Reply #14: Deal With Republican Family Members - A Guide, By NeedleCast

[NeedleCast]

I have a very good relationship with my mom and dad despite the fact that they're conservatives and I'm not...and we are able to openly talk politics.

My dad is a fairly moderate conservative. He can't stand Bush, but here's the deal...at age 62, trying to get him to support a democrat for President makes him have to re-think pretty much 40 years of politics. That's a hard admission to make. He doesn't dislike Obama and I think he's voting for McCain because he's been voting for Republicans for 40 years and change.

First thing is to stay calm and not let it turn into a shouting match, or even an argument. Go in armed with facts, don't try blind-siding or surprising him. I'm still convinced I can get my dad to vote for Obama. I talk to him on the phone about it from time to time, send him articles from sources he can trust (i.e. not blogs, which he doesn't really get).

Example...he goes on about Obama's inexperience and I point out that McCain, who is not a spring chicken, just picked someone with far, far less experience than Obama. It's not something he can really argue. It's a fact. I tell him "Dad, you hate Bush, why would you vote for McCain?" He says the same thing your dad did "He's going to be different!" I point out that McCain voted with Bush 95% of the time. He can't argue that.

Two years ago he changed his registration from Republican to Indy. Slowly but surely he's started to realize that the Republicans from his past are not the Republicans of today.

So go make up with your dad and don't bring up politics for awhile. When you do, be calm, and make your arguments in small bits. Your dad, like most people, is probably a reasonable person and most reasonable people, when presented with facts, will come to accept them, even if it takes awhile.