My rabid repuglican co-worker is fed up. (possibly FORMER repuglican?)

[Lisa0825]

I finally have one of these stories to share, and in Texas no less! I always enjoy reading others' posts about so-and-so finally turning on the party, etc. Well, we didn't talk about voting, but I am thrilled to find that yet another of that last 29% is fed up with her party, and she's actually become more tolerant too.

The biggest employer in our town is laying off over 1000 employees, so our chat started with how awful that is, which led to the way corporations treat people. That in turn led to the story of a gay former co-worker who was recently let go, and she felt that he was treated very unfairly. Her feelings about gays have gone from "it's an abomination" to "I don't care what other people do, even if I still don't believe it's right," in a very short time. Maybe she'll eventually get it right. I brought up that even if you don't think something is right, there is no justification for a Constitutional amendment, and that it is wrong to try to use the Constitution to exclude rights for a group of people. She actually agreed! She said the Constitution should be held sacred, not used for trvial things like this.

Feeling brave at this point, I said, "You know what the problem is, it's the so-called conservatives pushing all this crap, and they aren't even really conservative anymore. They're radicals." She completely agreed! She agreed that the Republican party has been hijacked by extremists, and that they do not represent her, or the average American.

She said she wouldn't even have another child because she's afraid of what the world will be like, the way things are going. She's afraid of more wars. Her son is 13 now. I think she is envisioning continuous wars until he's old enough to be drafted.

I said what scares me is the ever widening gap between the haves and have-nots. We won't even have a middle class left if things keep going this way. She went off on her own tirade at that point, agreeing with me 100%!

During the last Presidential election cycle, we had it out on a couple occasions, so it is VERY significant that she is agreeing with me on so many concerns. I hope that she'll really think about our conversation and recognize how a liberal like me and a supposed conservative like her can have the same concerns, and that maybe she's been led astray by her political party.

[patrice]

1. I was out knocking on doors for a local candidate in one of the

richest precincts in K.C. this weekend. Talked to one head of a Republican household who said all 4 of them are voting solid Democratic this year. He said their party isn't listening and needs to be taught a lesson.

We talked about several things we agreed about.

[Lisa0825]

2. I think the "agreeing" is even more significant than the voting.

Maybe this change of tide could signal lowering hostility in the future?

[yellerpup]

6. I think so, too.

We the People need to find consensus on as many issues as possible.

[Demeter]

5. IF Their Party Isn't Listening, And OUR Party Isn't Listening

then we are all in serious trouble here. Throw them all out!

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

7. Uhm, no. I'm not throwing out a single goddamn Democrat.

Unless they're caught breaking the law. We need every last Dem.

[Lisa0825]

8. AMEN to that!

We can start cleaning house by running better candidates WHILE we have the opportunity to fix the things that have gone wrong in this country!

[marions ghost]

3. stories like yours

make me hopeful that one day we can overcome the polarization of the American people that was promoted to our mutual detriment by those who would control us. They pitted us against each other for their own gain.

[Catherine Vincent]

4. I think a lot of them are fed up. Good!

:hi:

[leesa]

9. The 'disappearing middle class' resonates with them very well.

They GET that but still have a little trouble connecting tax cuts for the rich only, estate tax cuts for the rich only and social security privatization will enrich Wall Street only, etc...They know they are getting screwed, but they don't know how thoroughly they are getting screwed because of the glittery sales pitch.

[YOY]

10. Getting her to turn off the Fox News should be the first step

as well as admitting that pundits (RW and Left...sorry Randi, we may agree but you're still a pundit) are not good news sources.

[nealmhughes]

11. Indeed, we must recall, always, that both parties, in theory, are merely

small social clubs who endorse candidates. Underneath all the X v. Y fun and games, deep down, most Americans are dedicated to one thing: the Constitution. Take away all else from platforms, and the American people are bound only by that and a popular Anglo cum Franco cum Hispanic language culture, with significant input from every other culture under the sun to add to what we now are evolving into an American/Canadian culture. We are devoted to our Bills of Rights, to our Constitutions and our belief in the Enlightenment culture that brought them to us.

