My rabidly Republican father sent back his republican card - unbelievable

[AnotherMother4Peace]

This is huge - I would classify my dad as a typical southern conservative. The republican party was his life. He was a big donor, and he had pictures of George & Laura on his wall.

Yesterday he sent back his party card in disgust over Delay's lack of ethics, and the president's defense of him "and the other shenanigans going on". If my dad is abandoning his party, they might be in big trouble. He was Republican, heart and soul.

[Liberty Belle]

1. Wow, that's the 3rd case of "Republican conversion" I've

heard today!

The GOP base is disentegrating.

[NewJeffCT]

42. well, not to be a wet blanket

But, we had threads like this all last year. It even got a pessimist like me excited at times.

[KittyWampus]

46. Ah, But We Had Rigged Electronic Voting Equipment.

and phoney issues that supposedly got just enough people to vote for Jr. despite all signs saying he'd lose.

[mopinko]

52. many kerry republican's had their votes stolen

i am convinced there was a concerted effort to shave the popular vote in blue states, especially in areas with a lot of moderate republicans like lake county, here in illinois. the obama/kerry difference was huge and unexplainable.
but who cares, we are a blue state. :sarcasm:

[ProudToBeLiberal]

72. ahh another conspiracy theory pops up on DU nt

[Snotcicles]

74. We need to tell these people that maybe we just

saw something they didn't in ultra conservatives.
Don't rub it in they are feeling bad enough right now. You'll come away looking smart and compassionate.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. You tell him I said this:

God bless you for your ethics.

This from someone who's family(mother's side) is so southern, that the SC vote to secede from the union took place in our back yard(Abbeville SC).

Really.

God. There is some sanity left in this country.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

11. My dad is a hardworking, ethical man (if you ignore his views on

race, women, and gays). He is a veteran of 2 wars. Right now he is beginning to see that the bunch in the WH are not republicans, but a bunch of self serving crooks.

[bling bling]

27. He's ethical if you ignore his views on race, women, and gays?

He must really hate Bush then to leave the Republicans. But I'm glad Bush lost another supporter, because your fathers right -- they are a bunch of self-serving crooks.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

29. He's pretty pissed off - & yeah my dad's real hard to listen to -

because he's bound to say something offensive.

[SnowGoose]

39. I don't know if your dad is like this, but I have relatives that

hold what I would call offensive views on groups including gay people, races different than generic european, etc - BUT these views always seem to apply to some vague abstract 'group' out there rather than people they meet.

Am I articulating that clearly? What I'm trying to say is that these relatives are (perhaps counterintuitively) really nice and caring to actual, concrete examples of the human species (and even animals and nature - one of these relatives regularly gives to a charity that spays and neuters cats for free for those who can't afford it).

And at the same time, when speaking, they reveal deep prejudices that sometime run against the actual people and organizations they care about.

I never have figured that one out.

[Lerkfish]

41. I have relatives like this

I have aunts and uncles in southern illinois, who are the nicest, salt of the earth people who would give you the shirt off their backs, and who care about everyone...the whole nine yards. I'm not being sarcastic at all.

then, suddenly, out of the blue, they'll make a brief, but incredible remark about gay people or non-whites and its a jarring shock. Then, they'll return to talking about bundt cakes and knitting, or fishing and horseshoes.

I vividly remember the first time I encountered this, I had to be about 8, and my dear old grandfather made an out of the blue comment about "niggers", and then just as if he'd never made it, he continued on some other subject. My heart stopped for just that moment. You'd of had to know my grandfather to know why that seemed completely out of character. He was the sweetest man I'd ever known. weird. beyond weird.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

45. I don't know Lerkfish, you & I might be related -

my dad originated from Southern Illinois. He's sort of the Archie Bunker type, but is a less dopey way.

[Lerkfish]

55. Herrin? Dahlgren?

those are the two cities my relatives live(d)

:)

[KittyWampus]

47. IMO, Such Relatives Are Thoughtlessly Displaying Stuff They Absorbed

as kids... but there's no real emotion behind it so it's not actively a part of their character.

[emcguffie]

50. My grandfather too, but he wasn't a bigot

He used the "n" word, in Birmingham, Alabama. But he didn't mean anything bad by it. It was just the word he used. People from that generation had to be sensitized to the fact that it wasn't a nice thing to say.

