what can you say to scared older conservatives about Obama?

[ginnyinWI]

I've replied to posts lately about my parents, who seem really scared of an Obama presidency. They didn't vote for him--only 14% of people over 65 did. Now they are listening to right-wing radio and are being scared by people telling about how Obama is going to change everything and march us toward one of the "isms"--Socialism, Communism, Fascism. They were hoping that he wouldn't win, and now are wishing that they and all of their children and grandchildren could move to Canada (which should sound familiar to those of us who lived through the Bush administration). They are old white people who wish the country could be like it was in the 1950s. You know, rigid gender roles, segregation, white males running everything; that's the way the world "should" be-- to them. I don't think moving to Canada or Australia or wherever would get them to where they want to be!

I expect to talk on the phone with them this week. Given that they know I'm a Democrat and "brainwashed" by the Liberal Media and a university education, is there anything I can say to help them not be so afraid? They are 78 and 80 years old and this kind of worry can't be good for them.

All I can think of telling them is that they have been listening to propaganda about Obama and that they should calm down and wait and see what happens. Arguing point by point is useless, I've already found out. They assume that since they are older they are wiser.

[Tansy_Gold]

1. Nothing. They won't listen.

Neither will the younger ones.


I've tried.



Tansy Gold

[Cosmocat]

15. STFU and get out of the way ...

in some form or another. Given that they are relatives, you have to communicate it a little more gently, but the point stands.

Same regurgitated crape was spewed when Clinton was elected - did we end up a communist state 8 years later?

BIG issues need addressed here - either get on board or get out of the way. 8 year from now if we are living in communist state, then you can say you told me so.

[happychatter]

68. most of the people spewing the lies don't even believe it themselves

their target, folks that aren't too "with it," are just kind of sad to behold

people can change... in their own way, at their own rate, to whatever extent they are able

I'd have to say you catch more flies with honey

[Cosmocat]

73. I'm fine with that ...

but, you can't talk them out of it. Nature MAY take its course, but again, all I want is for them to get the heck out of the way ...

[Name removed]

2. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MsTryska]

3. I would say nothing at all, unless they bring it up.

And if they bring it up, that's when you tell them there is nothing to be afraid of - and calm down and wait and see.

[Thrill]

4. Whats the point? Obama has already been elected

They'll see how full of shit the RW nuts are.

[dbonds]

5. They should not cause problems and accept their new overlords.

[riverwalker]

6. what I did

my Dad is 93, but sharp as a tack. He was very afraid of Obama. What did it for him what to read the article by Susan Eisenhower, Ikes grand daughter. I printed it out and gave it to him. He voted for Obama. That generation adores Ike.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/01/AR2008020102621.html

[Poiuyt]

26. That's good advice. Eisenhower and Colin Powell

[ginnyinWI]

77. that's a good point--all the repubs that endorsed Obama. nt

[BlooInBloo]

7. There's little need to say anything to older folks about him.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

8. CANADA? Canada is liberal even when it's conservative (according to right wingers).

I think CONSERVATIVE elderly people are like everyone else right wing, they are illogical, love propaganda, are into symbols (the flag lapel pin, the flag, the star spangled banner), they love to blame the helpless for their own plight, love to align themselves with conservatism and not change, and of course, racism runs deep in them, even among those that bake pies and will invite you in for some tea.

Honestly, I think you won't be able to change them. Maybe after a year of Obama you can ask them if the U.S. has gone commie or imploded, and see what they say. I don't think it's Obama or success or lack of it that shapes them. They're just typical right wingers that love right wing ideology.

FYI, I know liberal old people and they're SO MUCH MORE joyous and open!

So I'd recommend, love your parents, but don't obsess. You won't change them.

[ginnyinWI]

78. yup, they will have to see for themselves

that they were lied to by those people they love to believe. And that maybe they let their prejudices sway their thinking, too.

Unless the people they listen to can continue to bamboozle them into thinking the new administration is something it isn't.

My mother in law is liberal, and at 84 is such a joy to be with! She reads the New Yorker and the newspaper regularly and has an OPEN mind. Writes poetry, too.

[blm]

9. Tell them a president who believes in open government would have prevented a 9-11 event

and Obama will be the first open government president this nation has had in decades.

Presidents and their administrations who protect the secrecy and privilege of the powerful led this nation into the dire straits we have been in for some time.

If your parents feel that a president SHOULD treat them as responsible adult citizens and trust them with the information needed to make sound decisions in their lives and in the voting booth, then they should WANT an open government that holds itself accountable to the people.

With open government priorities this nation would never have gone through a Bush2 disaster presidency, and no 9-11 event, and no invasion of Iraq. Global terror networks would have been fully exposed, along with their powerful financiers, and full exposure of who was actually funding those networks and directing their crimes would have weakened them considerably.

[crispini]

10. The problem with an echo chamber is when people are unaware that they live in an echo chamber.

I would try to point that out to them, if they can -- that they are listening to a "conservative spin zone" and seem unaware of that. Nothing really wrong with listening to a spin zone as long as you realize that you are in one and make a point to listen to other points of view.

I would take a lighthearted point of view ... talk 'around' it.... Isn't the Obama family lovely? stuff like that. Just don't ever go "head to head" with them -- relax, smile, tell them how happy you are and how much you like Obama and maybe they'll come around.

[DLnyc]

11. Listen to them

People who are scared need to know someone is listening. You don't have to agree, just hear them.

[Honeycombe8]

12. To people afraid of the middle name "Hussein," no explanation will suffice.

To those not afraid of his middle name, no explanation is necessary.

You can explain that his policies are similar to Bill Clinton's, that they are not socialistic or communistic. That it was the REPUBLICANS who proposed nationalizing the banks and causing a bailout of big investment firms, and those are socialistic actions.

You can point out that Social Security is a social program. Are they against Social Security?

You can point out that Medicare is a social program. Are they against Medicare?

You can point out that it was the Republicans who broadened Medicare by over one trillion dollars, making it the biggest social program in our country's history.

CANADA. You can point out that Canada is a pseudo-socialistic country. It is not as pure a form of democracy as America is. That Canada has a TRUE universal healthcare system, something America will probably never have and something that Obama has NOT proposed.

You can point out that Obama is half Irish, half white, half Af. American, and that the father he never knew immigrated (legally) from Africa long enough to marry Obama's mother, and that is almost all of what Obama experienced of his father's life. That Obama's father was a muslim, but in name only, and was not a practicing muslim. In any event, Obama never knew him, and Obama was raised by his grandparents as a Christian. Obama spent most of his boyhood in Hawaii & Kansas, and a few years as a child in Indonesia which has a lot of muslims, so that exposed Obama to that religion and perhaps gives him insight into it, but he never became a muslim or practiced it.

BEING A PAL OF TERRORISTS. You can point out that Obama wasn't a "pal" to any terrorists. That Ayers sat on a board dealing with improving education, that Obama was on that board, that Obama didn't know him, that Ayers was named to be on that board by a big Republican woman who was a friend of Ronald Reagan. You can point out that in Chicago politics, he let people do fundraising for him because that's the way politics is done, Chicago-style. AND MCCAIN was friends with convicted criminal G. Gordon Liddy, and was directly involved in the Keating scandal.

I suspect all of this will be for nought, though. I suspect that no explanation will suffice, and that basically, they just are afraid of "the black guy." It's a generational thing. My grandma couldn't get over the fact that they started letting black people act in her TV shows like Hawaii Five-O. She would have NEVER accepted a black person as President. That's just the way it is with some of the old folks. They haven't moved forward in a changing world.

[ginnyinWI]

79. I have pointed out that Medicare and Social Security were Dem ideas.

All I got was a blank look! My dad didn't have anything to say so he changed the subject. Even when I'm right he won't admit it, because he's never wrong, lol.

Yep there is a definite racial element with them. It's just not normal, to them, to have African Americans doing anything but menial work. Think 1950s. These attitudes will just have to die out with the people who carry them.

[nichomachus]

13. Tell them to turn off Fox News and cable in general for at least six months

Seriously. I walk around my neighborhood early in the morning -- around 5 a.m. -- I see older folks sitting in front of their 50-inch TV watching Fox. Go to the car dealer -- FOx in the waiting room. Go to the doctor -- Fox in the waiting room. Go to our clubhouse for my lottery ticket, and the geezers are sitting there watching Fox. Go to the gym - Fox. Everywhere you go these people are watching Fox from morning to night. There is no getting through to them because the lies are being reinforced 16 hours a day every day.

And they think MSGOP is "liberal" and that they're getting the straight deal from Fox.

[demnan]

14. Why not buy them a copy of

the Audacity of Hope? My Mom got a talking tape of it and she liked it. To actually hear or read what he has to say in this book should give them some ease.

[Hekate]

56. Good idea. I read "Dreams" and listened to it on CD. It really resonates...

His "Kansas" family's attitudes toward living in Hawaii felt so much like my own parents' attitudes of approximately the same era. We moved to the Territory of Hawaii in 1957; he was born in the State of Hawaii in 1961. My parents were born and raised in Colorado, and they embraced the multi-ethnic society around them in Hawai'i.

If Hawai'i seems really exotic to a lot of people, then Indonesia must be unthinkable. Yet his memories of Indonesia are charming little-boy memories.

When my husband talks to scared conservatives about Obama, he talks fiscal conservatism. When I talk to scared religious-right (although I try to avoid it) what I talk about is multi-ethnic Hawai'i -- and the fact that his Muslim father and step-father were as secular in their way as his Christian mother. He was raised with a strong sense of ethics, but not religion. His "conversion" experience in Chicago was genuine.

Books on tape or CD: highly recommended.

Hekate

[Tom Rinaldo]

16. Turn them on to all of the conservatives who endorsed Obama

Tell them that officially the U.S. is a mixed economy and has been for over a century. We have government regulation of business, we have public schools, we have government security at airports and Federal air traffic contgrollers. And Teddy Roosevelt campaigned (and followed through) as more of a socialist than Obama has ever hinted at and the rough rider was McCain's favorite President. Progressive income taxes have been around for a long long time and they were more progressive under Nixon and Ike than they were under Bill Clinton, and taxes would be lower overall under Obama's plans thay they were under Bill Clinton.

They may not end up supporting Obamma but he is well in the mainstream of American politics as traditionally defined even if he is further left in the mainstream than they are happy with.

[Ganja Ninja]

17. How about this:

"Look on the bright side, you may die before he finishes his second term."

[WI_DEM]

18. Get over it.

[margotb822]

50. I was going to say "get over yourselves"

I think these are pretty similar responses

[JitterbugPerfume]

19. I spoke to a couple of over 65's yesterday

and both of them were afraid of socialism .

I reconnected with them after years of no communication between us . They were both stuck in their same old religious conservative trap we were all in 30 years ago. It is sad to see old friends who have never had a new idea in their sad lives

by the way , I am 68

[Newkophile]

20. "Get over it"

If Scalia could repeatedly say that after the abominable SCOTUS ruling that's responsible for what we've endured the past eight years, then those three little words can definitely suffice now.

[DeschutesRiver]

21. Tell them that since they are closer to their expiration dates than to their youth

that time isn't on their side anymore. So turn off the damned tv, quit listening to things that are upsetting, and start living what little they have left of their lives instead of finding things to worry about or over which they make themselves sick with upset. Yes, they are older; but if this is how they spend their days, then nope, they aren't wiser. They are like my parents - miserable. You are doing better than me - I disowned my parents/relatives who held these views to the point of almost obsession with them, like yours are doing. Mine just couldn't enjoy life if things didn't go their way, and that is all this is about. Control, really and truly. The fear is of lacking control.

We've had how many presidents since the start of the country??? How many times has the presidency changed hands since your older people were born? Lots of times. A president can be a great influence, or a troublemaker who is tossed in 4-8 years, or a big fat zero. That is all. We can change them out every 4 years - so if this is someone they don't like or worry about, then find something else to focus on for the next 4 years. When you are that old that you could expire any day, who is president is such a freaking non issue, unless they are like my parents who will do anything to hold onto their misery. If it wasn't being miserable about not getting their presidential choice, it would be about something else. Naturally negative people can't be fixed or guided or comforted.

