A good way to go after republican voters in '04

[littlejoe]

Most of us here on DU have decided which horse to place our bet on in the primaries. But regardless of who the Democratic nominee is, they must understand that there are potentially millions of republican votes just ripe for the picking.

If I were the nominee, I would ask these voters a few simple questions. If you can think of more, please feel free.

1. Does your family have health care? If so, are you paying more each year? What is the Republican leadership doing to help you in this regard?

2. Do you have a job? Or was it outsourced to another country? What is the republican leadership doing for you regarding this issue?

3. Do you have a son or daughter getting ready to go to college? Can you afford to send them, without bankrupting yourselves? What is the republican leadership doing for you on this issue?

4. Do you believe that ALL children deserve a quality education? Do you believe that all children should have a modern building to learn in? Up to date textbooks and all other tools to learn by in our technologically sophisticated world? Ask yourself why the Republicans aren't working for the interest of the children.

5. Do you like to drink clean, safe water and breathe fresh air? Why aren't the republicans interested in your health?

6. Can you think of anything that touches your daily life that the Bush administration is doing for you?

[SlavesandBulldozers]

1. Plays into their hand

You are right. But this is not the correct approach for a cornered Rabidpublican. The implication is that the government is there to give you something. Something in the conservative mind is repelled by the idea, at least in principle, of the government providing services. Nevertheless, you are right, essentially tax breaks for the 1% manifest themselves in the enriching of the rich at the expense of government services. Hence the irony of Bush's reputation of being a "tax-cutting" President, even while he engages in expensive military adventures.

[Poiuyt]

7. People like government services

It's just that they don't want anyone else to have them

[rfranklin]

2. Rabid Republicans think they are rugged invidualists...

and will keep voting for Republicans while they lose their jobs, their health coverage, their vacations--while they pay more taxes to pay interest on T-bills held by the one percenters who are getting richer at their expense. Their blind "faith" in the Republican credo is unshakable in the face of empirical evidence of their wrongheadness. To distract themselves from the obvious, they focus on the least privileged in our society and blame them for everything that is wrong in their lives. You think there's hope for them?

[littlejoe]

3. Yours is the second reply that refers to republicans as rabid.

A great many of us have aunts, uncles, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers who vote republican. These are good people. Most of them aren't rabid. Just misguided maybe. To characterize them in such a fashion is to alienate yourself from roughly half the population. If we can reach out and offer better ways of life, it is worth doing so.

[Cleita]

4. Add: "Do you have a mother, father or grandparent

who is over 65. What are you going to do to support them when their Medicare and SS are privatized and not much is left after the corporations take their share?"

[littlejoe]

5. Zing!

[salinen]

6. Add to the list

Do you have a son or daughter or niece or nephew or grandchildren who are of draftable age?

[tritsofme]

8. Republicans tend to be more affluent.

So they are less likely to be affected by the things you mentioned.

And those that are effected believe that they can someday be super-rich as well, and are deaf to claims that they vote against their own interest.