Actually, in the deep south, you know, with that old fashioned accent, Negro became Nigrah and then it was just a little slide.

He taught my mother that all people were equal and should be treated with dignity. She was very active in the civil rights movement, and he was proud of her. But she had to teach him not to use the N word.

[Boomer]

58. Compartmentalized approach to life

My partner's parents have always liked me, always made me feel welcome in their home, and have even thanked me for being such a good "friend" to their daughter.

Then every once in awhile they'll make some outrageous comment about those "damn gay people."

Huh?

Maybe they really do think my partner and I are "just" friends, even though we've lived together for over 15 years, own joint property and pets, and pretty much do every thing in tandem.

Which is, of course, patently unbelievable unless you're trying really, really, really hard to not see the obvious. I wonder how many calories they burn with the effort of segmenting their brains into no-fly zones of thought....

[arikara]

66. My father used to do this too

The nicest man, bent over backwards to make everyone happy. He always treated everyone decently regardless of their gender, race or religion but then every now and then he'd come out with a racist whammy. It was seriously some kind of disconnect and I hated it.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

76. In my family it's a generational thing

Both my grandfathers, one a union-loving hardworking democrat, one a Rush listening McCarthyist republican, talk that way. My experience was much like yours, but it occured with my lib grandfather. The first time he used the N-Word, I almost shit my pants. I asked him about it, and he was honestly puzzled why it bothered me. He plays pool every day with black dudes, and some of them are his best friends. These guys are in their eighties, and have been friends with my grandfather since long before the civil rights movement.

My republican grandfather is a different story. He uses whatever racial epithets he likes, but the difference is he has no friends who are remotely brown shaded. He even hates when white females are too tanned. I remember being at the mall with he, my sister, and my grandmother. We saw an extremely tanned women who he pointed to and admonished my sister to "never get so tanned you look like one of those dirty niggers." I was only 12 or 13, but it angered me enough that the incident has colored my views of him since.

Of both my parents and all my aunts and uncles (a mixture of dem and repuke), I've never seen that sort of overt racism or heard a single racial epithet.

[ginnyinWI]

61. it's proven to be true

Research shows that when prejudiced people actually get to know a minority group member, they usually like them, and explain the difference by saying that that person was not typical of his group.

("Oh I can't stand those gay rights people!" they say, "But there's this gay guy in my office who's a really nice person!")

This is because it is the prejudiced view that is the false one, and reality doesn't support it. This is why it is so important that children get to go to school in diverse classroooms, and see minorities on TV in a positive light.

[SmokingJacket]

63. I know this phenomenon well.

When my dad meets actual people who are gay or of another race, he's perfectly nice... and acts like they're "exceptions" or something. His bigotry is applied almost solely to abstract groups. Not that that's any better -- reminds me, in fact, of Hitler, whose heritage was part Jewish.

I think it's another sign of the cognitive dissonace right-wingers have grown so accustomed to living with.

[me b zola]

77. I always that of that as 'soft' racism

My mother's father was a hard core Archie Bunker racist. I was his favorite grandchild until when I was 10yrs old I questioned his "logic" when he was screaming at the t.v. yelling racists slurs, attributing all of the woes of the world to Latinos & African Americans. After innocently telling him that what he was saying didn't make any sense, he never spoke to me again.

Now my mother was a good woman, occasionally said something offensive about a minority group-even women-but never out of hatefulness, just ignorance. I remember her telling me the story of when my father was stationed in the South for his Air Force bombardier school during WWII. My mother's best friend there was a Cuban gal and they did everything together. One day they got on the bus to go somewhere and the driver told my mother's friend to sit in the back of the bus. My mother said, well, if her friend had to sit in the back,so did she.

I think that 'soft' racism is a generational & environmental product, and I think we are seeing less of it today.

As for me, I was lucky to be born in '63 and have the above experiences & views set against the background of the civil rights movement as seen on the evening news, and later in school. My only child is Mexican-American and helped to open my mother's eyes to a fuller understanding of racism, even in it's most subtle forms.

[Mojambo]

3. Great news. Thanks for sharing

And welcome to DU.

