I'm going to *'s rally tomorrow in West Chester Ohio.

[Jayster84]

Before you curse me, let me tell you how this occurred.
I talk to everyone who will listen about how bad * is. I live in one of the most conservative areas in the country (SW Ohio). Most of the people I speak to don't agree with my positions, most are freepers. But almost all of them respect that I can hear both sides of a debate and that I can back-up my facts ( with everyone at DU's help). Instead of labeling me, they ask for my opinions and actually seek out my input. That respect has allowed me to convince many that * is a poor excuse of a president. I know probably a dozen people who voted for * once but will not this time. My boss(who I have partially converted) and I have talked numerous times about politics. When I finish a book I pass it along to him. (Just finished, The New Pearl Harbor). He's still a work in progress. Tonight he called me and said that he came across 3 tickets, and asked me if I wanted to go. I said yes. I believe this will continue to show others that I am a reasonable person who has an open mind. That I am respectful of the presidency but that I do not agree with his policies. In short, I hope to show the many republicans that I know, that this how to behave and to debate.

I could be wrong.

[HootieMcBoob]

1. Wear a Kerry/Edwards button or shirt

see if you can get yourself arrested and get in the paper.

[kentuck]

13. Or get assaulted by other compassionae conservatives...

:)

[demnan]

2. i'm glad you're going

even if you have to sign a loyalty oath, do it, so you can come back and give us your observations.

[Jayster84]

3. Will do

eom

[AIJ Alom]

4. Dude. Pass out the August 6th pdb. Also take links to what Clinton did in

1999. Point out the fact that Clinton did everything in his power to stop the worldwide Millenium attacks and that Dubya did nothing !

[spooky3]

5. Wow, I wish I had your patience and powers of persuasion. Good work!

[Liberal Veteran]

6. Try not to fall asleep...

...that's when the pod person will replace you.

:)

[Cha]

7. Have fun and don't get arrested!

As many have who have darkened bush rallies with a Dem Heart:)

[donco6]

8. I was gonna say have fun and GET arrested! eom

[Cha]

12. I know, what's wrong with

me!?

[donco6]

16. It's Sunday.

You're probably morose that the weekend is over. :(

[wildeyed]

9. Good luck.

While I admire your idealism, I would comment that the Bush people really DON'T know how to behave. Remember, they threw a gold star mom out of a rally, had her arrested and are now harassing her via the secret service. Not nice or decent people, IMO.

Good luck with your projects. I have several I am working on, too.

[cheshire]

10. Yes I find if you listen to them you can have a larger effect. Hope you

don't puke or go crazy having to listen to the little turd. And good luck with your student. May he find great wisdom from such a dedicated teacher such as you.

[dave123williams]

11. They won't let you in if they suspect you're supporting the other guy...

[ret5hd]

14. isn't there a $2000 award out there for...

anyone that can ask bush how many times he has been arrested?
i think i saw mention of it here on DU.

[jbfam4]

15. bring a barf bag.

[LeighAnn]

17. This puts you in a spot...

Dude, you pretty much have to heckle. That kind of lost opportunity will haunt you for the rest of your life.

On the other hand, you're going with your boss, who is bound to take a dim view with you if you embarrass him in front of his contemporaries and expecially W. He's liable to fire you.

Dude, if you can pull it off, and it so happens you get fired, I'll start the "Jayster Unemployment Fund" with a paypal contribution of $100. We'll raise money for you all over the web and sell "Hire Jayster" shirts and buttons, and get you all sorts of media gigs.

Make it good, Man! Make us proud!

[Jayster84]

19. Thanks

I'm glad you've got my back.

[Gir Draxon]

20. Fight the good fight, but do it with some decorum.

Jayster, listen to LeighAnn if you want to make an ass (no Democrat pun intended) of yourself, but in my opinion you would be far better off doing what you are already doing.

If all of you truly desire a change in leadership, then is it not better to actually try and change the minds of GOP voters (i.e. actually try and win the election) than to alienate them? Disrupting their rallies will not win them over, treating them with respect and a liberal (pun intended) dose of truth and logic has a far better chance. Of course, you won't win them all, but that is a good thing (opposition is essential to democracy).

[LeighAnn]

21. Beg to Differ

He might make an ass out of himself to a bunch of right-wing suits who aren't going to change thier minds anyway, but to people like us he will be a hero. Plus, these instances rattle Bush deep down inside, and they make him look foolish in spite of the "Four More Years!" Every chink you can get in his armor of Bush Infallibility will add to his inner turmoil, helping to make him an even less efective debater.

It's the chance of a lifetime. Just make sure you "drift" well away from the boss, to be fair to him. And send him a box of cigars the next day, along with some choice "Patriotic Quotes" so that he will see you were doing the right thing.

http://www.hereinreality.com/freedom/

There's $1000 in it from me if you can get him with a pie, plus I'll help with your defense fund.

[Gir Draxon]

26. It's a matter of PR

You are right, going to a Republican event won't win you many converts. But why give them the ammunition they need to wage a public relations war against you? Maybe to some people a troublemaker would be a hero, but to many people (read: voters) it would damage the credibility of the anti-Bush movement. And I don't think Bush loses any sleep at night thinking about protesters who got arrested.

It all depends on what your goals are. If you just want to impress far-left fringe groups, go ahead and assault your opponents. If you want to effect real change, appeal to the ordinary voter, and by that I mean be respectable. Most Democrats have already figured that out by choosing the moderate Kerry over someone like Dean or Kucinich.

