I'm dealing with a very right-wing relative..

[MattSWin]

I have a relative in from out of town and he's extremely right-wing armed with your typical Republican talking points.

Here's how far right he is, he is a strong supporter of Alan Keyes, thinks Rick Santorum isn't anti-gay but just a "very moral politician", and says Hillary Clinton is a Socialist who wants to socialize medicine.

I get angry when he just regurgitates GOP talking points. Would I be better off just changing the subject instead of trying to convince him he's wrong?

[Harry S Truman]

1. Alan Keyes?

Right there, it's clear this person is insane.

[MattSWin]

7. I do wish the GOP would nominate Keyes...

It'd be an easy win for Democrats.

But this relative of mine wants Keyes as President.

Keyes is the true image of the GOP though(if they didn't have to play moderate for the voters).

[Bat Boy]

24. We here in Illinois LOVED his campaign against Obama.

Some of the most entertaining political wackiness I've ever seen. The man is barking mad, batshit crazy, he's got toys in the attic...he's a fuckin' loon!

The fun kinda gets squashed when you realize that he actually did get a few votes.

[sakabatou]

2. Change the subject...

[seabeyond]

3. i told brother i wont talk politics. it is a waste of my time

he talks right wing points and when losing argument resorts to name calling and interrupting me so i cant finish. he has lost the right to talk politics to me. everytime he bring politics up i say no and remind him why. a waste of my time.

this will make him pause more than any points you give him

[Stirk]

4. No, he's in your house.

Tell him to stop blathering RNC propaganda if you don't want to hear it.

[lazarus]

5. ask him

why all the Republicans in Congress use socialised medicine.

And why Santorum is cheating the taxpayers for his children's education if he's so moral.

And if good family values involves cutting off your only daughter, as Alan Keyes did.

Finally, play with the gay stuff. Ask him what makes anti-gay a "moral" position. When he bring up the Bible, pull out your Leviticus. He'll make some comment about the Old Testament, so you have two paths, both fun:

1. Ask him why the Ten Commandments have any meaning if you can ignore the Old Testament.

2. Ask him to point out where, exactly, Jesus spoke about homosexuality. (hint: He talked a lot about divorce, not about gays. Hmmm....)

[MattSWin]

9. I don't think it's really Bible based with him..

Honestly I'm more of a Bible thumper than my Republican family members.

[reformedrepub]

6. Here is some ammo for ya

Ask him how he feels about Keyes daughter, who is a liberal lesbian. Very often, the RW blowhard types believe "permissive Parenting" is the reason many kids "choose" the gay lifestyle. Santorum's chief of staff is gay, that should piss him off, and Hillary Clinton is such a socialist that when Bill was the Gov of Arkansas, she sat on the Wal-Mart board of directors....Hope that helps...

[MattSWin]

12. I never knew that about Hillary...

I did know that she made money in real estate development, that communist :rofl:

He used the fact Santorum's chief of staff is gay to "prove" he was not anti-gay.

[seabeyond]

14. that is the hypocrisy and gross of the republican party

they really arent opposed. not enough to keep gays away from them. they are only "only" using the issue to create hate and division in this nation. it is not even sopmething they feel strongly about. they use it because they know about the "hate" others feel. so they play on others emotion

that is the ugly. and this man holds it up to prove what
slap him down

[Wapsie B]

8. I say try to change the subject,

but if he insists on politics stand your ground. It sickens me to think that Dems are the ones who should just go along to get along. Hmmm, where have I seen this behavior before, say on the Federal level?
What really amazes me how many are still under the spell of the gop. If anything these people should be hanging their heads in shame. But off they go just like a bunch of 'droids. And if he's against socialized medicine, tell him if that's the case we need to get those lazy seniors off medicare and into a private program and privatize their Social Security too.


Welcome to DU!

