My parents are lifelong Republicans. Never voted Dem, not even once. That's changing tomorrow.

[bearsfootball516]

Tomorrow, they're driving to their polling location in North Carolina.

They're casting their ballots for Joe Biden.

I don't think I've ever been prouder.

[blue-wave]

1. Say a big Thank You to your parents!!

Let them know they rock!!

[Doreen]

2. I am proud of them.

[highplainsdem]

3. Please tell them thank you! You should be very proud of them for putting country above party.

[onetexan]

19. Ditto!

[MoonRiver]

4. Same thing happened to my parents in the 1990s. The religious fanatics drove them away.

Reasonable people can see the light!

[Vivienne235729]

5. Good for them! That's awesome. My mother was a hard core Republican until Obama.

She voted for him and has never looked back. Which, honestly, hasn't been hard bc she absolutely despises trump and tge GOP of today.

[onetexan]

22. in deed, the party of Lincoln has morphed into the party of hate and anti-middle class

and has driven away alot of sensible people. I hope these sensible former GOP'ers will vote for Blue up & down come November.

[Vivienne235729]

24. I hope they are too. I would think they will be as it is clear they all drink from the

Same trough. #votestraightdem

[renate]

6. this is exactly why I've always thought we should welcome new members into the Democratic party

Instead of criticizing them for their past mistakes. People can change!

Good for your parents!

[DinahMoeHum]

10. +1000s

[chia]

18. Thank you, yes people can change. I was a lifelong Republican until 2012, voted for Hillary in 2016

and have already cast my vote for Joe Biden in the primary, and will vote for the Democratic candidate in November whoever it is, and of course blue all the way down the ballot.

I saw the light, it just took me a long time because 1. upbringing 2. family 3. brainwashing

[wryter2000]

30. Good for you!

And, although it's a bit late, welcome to DU.

[chia]

40. Thank you so much

[deurbano]

33. Good for you! I had the upbringing, family, brainwashing, too, but jumped ship early on,

probably because my family also sucked at being family, so the brainwashing wasn't as effective.

[chia]

41. Thank you. The brainwashing came like this:

I was taught to obey and accept authority without questioning it. This was key, the "without questioning" part, and as a result I believed what I was told as long as it came from an 'approved' source (whether the 'approved' source was familial, political, religious, or cultural). We did not defy the approved source - to defy was sinful, rebellious, it could not stand.

I carried this into my adulthood, and dutifully listened to Rush et al. in the 90s and early 2000s, read conservative media as my sole source of information, cheered the counting of the chads in Florida, approved of the invasion of Iraq, continued to add layers to the walls of my bubble.

What changed?

Realizing one day while driving that the talking head on my radio was lying about something I knew for a fact was a lie. I remember hitting the steering wheel and saying "that's not true!" I started to look outside my experience. I started doing my own research. I asked questions, looked for answers in places I'd never looked before. Clicked on sites I'd long seen as 'subversive'. I joined a forum with a mix of political views which, while dominated by right-wingers, had many intelligent posters on the left who calmly and clearly laid out a cogent opposition. Internet friends I made on the left were incredibly patient with me as I worked through various issues, one person in particular I'll never forget.. I can't look at any issue now without their voice in my mind, guiding me still even though we lost contact years ago.

I came across this article during my own unfolding epiphany and it was so compelling. While my experience pales in comparison to hers there are some unmistakeable parallels. If she can do it, others can do it too. She had the help of a patient mentor/lover, but we all our roles can play our part to plant a seed even where the soil seems barren*:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/11/23/conversion-via-twitter-westboro-baptist-church-megan-phelps-roper


*Edited to add: Although the MAGA base is something different, something far beyond barren.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

7. Wish we could reach more; there are other people who still think this is Ike's R party.

Point 'em at this, for example:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213029928

[AllaN01Bear]

8. good for them on becoming dem

[barbtries]

9. my mother is long dead,

and back in the day she proclaimed richard nixon the greatest president we'd ever have. on the day he resigned in disgrace. i often wonder if she would be like your parents, or brainwashed like my brother. sadly i believe it's the latter. Congratulations on having thinking parents.