[Kerrytravelers]

4. This is the second conversion story on DU in the past 15 minutes!

[FreedomAngel82]

5. Wow!

I'm just amazed.

[uppityperson]

6. Thanks for the good news and welcome

[Tux]

7. Tell him

That the more a camdidate says he is Christian, chances are, he is not.

[eleny]

8. This is how it can happen

Their terrible corruption will become so obvious to loyal supporters that folks like your dad will tip them over with a finger.

[tallahasseedem]

9. Thank you for your story.

Hopefully there are thousands of those kind going on right now.

[roguevalley]

10. Tell your dad he is admired for his acts. I am sure a lot of repubs

are mourning the death of their party.

[zapp]

12. My dad did too- but before the election. We talked...

about his beliefs, and he realized that his beliefs were more in line with the dems than the thugs.

And, he credits me with the conversion.

Winning them over, one at a time.

[FreedomAngel82]

13. Yep

Seems that way. Maybe now days more people will realize their beliefs are in more line with the democrats. :shrug: At least moderate one's anyways. The fundies will never be democrats.

[w4rma]

34. Never say never. (nt)

[AnotherMother4Peace]

14. At least you could talk to him - My dad was so hard core,

no discussion of politics was possible, unless you agreed with him. He was party line all the way.

[thecai]

18. Sounds Like My Dad

...except he even ends up arguing with himself if no one else will.

Welcome to DU, AnotherMother4Peace!

[thecai]

19. Sounds Like My Dad

...except he even ends up arguing with himself if no one else will.

Welcome to DU, AnotherMother4Peace!

[AnotherMother4Peace]

20. Thank you for the double welcome.

I know this hijacking of his beloved party is breaking his heart.

[Straight Shooter]

15. Please tell your father I am sorry his party has betrayed him.

I hope he registers as a Democrat; if not, then I hope he will register as independent.

I really really despise what the Radical Repubs have done to the heart and soul of people who are conservative in the time-honored sense of the word.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

16. Well said - if he registers Democrat that will be one for the books

[Straight Shooter]

17. If he registers Democrat, I'll bring out the woohoo icon just for him

:woohoo:

[chookie]

21. What Howard Dean talked about?

Remember all the trouble Dr Dean got into by saying Democrats need to have a serious talk with "guys with confederate flags"? Jeez maneez, he got into such hot water over being realistic and telling the truth.

He was right. He knew that they were being sold a bill of goods by the smirkistas, and simply wanted to have a straight talk with them.

It is striking that your Dad is now rejecting his whole Party -- not just the extremists who have hijacked it . Wow -- he thinks there is no hope for them.

I posted elsewhere that I don't understand why some opportunistic moderate Republican doesn't rise to the moment and stand up to Bush and Delay, Cheney, Rice, etc, because he/she would find they have tremendous bipartisan support. I can only assume that "bad intelligence" is extremely pervasive in our day, and that pols can't get the real stuff anywhere, and are brainwashed to think what the lobbyists and PACs tell them is true, or at least is BELIEVED to be true by a significant proportion of Americans.

[FreedomAngel82]

23. I can understand why

Now days the republican party is so corrupt it's crazy. It's hard to tell when someone is a real republican and when they're one of the neocons. My old mayor was a republican but a real one. He was pretty good and did a lot of good for the city and is now running for Frist's seat. I think it will take people from the inside in the party to get rid of the neocons and not just vote for them because they have an (r) by their name. Do some research on the person and get to know them as a politician. I think that's how this mistake happened. Too many times people just vote straight party line. The neocons got through easily because they use religion to get their way. I doubt they'd ever take over the democratic party. Sometimes it's easier for people to give up then to fight the neocons. They're very dirty in their ways. Just look at how Bush campaigns. All he does is smear.

[sandnsea]

36. real republicans

No, they get in power because local people make the mistake of thinking there's such a thing as a real republican. There aren't. They go to DC and vote the party line, for the most part. And so do Democrats, for the most part. That's the way it's always been. That's why people need to pick a side.

[ginnyinWI]

59. repub corruption

It isn't new, but now they seem to feel so drunk with power that they don't care who knows about it. They still get the votes and that's all they care about. They feel they can lie and buy their way into office and stay there, and bank on people's feeling that all politicians are corrupt, so it doesn't matter.

edit: they also take advantage of the fact that the religious right is probably one of the most easily fooled demographic groups! I speak as one who has been one in the past.

