General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMy (Libertarian/Republican) neighbor....
He can't make up his mind which "party" he belongs too and is one of those people who have guns in every room in the house. (We all know the type)
Well he mentioned the other day how much he loathes Trump and how he is scared of Pence. He doesn't think Trump should be impeached since he feels Pence will be worst.
But the good news is....he announced he will definitely be voting for Beto O'Rourke in November since he HATES Ted Cruz with such a passion!!!!
I was so happy with this small change in his thinking and super grateful for one more switched vote in November!
Wounded Bear
(58,737 posts)the real wave happens one voter at a time.
Orsino
(37,428 posts)...but this ignores the fact that majorities so often hinge on just a few voters.
We don't have to turn them all into Democrats. We can just help Trump turn some of them off from reflexively voting Republican. In many cases, he leaves us with little to do.
DinahMoeHum
(21,814 posts)As the NY Times' Charles Blow has said:
If you are supporting Donald Trump, you are supporting Trumpism and all that goes with it. That means that you are supporting a modus operandi that attacks people of color on every term, but keeps white supremacists safe. You are supporting Trumps demeaning of women. You are supporting his bullying. You are supporting his corruption. You are supporting his pathological lying.
It is not the job of the resistance to drag you out of that. It is the job of the resistance only to be there when and if you tire of the darkness and crawl out into the light.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/09/opinion/resistance-trump-virginia-republicans.html
Orsino
(37,428 posts)...even when it's hard or distasteful.
DinahMoeHum
(21,814 posts). . .and express their dissatisfaction about Trump or the GOP rep/s. That's when we step in and offer alternatives.
Let them make that first move to the left.
Orsino
(37,428 posts)But it doesn't matter. We are not the monolithic entity that they try to be. Some of us interact with them daily, employ them or are employed by them, are married to them or find ourselves in a position to cooperate with them. To varying degrees, we let them know that we are not the ogres the fascists say we are, and in these moments, the fascists lose ground.
Dem_4_Life
(1,765 posts)They won't flip and vote DEM for every race it's the important ones that matter first and then the chips will fall into place to bring us back to "normal" at least.
efhmc
(14,733 posts)nt
Dem_4_Life
(1,765 posts)Plus we have a lot of people moving here to San Antonio from California and hopefully they will help balance the scales too.
What part of Texas are you in?
efhmc
(14,733 posts)WE have added a few new Dems but all the offices in the city and county are repugs.
Dem_4_Life
(1,765 posts)Do you have Dem groups that meet every now and then? In the smaller areas I have seen if there are groups then sometimes people come out of the shadows. There are probably more than you think that are afraid to "come out" thinking they will be alone. I saw this in deep red neighborhoods that we were block walking in. Some of them would whisper.."do you know where you are?" LOL
efhmc
(14,733 posts)happiness, please?
Dem_4_Life
(1,765 posts)But I live in a very red part of San Antonio.
Stallion
(6,476 posts)Really, though.. what's to like?
BaronChocula
(1,607 posts)He'll start hating Beto once he votes for him too. Sounds like a chronic middler. Knows nothing, hates everything.
PatSeg
(47,649 posts)Ted Cruz is SO easy to hate! Nice to know there is a tad of sanity amid all the insanity.
vlyons
(10,252 posts)Get him to stop watching Fox News and switch to watching MSNBC, especially Rachael and Lawrence at night. Tell him that gov regulations are also protections for workers and for the public in general. Talk to him about climate change. Just keep talking to him, because he has family and friends that he talks to.
Dem_4_Life
(1,765 posts)He always seemed like someone who would never be resistant to change. He is not the best listener so I keep mentioning little nuggets of truth and he is starting to turn around.
He is also the neighbor that talks to everyone so hopefully he will change other people's minds as well and turn my whole block blue. (except for the people with a confederate flag outside they are hopeless)
Hopefully as a bonus I can get him to vote for Steve Kling for Texas Senate (that would be a bonus cherry on top)
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)First just softly ask why does he keep so many guns around, without sounding judgemental. Some people are real life gun collectors, a lot are gun nuts, two different types of people.
Dem_4_Life
(1,765 posts)He tried to bring up the gun thing thinking I would freak out and I told him well that is your right and then told him a true story about a neighbor we had in Houston who had a gun and he scared off these guys breaking in to our house when I was about 8 and then calling police. I told him there is nothing wrong with protecting your property. He was surprised and thank God he is not the type to carry it on him.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)I honestly would only have security around if I were married and/or had kids around. But there are many non lethal security options available. But good for him, at least he seems halfway rational about guns.
Cha
(297,799 posts)reality based.. not soaked in fuxnoise 24/7 like all the repubs.
And, he has killer instincts about t&p.
Good job, Dem_4_Life
Must be a good dog trainer, too.
Dem_4_Life
(1,765 posts)He did admit that he has voted for Dems before in the past and that he says he is a Libertarian just because he doesn't want to say he is a Republican. So with more "coaching" he can be turned around to see the light.
He is a great dog trainer. He used to train service dogs and would take his dogs to the elementary schools to do the read to a dog program. Dogs are his passion for sure!
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Although people who have that many guns kind of creep me out. I'm glad I live where I do. I don't know anybody who has any guns and I certainly never see them in public.
MaryMagdaline
(6,856 posts)jes06c
(114 posts)Republicans are really good at this, they definitely have a "Just win baby" mentality. A Republican voter can have a clothespin on his nose and wearing gloves when he votes, but as long as he votes, that's all they care about. I think Democrats need to have the same attitude. Your neighbor may never become a Democrat, hell he may remain a right winger for life, but if he votes FOR O'Rourke and AGAINST Cruz, that's a victory. Period.