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with my mothers husband, it was Reagans line "R U better off now than four years ago?" He told me that comment stuck in his craw. With my sons reading teacher I appealed to her religion She was raised Southern Baptist and so was I, we had a long conversation about what the current regime has done and the numbers of people killed, At one point she told me we had to stop talking about it. So I said to her.. You and I both were taught what is right and what is wrong, and before you vote, look in your heart, and ask yourself if what these people are doing is right. A couple of days later at parent teacher conference (I was still pretty emotional about Kerrys loss) she told me she had voted for Kerry.
I pretty much did the same thing with my sister who converted to Catholisism. My parents friends who are close to retirement and are struggeling financially.. I just let them know what is in store for them down the road if bush has his way. The white republican guy at work who was telling me how scared he was about losing his job and the financial pinch his family was feeling. The republican vendor who was telling me how he lost almost a million dollars of his investments in the stock market...I spoke with a little catholic guy that was very angry that bush had gotten us into this war with nothing more than a lie, he told me he could not in good conscience vote for Kerry. My reply to him was stay home, don't vote. I worked this way with every one I spoke to. When I heard them complaining about their personal situations, I'd step up (often uninvited) and point out how the little chimps policies were affecting them personally.
I found that the key to changing their minds was just a matter of showing them how politics affect them personally. Many people don't have the first clue. They are all caught up in their day to day lives too busy or caught up in diversions like sports and Lacy Peterson to pay attention to what is really going on. It didn't always happen in the first conversation. Many I had to slowly chisel away at.
I was lucky. At work I held a position that caused many people to interface with me (I was let go recently after 28 years, I don't think my politics had anything to do with it, cuts were coming and I asked them to let me go.) so it was easy for me to turn the conversation to politics.
My financial advisor gave me a compliment recently when he told me I should consider running for some kind of public office. I guess if I can flip my financial advisor, I must have a gift. But I have far too many skeletons in my closet for me to run for office. What I have done though is applied for a seat on our local draft board. I'm still waiting for a reply but having a young son myself, this is where I feel I can do the most good
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