[deurbano]

34. My only sibling (a sister) and my mom are like your brother, and my dad probably would be, too, if

he were still alive. It's amazing the OP's family members could be saved at this point, given the unrelenting pervasiveness of right wing media.

[iluvtennis]

11. woohoo, people are fed up with the monstrosity in the White House.

[handmade34]

12. a big hug for your parents!!!

[calimary]

13. Wow! The way this is trending!

And if Bloomberg decides to put his money behind Biden, then that’ll be some very muscular money coming into play.

[Sloumeau]

14. bearsfootball516, a big thank you to your parents...

and to you for posting this story.

[lees1975]

15. Thank them!

[MLAA]

16. Congrats on raising your parents well!

[Karadeniz]

17. I'm BURSTING with pride for them!!! Tell them their true patriots!❤

[rurallib]

20. It is a great day when you see your parents grow up right before your eyes

and learn to accept reality.

{tongue firmly in cheek}
A big thanks to them. We need every vote we can get.

[sdfernando]

21. I am so happy your parents are voting DEM

.....ANY DEM!

[nolabear]

23. Many thanks. NC is my third home. They'll do it proud.

Mr Bear was born and raised there and I lived there for seven years. Still go back to family often.

Joe’s a natural for the Carolinas.

[lostnfound]

25. If they are *registered* Republicans, I don't think they can.

Semi-open primary,only unaffiliated and Democrats can request a Democratic ballot

[bearsfootball516]

26. They registered as unaffiliated when they moved there in 2017.

[lostnfound]

28. Got it nt

[wryter2000]

29. Wonderful news

Give them great, big hugs from Wryter2000.

The orange beast hasn't gained a single new supporter since he barely squeaked by in 2016. And there have to be more people like your parents. I don't see how he can "win" again.

[oldsoftie]

31. Did they vote for trump? And if so, what was the reason?

[bearsfootball516]

35. They did, yes. Begrudgingly, because voting Republican is all they knew.

Neither one of them liked him. They're voting for Biden now.

[oldsoftie]

36. I've tried to tell people here that those people exist.

They voted for trump but didnt really like him. Now they REALLY dont like him.

[TwilightZone]

46. There are plenty of people who disapproved of him but voted for him anyway.

Agree completely. That's why we have to be really careful when considering approval ratings. They do not translate directly to voting share.

[oldsoftie]

49. Yes. And there are people who identify as Republican who might vote against him now.

As long as its the right person.
I've heard it from 2 close friends (But they wont vote for Sanders). And a couple others who are saying "I think i'm just skipping the president choice on the ballot". And we know people do that; look at '16 in Detroit.

[NBachers]

32. And ya know what? There won't be any Democrats crossing over to vote republican.

The tide’s on our side.

[thesquanderer]

42. And it shows that not all "crossover" or "non-Dem" voters in our primary are for Chaos.

This is why non-closed primaries can be beneficial. There are independents and anti-Trump Republicans looking for a Dem they can vote for in November, and this gives them a better chance of getting one. And we can use their votes in November!

[HarlanPepper]

37. Do you think they would consider voting for Bernie if he were the nominee?

[bearsfootball516]

38. Hard to say. My mother, maybe. My dad, no.

[HarlanPepper]

39. Interesting

Was curious given their status as longtime GOP voters. Thanks!

[warmfeet]

43. That is encouraging.

I hope millions more follow suit. Many, many millions.

[subana]

44. wow!! That's cool!

that's impressive!

[DiverDave]

45. So, still republican, eh?

Lol, proud...

[napi21]

47. i hope your parent are an example of a lot of Pubs whho just can't stand DT! n/t

[robbedvoter]

48. WTG, reuniting families like that! While Burnie breaks Public Enemy!

[PoliticAverse]

50. Did they vote for Trump in 2016? n/t

[bearsfootball516]

51. They did, yes.

[PoliticAverse]

52. Well good to see that some people can switch. n/t

Last edited Tue Mar 3, 2020, 03:52 PM - Edit history (1)

[treefarmers]

53. Hopefully we will see lot's of posts like this one!

Big day today for our party