Nixon was corrupt, and went down. Reagan and Poppy Bush were corrupt, and did not. And now, with the Chimp--they've learned how to get away with it better than ever. The bad repubs are coloring the whole party with their corruption. There is nothing on the Dem side to compare it with. The most corrupt one I can think of is Johnson, but he pales by comparison. If patterns of history are right, the repub party will crash and have to rebuild from the ground up--it's just a matter of how long it will be before that happens.

[NVMojo]

22. BTW, AnotherMother4Peace, welcome to DU! And thanks for sharing

this story! One by one, people are waking up and usually it takes stuff like the vile obscene behavior of filthy rich elites to wake them up!!!

[Withywindle]

24. Welcome, and thanks for the story!

Good wishes to your dad, and my condolences on the loss of his party.


Frankly, I too wish we had an opposition party who were actually honest, well-meaning people who just disagreed with us. The country would NOT be in a mess this bad, and being able to really discuss issues without the demonization and polarized rhetoric would be good for everyone. I know there are many Republicans who feel that way and I sympathize with them, I really do. (OF course, I sympathize with them more when they actually speak up and DO something like your father did; we know no one over there's listening to us, but someone might have to listen to formerly loyal voters who are furious.)

[Rainscents]

25. Welcome to DU! Great news you shared and thank you!

:hi:

[Tigress DEM]

26. Republican with hearts and souls have to be offended...

with this administration. Common decent folks understand that spin is lies and that saying one thing and doing another behind closed doors is also lying.

Common decent folks understand that torture is bad for America. It's all so simple really, when people examine their hearts, but to actually leave the party, Wow.

Good for your dad for making a stand on his principles! Those that leave are telling the Republican's that enough is enough and it is a very big courageous act.

[ahem]

28. Congrats! Same thing is happening with my dad. Our dads sound like

similar types as well.

Gives you hope, doesn't it? :)

[Swamp Rat]

30. YAAHOO! Here it comes...

BLOWBACK!!! :D :woohoo:

[AgadorSparticus]

31. Same with my dad. He is a hard core conservative but got a dose of

Reality when reality did not coincide with what they were feeding him on Faux news. They kept telling him that the economy was doing so great, blah blah blah and he noticed what a ghost town it was around christmas time at all the stores. It made him think and that was all it took.

He tells me now that he has given up on politics altogether. And that is saying something since it has been a lifelong passion. I haven't spoken to him yet about Delay. I want to give him a period to deal with his shock and disappointment. I'm sure it is stinging....

[AnotherMother4Peace]

32. Wow, sounds like the grieving process:

Denial - Anger - Depression - Bargaining - Acceptance

I know I sure went through a couple of these stages after the 2004 election was stolen. For a while all I would watch was the travel & cooking channel.

[AgadorSparticus]

64. definitely. I have been and am still going through the various stages too

Not sure where I am now, but I know it sure feels 1000x better. I'm not as angry as I was after the election. Personally, I'm working on Me & moving out of a fear based approach in my interpersonal relationships and it is spilling over into all aspects of my life. BFEE don't scare me anymore. They may be powerful and own everything and everyone. But they are not above the laws of karma. And they are no worse than any other dictator/fascist asswipe throughout history. They are NOT as scary as their mouthpieces trump them up to be. I feel like it has been a psyche game and I'm not playing it anymore.

I guess I'm moving into a more positive space with a renewed sense of faith. And as I get stronger, I will be back in the thralls of the political fight, sweeping my porch, and affecting as much change as my path takes me. And I'm good with that.

[Hugin]

33. Honestly... If I had even the slightest glimmer of respect for *.

It was doused with a bucket of water seeing * cuddle up
with the Saudi Dictator.

I have *NEVER* seen an American President act so unbecoming.

I'm hoping it'll have some impact on all of those "Red blooded,
America loving, Jesus fearing, Republicans."

[ginnyinWI]

60. I really think * hates the American people

His peer group is the one he cares about. The rich and well-connected and powerful are his "country", the only one he feels an obligation to. He's never been remotely middle class or known what it is to work for a living. He's been inside his little rich bubble his whole life. Spoiled little "Richie Rich brat!"