What Americans don't like is soldiers being used for cannon fodder, a rubber stamp congress, and a reactionary USSC. Nor do they like having the Constitution hijacked, due process of law ignored and the secrecy underlying this administration. With no information being released, or info later proven false, how can our Representatives and Senate effectively legislate and raise money?
Speaking of money, we also don't like trying to keep the rats out by stuffing the holes with paper money...the rats just eat their way through, which makes the need of more stuffing...ad infin.

No, this is not the Republican Party of Eisenhower or Rockefeller or even Nixon and Goldwater. This is a fatal flaw, a hijacking of religion and an erosion of the liberties and privacy that most expect. The parties are both now largely corporate parties. There are exceptions, of course, the Republican admin and its Democratic enablers are also the parties of global domination and war on trumped up charges. Note that there are exceptions to this, of course.

Of course there are "good Republicans", Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe come to mind. Their record on debate and Senate hearings are exemplary to even the most die-hard Democrats. John Warner actually does a very good job presiding over the Armed Services Committee, while not agreeing with many of his votes, the fact is that a rational head needs to be present in order to get an honest debate. What sickens most, I feel, are the maudlin immediate pro-war, pro-Falwellian, restrict our rights for our own good, the public-be-damned Republicans. They are not Republicans, they are Trotskyites under a new mantle. Hell, even old Lev managed to win a civil war with most of the West allied against the Red Army.... This administration can't even get food or buses into New Orleans when thousands of the press and good ole boys with boats managed to with no red tape. Thanks New Republicans, you destroyed a city and now a region (Mesopotamia) and ally yourselves with people who cut off hands and hang gay youth or stone women for fornication for fun.

Come on Republicans, take off the blinders! Take back your party, then the country can regain its rightful place as the harbinger of democracy. In the meanwhile we look longingly to New Zealand and Canada to show us the light.

[Nikki Stone 1]

16. Wish I could nominate your post

Great one.

[Lisa0825]

18. Great post!

Thanks for your input!

[Bake]

12. Sadly, some have not seen, and may never see the light.

At lunch today, we were watching CNN in the dining room. The story about BP shutting down the pipeline was on. My boss had just gotten back from an Alaskan cruise and was talking about how breathtaking the land is -- he'd seen some bears, not sure if they were kodiak or grizzly. So CNN is running the BP story and the conversation turned to that subject.

Feeling particularly snarky, I said, "Fuck the bears! Fuck the caribou! Let's drill every square inch of that sucker and get the oil!!" (Everybody there knew I was being sarcastic.)

One of my colleagues says, "Glad you finally see it my way!" And he was serious.

Furthermore, he does't think Israel overreacted. He thinks they were TOO RESTRAINED -- but that was another conversation.

We still have work to do.

Bake

[Lisa0825]

19. That reminds me....

Local right winger Sam Malone does this schtick on his Friday radio show "What drives you crazy?" and people call in and say a few sentences and say "That's what drives me crazy!" Or something like that. I have only listened once. It's rapid fire, one caller after another, with maybe a short comment between them.

Anyway, this one guy says, "You know what drives me crazy? The liberals! Everything is their fault! It doesn't matter that Republicans have all the power. It's still the stupid liberals' fault!"

Malone had no clue that this was a liberal being sarcastic, but I was SURE of it.

A minute or so later, someone said, "George Bush! That's what drives me crazy!" And Malone said, "Well now we're even, we've got liberals and Bush driving people crazy!"

I laughed so hard, because it went SO FAR over his head!LOL

Anyway, your clueless coworker who totally missed your sarcasm reminded me of that incident!

[Javaman]

13. I'm glad your co-worker finally came around but she's just another...

johnny come lately that supported moron* in his quest for immortality. Tell her to vote democrat in november, if she is really reformed.

