Almost without exception, even the most rotten excuse for a human being has, at some time

[Atticus]

in their life, smiled at a cute baby, petted a puppy or opened a door for an elderly person. Some may have provided jobs for many or made profitable investments that improved our way of life.

None of the above transforms them into "good people".

[PatSeg]

1. Yes, even bad people sometimes do good things

now and again. Kind of paraphrased Mr. Rogers lesson about good people sometimes do bad things, but it doesn't make them bad. Goes both ways.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

2. Sheriff Arpaio in Phoenix was really good about rescue animals and prosecuting animal cruelty

While I respect that it doesn't do anything to make up for the fact that he's a racist who abused prisoners.

[dalton99a]

3. Yep

[agingdem]

4. when I was in high school there was a guy, handsome, a star football player...

cruel and violent, verbally abusive, an arrogant asshole if ever there was one...he was involved in a horrific accident and lost his leg below the knee...months later when he returned to school, he was hailed a hero, a nice guy..he wasn't, he did however stop slapping his girlfriend...he was, as before, a cruel and violent arrogant asshole but with a prosthesis...a moment of conscience is an aberration and does not make a rotten excuse for a human being any less rotten

[usonian]

5. There's a way to connect with anyone!

I posted this elsewhere today in
https://democraticunderground.com/100216636127
Democrats Need to Stand Up for Themselves

Read up on Influence and Persuasion and the key thing is to connect.

Personal narratives are a great way to do this.

Robert Cialdini's "Influence" (1984) is a standard. Here's a summary:
https://cxl.com/blog/cialdinis-principles-persuasion/
The most significant aspects of this tome were Cialdini’s “6 Principles of Influence,” which are:

Reciprocity;
Commitment/consistency;
Social proof;
Authority;
Liking;
Scarcity.

On a different level, you might skim "Life Strategies" by Dr, Phil. (the ONLY book by Dr. Phil I can recommend)
It starts with a narrative --- Oprah convincing a Texas jury about her beef remarks --- talk about a tough case.

Another thing that's important to connect is to replace "Yes, but" with "Yes, and" if that's at all possible.

I *do* recommend avoiding hard-core cult members, who are in denial of anything but dogma, and communicating instead with people who can make a human connection. It's a matter of finding a common ground or experience.

Narratives can open doors and minds.

Despite all the hate talk, there are things we have in common with others if we ask. Broad smears are meant to close those doors in advance.