Oh and FYI, if my perceptions about American politics seem to be somewhat warped, it's because I'm an outside observer (i.e. not an American). So if I say something that is contreversial, it might just be due to my perspective. Not trying to be confrontational here.

[deadparrot]

18. Try not to get physically ill!

Hopefully, you won't have to sign a loyalty oath.

[JI7]

22. i'm glad you are doing this

we need all the help we can get in that state. and since you livein a conservative area and this could help in converting some you should do it.

[Roland99]

23. Where will this rally be, exactly?

I'll be up in that area (I-75/I-275) tomorrow.

[Jayster84]

31. VOA park in West Chester

[Roland99]

32. Ah...

I ended up having to work late and couldn't make it to that area.


How'd it go?

[mitchum]

24. If they make you put in an hour on the phone banks after the appearance...

trash the pretender to your first respondent

[vetwife]

25. Don't you have to sign a loyalty oath?

[Jacobin]

34. That's what I was wondering, too

Maybe he could bring a copy of the oath back and scan it so we can see it.

[K8-EEE]

27. Man Jayster You Have A Stronger Stomach Than Me!

Oh, actually sitting in a room with lobotomized Bush-bots and * himself, I would hurl. Good luck and I hope there is somebody there with enough brain cells to listen to reason.

[Warren DeMontague]

28. Twenty bucks if you moon the f*cker

Not from me, of course. But I'm sure someone will pay.

Just kidding. Respectful is the way to go.. then have those guys over to your house to watch the F911 DVD in return.

[FlaIndie]

29. haha! I'll front that.

Need photographic proof or a story, of course. :evilgrin:

[Hello_Kitty]

30. I admit to wanting to go to one out of curiosity

Just to see a large group of the lobotomized in person. Maybe the majority of people there are paid extras. Just like the 'volunteers' that man Pube phone banks here in Phoenix.

[Cheswick2.0]

33. Take notes on his key points

and be prepared to counter every single one of them, either in the car on the way home or the next day at work. Tell people not to take your word for it if they don't want to but to check it out online. They will be too lazq but will be impressed with your bravado.

[HughBeaumont]

35. The Chimperor drew 50,000 hicks.

Of course the Plain Squealer paraded this Bacchalania of the Backwoods on their cover, trumpeting it as "the largest campaign rally in the state", but from the article -

Southwest Ohio is the most intensely Republican area of the state, and Butler County GOP Executive Director Scott Owens said the goal was to make the West Chester event the largest in the nation so far this year.

Experts said it's a well-used technique: make the candidate appear wildly popular in a critical battleground state.

"It's one of the defining features of modern political life: You put together a big crowd. It looks like an expression of popular will," said Jeffrey Schnapp, curator of a Stanford University exhibit about crowds and their influence on public opinion.

Allan Winkler, distinguished professor of history at Miami University in Oxford, said the pictures will be shown repeatedly on cable television over the next 24 hours, reinforcing the image of Bush as a leader with mass appeal. "It's an old political tactic, and it has been used forever because it works," Winkler said.

But . . . doesn't Kerry/Edwards draw consistent 10-12 thousands even in Republican areas?

More wisdom from Der Fuhrer -

"It's been a little tough to prepare for the debate because he keeps changing positions. I think he could spend the 90 minutes debating himself," Bush said as the throng roared with laughter.

Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk . . . ooh, that's a knee-slapper, Lancelot Link. Kerry would bury your know-nothing ass under 850 feet of cement in a real debate, you failure.

Maybe the Maw 'n' Paw Kettle Cunvenshuns are mesmerized by your bullshit but the rest of the world would like to see you and your whole cabinet in a Federal prison.

[crispini]

36. Update, please!

You've got a stronger will than I. I'd LOVE to go, but I probably couldn't keep myself from hasssling him.

[PATRICK]

37. Watching C-Span USA Today focus group(Ohio) on ads

You can see immediately why pollsters must all be on antacids and Valium. Masking the fact that their pose in a group is neutral, principled voters in search of data and issues, they in fact betray a couple of things. Except for the blacks they know little of substance despite even what is commonly in the papers and after four years of Bush experiences. Vague ideas predominate, mild prejudgments for one party or candidate seems their base to make decisions. Mixed signals about character has worked for Bush in making that critical dimension totally murky.

So the ads irritate them because the ads mirror fuzziness and mild prejudice and give them nothing to latch decisively onto. So...they want some meat in what can and will be done by the candidate, a checkable fact, challenging the voter to consider the truth not generalities or broad promises. Negative ads cancel out and sour the general mood. As we know that is advantage Bush, but not all he needs.

Ad makers probably want to jump off a cliff except they know the sly part of the ads do their job despite what the focus group pontificates. Immune to the horrors perpetrated, the outrages they have suffered from, the message of these people is that the race is on equal ground. The ground has not shifted which should make Bush partly happy because it is far more than he deserves.

Only Kerry could electrify the electorate with finally getting through how things will be different in detail and somehow manage to educate the brainwashed GOP a bit about their guy. Bush has to rely of fakery and some big distracting events he can bask in. In the latter the mild hunger of the voters for substantive issue discussions will vanish into vapid invisibility. In the former they will wake up and feel part they are part of the change.

As usual, the committed, the impassioned, the campaigners, have to share this and not presume it with the voters. Mostly we settle for getting through on single issues or character. Maybe that is too elitist and dumbed down and we should never be satisfied with this divide.

[BootinUp]

38. You're boss is working on you too.

But I admire your efforts.