. We're in this together.

[calimary]

22. Hey, dear bevoette, I'm so sorry you feel downcast. That was an orgy of hate and mean-spiritedness

that we had to endure. My lip is still curled.

sarah palin is a mean bitch. Shame on her!

What makes me the angriest is the effect she and that vicious smart-ass bully guiliani had on people like you. I read your post and felt so sad, and it made me remember the disgust I felt as I watched this evening. This is SO unnecessary. We're so divided as a country, set upon each other, fighting and ridiculing and insulting. It's like we've turned into one giant Jerry Springer show. And meantime, people like your mother are seriously hurting. And she's quite correct. These assholes have NO intention of doing anything to help her, OR you, OR me, OR anybody else besides themselves and their cronies.

I'm sorry their shit does this to you, leaves you and your family feeling so alone, distraught, beseiged. These people really are evil.

It occurred to me that THIS is what "they" hate us for. "They" don't hate us for our freedoms. "They" hate us for our COMPLETELY FUCKED attitude of arrogance, imperialism, greed, and aggression. They hate us for being, sounding, and acting like THIS. Like this sordid, shameful, disgraceful, downright UNAMERICAN display we saw tonight.

They owe you and your family an apology. Which, guaranteed, will NEVER come.

I'm so sorry - for you, your husband and your sweet mom. You don't deserve that kind of abuse. NONE of us does. You can always come here and vent. We'll listen, 'cause we sure do understand.

:hug:

[eshfemme]

23. I want to hug you but I'm all the way in NY!

So you will have to settle for this: :grouphug:

It's really frustrating to think of and I can't imagine how it feels to be surrounded by that groupthink the GOP seems to foster as I've always lived in NY, which is obviously a very blue state... All I can do is extend my sympathies...

I hope that you guys don't despair. There's always like-minded friends somewhere. So please don't give up hope-- for yourselves or for your fellow Americans.

[Name removed]

24. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[bunkerbuster1]

25. Don't like TX much, but I'd live in Austin in a heartbeat

Nice place. Great people. Thanks for the post.

And no, most Americans are NOT hateful. At worst, they are benignly ignorant, but once informed, they are as righteously decent as any people on Earth.

[cliffordu]

26. Hang in there.

[hamsterjill]

27. Austin, Texas

I think that Texas is lucky to have Austin.

(I'm in San Antonio).

Hang in there!

[LynneSin]

28. well on the bright side we pretty much figured Texas will go red

and we can still win this election

[BeyondGeography]

29. It's such a battle...we have no choice but to keep fighting it

Hang in there, you and hubby.

[gabby garcia]

30. I'm with you here..

and here in Austin too!

gg

[Cha]

32. When I heard through DU what rudy and palin were sayin'

in their speeches I thought of the people they were spewing against and my reaction is they were ENERGIZING our base:bounce: like no other.

They were hatin' and America as a whole has had 8 long years of that..ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

Attacking Obama is attacking all of us. :grouphug: :)