[Lisa0825]

21. So, would you prefer Bush supporters NEVER come around?

We can't very well bitch about people not seeing the truth and then bitch when they do. :shrug:

[Javaman]

28. I can bitch all I want, it was they and their vote stealing tactics that

got us in this mess.

to me the proof is in the pudding. If she really is reformed, then she should vote democrat. Until that time, I will do all I can to get them over to our side, but I still won't trust them as far as I can throw them. After all they did believe morons* bullshit hook line and sinker.

[Lisa0825]

29. Well, bitch to us, but if you bitch at them, you'll push them right back.

If you really want their votes, which we need to kick the bastards out, you won't sabotage it when they start to turn on their party. JMO

[DemonFighterLives]

14. Thanks for the story

Good Work!
Some of the deluded 29% just need a nudge and probably don't belong in the delusional camp.
:yourock:

[sonias]

15. Republican party has been hijacked by extremists

Way to make some good points Lisa. Maybe you gave her courage to see the error of her ways and she'll vote right in November. Good job!

Sonia

[NewJeffCT]

17. there are a lot of unhappy Republicans - but -

The RW propaganda machine has done such a good job at demonizing Democrats that many hold their noses & vote Republican, anyhow.

[guinivere]

20. Well done, Lisa.

There is hope.

We have to get at them one at a time.

[proud patriot]

22. great thanks for sharing

:hi:

[DanCa]

23. I never liked talking politics at work but I am happy by this outcome. nt

[Lisa0825]

25. I generally don't, but

she was the type who would start talking shit, and I also don't like to let that stuff go unchallenged, so I would break my own rule when she started spouting off.

[DanCa]

27. Good for you then.:D)

My last job was in a very heavy republican mail room. You could hear Rush voice bellowing out of six different computer stations.
I was out gunned and would have probably gotten fired if I openned up my yap. I am glad that wasn't the case for you though.
:hug:

[Atman]

24. The last hard-core republican I know still is so...but he's batshit stupid

I wrote about him a couple of weeks ago. The last of the bunch...He used to make it a point to tell me whenever BushCo caught another Al Qaeda "#3" man.

"Hey, there you go, buddy! Whaddya think of Bush now, huh? He's gettin' them Al Qaedas!" Imagine it with a heavy Easter Massachusetts/Rhode Island working-man's accent. But he gave up on that after a while. Then one night he was bitching like crazy because he's a vet, and Bush was screwing with his benefits. THAT pissed him off, and he swore that he was done with Bush then, but he's since veered back to the dark side. Last I wrote of him, he was telling me he hated the liberals because the ACLU was suing to have all religious emblems sandblasted of the tombstones in government cemetaries. (I looked it up...not true). He swore up and down that it was true, because (turn on that accent) "it's the goddamn liberals trying to get rid of GOD! They ain't gonna be happy till there's no churches!"

"Uh...are you serious?" I asked him. Not only was he serious, but he then went on to rail about how the ACLU had to be abolished because they get all their funding by filing bogus law suits because the government is required to pay their legal bills no matter what (I looked it up...not true)

Then this weekend I was passing by his place and several people were gathered on the front porch -- get this for my Mr. Republican friend -- smoking a joint. I stopped to say hello, but of course didn't partake! ;) The conversation again turned to politics. I had not a word to say, as I've made it a point to NOT discuss politics with my weekend friends. He never addresses the comments to me, so I don't get the impression he is deliberately trying to goad the liberal. But he suddenly went on a tirade about 'dem goddam gays. He knows wot dem gays is lookin' fer, and it ain't about no love or nothin'. They want to get married because then one of them gets to legally be the other sex! Yup, my brilliant republican friend has it all figured out. Got it, you homos? The jig is up! According to my pal, you aren't in love after all, you're merely trying to be legally declared members of the opposite sex...so's that when one of you dies, the other can collect the other homo's Social Security! Then what?

I swear to God, I though someone had pulled Archie Bunker from sitcom heaven. But he wasn't trying to be funny, he was totally serious.

And totally a Bush supporter. As one of my newest bumper stickers says...

[Lisa0825]

26. OH.MY.GOD!

What frickin' moran!!! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

LOVE your bumper sticker! :thumbsup: