Fighting "The Man" ... I'm Starting to Get Across

[CatBO]

My boss votes on his wallet, nothing else.

He also hates and is embarrassed by Bush.

He likes to ask me my thoughts on things. I think he can be converted, but I am going to have to start stepping up the rhetoric. I just hate talking about politics at work, so we don't talk much.

This Palin choice has him concerned, and he's officially wavering. I said to him today, "Forget that she's affiliated with a secessionist party, and that she has no experience. She's incredibly right wing and anti-choice."

At this he got a very disgusted look on his face and said, "I know. Look, you and I are really politically so much more alike than we are different."

I said, "Come on, consider Obama." He just keeps saying, "I just can't." He insists it's not due to race, and I believe him, based on what I know about him. He's just so concerned Obama is going to raise his taxes. I finally asked if I could forward him a non-partisan, non-opinionated base comparison of Obama and McCain on taxes and he said sure. And he read each and every point and we argued over some of them.

And I took a big risk when he kept parroting his, "I don't think Obama's any more qualified," line. I said, "Who did you vote for in 2000 and 2004? Did you vote for Bush?"

He said he did.

I said, "So clearly your judgment on who is qualified to run this country is completely lacking."

He had nothing to say to that. In fact, I thought I had made him angry and I peeked over the cube wall later to say, "You mad at me for the Bush remark?" He said, "Nah, you're right..."

I think I'm getting through to him.

[gateley]

1. And I believe that Palin put her town in debt when she was mayor --

and it's entirely possible that she would assume the Presidency sometime within McCain's term.

She didn't handle her town's wallet very well.

[Wapsie B]

2. You're lucky you've got an open-minded boss

who will at least listen and consider other points of view. He's one of the gopers who can turn the election from a victory to a landslide for Obama.

Belated welcome to DU!

[codjh9]

3. Keep hammering on him! I can't believe how long and how much it takes to

get through to some of them, but they're still better than the ones who are totally closed-minded!

[Salviati]

4. The key phrase to use with people like this...

is "enlightened self interest" you want to feed on their self interest as well as their desire to feel like they're crafty and smart. You tell them that republican policies may sound good in the short term, but they're a disaster for running the country smoothly or well. If he's truely interested in his pocketbook, he'd vote Dem, and though it may "seem counterintuitive" it will end up helping his pocketbook in the long run.

Of course this line of reasoning has an advantage in that it's also true! But I've had some success in selling these ideas packaged like that.

[CatBO]

5. Thanks everyone for your encouragement and suggestions!!

"Enlightened self interest" is definitely a good one to use with this guy.