So I guess we can see why he has so little empathy for the middle class--to him they are just a group of "losers" to exploit. You don't have to be that way just because you are rich--look at Kerry, or Kennedy, Howard Dean, John Edwards, Bill Gates, Ted Turner, etc. Each of them has been either been trained to feel an obligation to serve, or serve because they've been less well-off themselves at one time. Their parents and/or their life experiences trained them well.

[Nothing Without Hope]

35. Thank you for this story. I think we need to reach out and show them that

THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE.

It isn't that integrity and hope are dead, they just do not reside in what has grown out of the Repub party like some alien monster.

There is hope and there is integrity. There IS a way forward. We need to reach out to honest Republicans and Independents. We may fight like cats and dogs when the nation is returned to sanity, but that's as it should be. For now, it's a crisis and all good-hearted people must pull together and declare a truce of common cause.

[MadisonProgressive]

37. To steal from the late Johnny Cochran

If you convert, you must convict.

[sendero]

38. That's one thing that I think....

.... is so important.

I talk a good game about playing rough with the Repugs. I believe our Dem leaders have to get down in the mud, because the Repugs have defined the game and we really have no choice.

But - if one of our guys starts with the graft and corruption, I'm done with him. I don't care if he's be best Dem politician we've ever had. When he starts taking money from lobbyists, doing dirty deals and such - I want him out on his ass, period.

I made an exception for Clinton over the Monicagate nonsense, because it was never a question of him selling out his job. It was pure politics, and frankly I believe if you spent $40 million on any one congressperson you could come up with a similar lapse on half of them.

Most Americans understand all this, and don't want crooks in office, especially crooks who are blatantly bought and sold. You can't run a Democracy that way, and everyone loses when you try.

As much as I dislike Reps, I totally understand that the majority of them feel the same way I do. They don't want crooks running the country. The only real issue is getting real information to them, with all the Reps coming on TV and claiming it is all politics, they have to be confused. But I think Delay is not going to recover from this for one simple reason - he did cross the line. And most people really are basically moral, even though it is sometimes hard to see it.

[CitySky]

68. I'm with you.

We need to be principled & consistent in demanding ethics in government. Dems & R's alike. No excuses.

[wicket]

40. This warms my heart

Thanks for sharing :)

[Sherwood]

43. I'm going to guess...

I'm going to guess that 75% of Republicans actively dislike Bush's administration. At least in my experiences, this is accurate. In the company of liberals, however, they'll support him unwaveringly simply because they dislike the other party even more. They somehow cling to the hope that Bush will become a true conservative (cut taxes AND spending) and not a corrupt oilman.

[AuntiBush]

44. Know of other's doing the same

Wait till they join-in the nightmare of electoral fraud.

[arkie dem]

48. Does the GOP have party cards?

I've been a Dem my entire life and I've never received a card. Dammit I want a card...!!!
Does the GOP card have a swastika on it???

Good for your father, it's good to see that people are waking up to the repukes and their evil ways.

[AnotherMother4Peace]

53. They sent him all kinds of stuff - he donated all the time, &

after I started donating to the Democratic Party, I received a couple of party cards. So - maybe it's linked to donations.

[arkie dem]

54. I donated last election,

all I received was bumper stickers.

[Jo March]

49. If my dad were alive today, he'd do the same thing

My dad was all about smaller government and small deficits. He would be revolted at what is going on now.

[progressoid]

51. This is a trend that will continue

The editor of the Omaha World Herald did this publicly after the Schaivo (sp) debacle. Changed his registration from R to Independent.

Now the question is how will the Dems and progressives completely win them over?

[ArkDem]

56. Yes, republicans have been jumping ship for years.

Landslide in 2008!!!

[AllegroRondo]

57. My sister-in-law converted only last week

and her husband

the only reason they voted for * last year was the abortion issue - they are both strong Catholics. I was glad to point out the new Pope's views on this. It is OK for Catholics to vote for pro-choice candidates as long as that is not the sole reason they vote for them, you have to look at the complete package. They both seemed relieved.

[CitySky]

69. also: abortion rises when poverty rises

Ergo, the actual number of abortions performed in this country has RISEN during the * years. Sorry I don't have a link handy, but if you Google around a bit you'll find the research.