[PurityOfEssence]

10. Ask him why he likes paying rich people's taxes for them

Tell him that Nixon wanted socialized medicine. Point out how GM has to compete with foreign auto makers who don't have to find a way of carving off $1,500 from every vehicle to pay for health care costs.

Ask him why he gets bent out of shape if a poor person scams something from the government, but he has no problem at all with rich people looting the indebted country at a time of war.

[emanymton]

11. Every Member Of Congress Has Free Total Coverage Socialized Medicine...

yet they tell the people, the people cannot have it?

[tmooses]

13. Anyone who supports Keyes is too far gone for a logical and

intelligent conversation. I would tell him to either keep his right wing views to himself or risk having a non-stop bombardment of his undefendable position. It's my opinion that visitors from out of town
should be renewing their relationship with relatives, friends, etc.-not
spouting their politics.

[skygazer]

15. You can't argue with these people

The problem is they don't think for themselves, simply speak in catch-phrases and the talking points. I have the same issue with my father - I'll lay out a well-reasoned and thoughtful analyses of a political issue, all in my own words and from my own reasoning and he responds with a bulk email or a list of talking points. It's simply an exercise in frustration.

Yeah, I would change the subject, agree not to discuss politics because the truth is, he's not discussing it. You are but he's just spouting jingoisms.

[quiet.american]

16. Well....

The thing is, it would serve us well (meaning people on this board and other progressives) to do our best to always have a few punch-to-the-gut points we can matter-of-factly inform Kool-Aid drinkers with when they start parroting Rush.

I find two or three irrefutable facts spoken quietly, and without use of the word scum if possible!, can sometimes even turn the conversation around to an actual discussion -- even with a die-hard reality-denier.

[katinmn]

17. I had to endure two Rethug relatives at a funeral last week

It's all about money with them.

I decided it's not worth trying to discuss politics with them. In return for a few more bucks in their pockets they are happy to look the other way and accept 100s of thousands of innocent Iraqi deaths, 1800 soldiers dying for imperialism, torture, back-breaking debt, and the corporate buy-out of our legislators.

No one is that ignorant. They know what's going on.

[Mythsaje]

18. It's getting to the point

I can barely tolerate republicans anymore. Even a lot of self-described "moderates" really get on my nerves. On one of my e-mail groups one of the members whose husband is in the military "supports the war 100%."

I wrote a letter explaining the problems with the war and this administration and left it at that. The moderator basically cut the debate at that point. This woman is on the "the media is liberal" kick because they're "just talking about the bad things in Iraq and Afghanistan and not the good things" crap.

Anyone I hear spouting this junk makes me want to scream. I just want to ask them "how can you be so fucking ignorant?"

My dad, a life-long progressive, was originally for the war, basically because Hussein was a real creep...but now he's come around to understanding that it was US who gave him the power to be a big-league creep and that this war is a fiasco we were lied into, and it's digging us so far into debt we may never recover.

I've had it with Republicans. I will waste exactly five minutes of my time explaining things to them. If they don't listen, I simply walk away.

[KelleyKramer]

19. ask him if he wants $4 a gallon gas?

Bush doubled gas in his first term, from about 1 buck to two. Now he is going to double it again, to $4 a gallon.

Actually it doesnt matter if he wants it or not, Dick Cheney is going to do it anyway.

Its just fun to ask them how they like being reamed by their heroes.

[zbdent]

20. Shooting him would be ironic . . .

[Lannes]

21. If you want to have some fun with him

Ask him why he hates America?

[Vickers]

22. "So, what do you think about George jacking off horses?"

"Hey, isn't it wild that Laura murdered her boyfriend, it's like her own little Chappaquidick!"

"Hey, when are you enlisting?"

etc. etc.

Can you tell I also have RW nutjob relatives? :spank:

[Lex]

23. I just think of right-wing fundie relatives like that as mentally ill

and I try not to talk them about the stuff (politics) that cause them to be so nut-so.

Besides, what can you do anyway with people like that who regugitate what they hear without any ability (apparently) to critically evaluate what they hear?