Some of us "Christian Left" Democrats would like to see the DEMAND side of the abortion equation go down, but still prefer the government NOT to interfere in a private decision between a woman and her doctor.

[AllegroRondo]

71. Economist on Jon Stewart last night

had some great stuff about this, from his book called 'Freakonomics'


They studied crime rates, comparing states with high numbers of abortions to states with low levels of abortions. When abortion was first legalized, crime rates were roughly equal. About 20 years later, states with less restrictions on abortions had an average of 30% less crime.

[PleadTheFirst]

62. I find it incredibly ironic ...

that at this point my greatest hope for the future of my country lies not within the Democratic party or with progressives who share my ideals, but rather with conservatives of character like your father who have the good sense to know when they are being lied to.

When liberals like you or I or most of the people I know rage against the injustices of this administration, we are ignored by the corporate media as fringe leftists. When Democratic leaders find their spines long enough to voice polite protest to what is going on in Washington, they are blasted as god-hating liberals out of tune with the working American.

But when the Republican party is abandoned by one of their own - by a true conservative who may have vastly different opinions from my own, but understands right from wrong and can come to grips with the fact that they are being led into hell by this murderer's unelected regime ...

I think we may have a chance.

Thank your dad for me, AnotherMother. He gives me hope. :)

[Montauk6]

65. Wow!! Hottub Tommy was the last straw???

Maybe I'm out to lunch here, but DeLay's offenses seem like small potatoes in the grand scheme of things with these reprobates. I mean, take your pick.

- Unsuccessful coup attempt via Ms Lewinsky and abuse of impeachment.

- Successful coup attempt thanks to Supremes

- War on Error due to Weapons of Mass Distraction

- Wholesale obliteration of what was a robust economy

- More coverups than any prior administration

- Continuous blurring of line between church and state

The list goes on and on, so again, is DeLay really such a dealbreaker?

[Senior citizen]

67. I don't think Social Security was called "the third rail of politics" for

nothing.

Sometimes arrogant people who have always gotten away with everything begin to think they're omnipotent and overreach.

When mainstream media channels cut off the (p)resident's speech in mid-sentence, it means that they got hundreds of thousands of emails and calls complaining--so many that they had to choose between their party and their ratings. They chose the ratings because unlike the puke leadership, they have some survival instinct left.

A slumbering giant is just now waking up. I went to one of the moveon rallies against ending the filibuster procedure, and several of the speakers said it was the first rally they'd ever been to in their lives--and some were Republicans.

I don't want to go so far as to say there's hope, but there is certainly a glimmer in the darkness.

[blondeatlast]

78. True that, but let's not forget that Bug Bomb Tom

has LOTS more power than fugwbit.

[CitySky]

70. What state?

does your Dad live in?

We can use all the Dems we can get in TX! :D (That reminds me: Hey ADMINS! Where's the "cowboy hat" smiley?)

[Hatalles]

73. We've been hearing quite a lot of this recently...

Definitely a good sign.

[Ysolde]

75. That's great news!

I'm so lucky because my dad & I see eye to eye on most things.

I just hope that the avalanche has really started. Kind of like moderate Christians speaking out against the hijacking of their religion; maybe the moderate Republicans are waking too.

I hope. I hope.

:applause: to your dad!

[rebel_yell]

79. good to hear

he's starting to believe

i think people will eventually wake up and see people like Delay for what they are. Low life opportunist hypocrites

[many a good man]

80. Its NOT personal, its ideology

I'm glad when anybody turns their back on the GOP, but the problem isn't just personal corruption and dishonesty, its the ideology. Personalizing it to DeLay or Cheney or * makes it seem like the individuals are the problem instead of the conservative policies.

What we are seeing now is the fruition of 40 years of Conservative Movement wet dreams come to reality. For 40 years liberals have been telling them that their militaristic, jingoistic, de-regulatory, uncompassionate vision of governance will result in ruin. Well now they have had total control of all the levers of power and the country is going to hell in a hand basket. Many conservatives can no longer stomach a lot of the greed and religious pandering, Constitution-shredding bull crap coming out of their leaders, nevertheless all their favorite policies are in place.

Its not the actors, its the script goddamit!!!!