If I was that age, and acting like this, it would be a favor to me if someone slapped me upside the head with a reality check. I know they want it to be like it was in the 50s, but life is about moving forward, progressing, letting the next generation lead the way and clear the road ahead. Not them - this ain't their life anymore, rather they, like me at 50, are a part of the younger people's time to shine (or not) on the planet. That's how it goes. Rome didn't fall, no matter what they say - it just transitioned into something different than the first Romans thought was their kind of "normal". And transitioned again, and again, and just became something else.

That is normal - what is unrealistic is demanding that others keep our fantasies of what we think is normal and right and perfect in place forever, and pissing about it when it changes. Tell them to read some history, or just get out and do something other whine over something like politics. Time is short for them

[blondeatlast]

24. Yeah, you gotta be their parents now. NOT.

That's chutzpah. Okay in some cases, but not with mom and dad.

[Poiuyt]

29. I wouldn't bring up the age issue, but telling them that our country has survived through

a lot of adversity should calm their nerves. Realistically speaking, one president isn't going to make or break our country.

[AllentownJake]

22. Tell them to take a vacation in Canada, Australia, or England

Tell them to leave the country for two weeks and talk to some people in those countries. Than they will quickly discover Canada, most of europe, and Australia are a hell of alot more socialistic than the US. Oh yeah and their people are happier and live longer.

Oh yeah and tell them to enjoy the beautiful but empty churches.

[drm604]

23. When I see threads like this I am so happy that my 78 year old mother is not like this.

She never liked Bush, and she supported Obama and would have voted for him if she had been physically able to stand in the long line at the polls. She tells me that most of her friends feel the same way.

She also told me that her cousin, who is closer to my age, told her that she feared what would happen if Obama won and that he may be a terrorist. My mother spoke up and tried to tell her, unsuccessfully, that her fears were unfounded.

So keep in mind that not all people of that generation feel the same way. I know that most of the people on DU, including the OP, know this, but it bears repeating.

[blondeatlast]

31. My mom and dad would have been absolutely THRILLED to see this.

My mom saw Obama's closing speech in 2004 and was just awed by him; she was crying at the end. They lived great lives and were at peace with their deaths--but for one brief moment, I hoped they could have returned for a couple of hours...

[Arugula Latte]

37. My mom is 75 and volunteered for the Democrats for the first time ever this year.

She's been voting for Dems. since '84 (before that was one of those now mythical very moderate mildly Republican types). She is now absolutely appalled by the religious nutcases running the GOP, is disgusted by their abject disregard of the environment, and HATES Sarah Palin with more venom than I've ever seen from her.

[lumberjack_jeff]

25. He'll be as good a President as FDR. Rembember what they said about him? n/t

[supernova]

28. The GOP is still mad at FDR

:D

They run against him every election. ;-)

[Honeycombe8]

34. True. And Jewish people have a problem with him, I think.

As a Jewish friend pointed out, and which I later saw a reference to in a documentary, there is SOME evidence that FDR knew about the Jewish plight in Germany and decided not to assist them, even after we were in the war. Something like that. I refused to believe my friend about that, but then I saw some reference to it in a documentary. It's not settled fact, by any means, but there is some evidence that he was told about the holocaust while it was going on, and he decided not to act on it.

I hate to think that's true. But, I don't know.

[Two Sheds]

27. "Go Into The Light"

I have a 77 year old parent so I can say that.

MY 77 year old parent voted for Obama, thank you very much.

Are you sure that just 14% of 65 or olders voted for Obama? That's the best news I've heard all day. That demographic votes like hell and as they, ahem, cease voting, the GOP demographic picture will just get worse.

This weekend I'll be around one of the older voters you're talking about in the OP. He's 65 or close to it and he had "religious" reasons for going against the President-elect. What will I say? If he brings it up, I guess I'll say "let's make a deal. If all you got in 4 years are silly religious excuses and not some sound reason to not vote for Obama, like poor performance in office, then you HAVE to vote to reelect him." Maybe I'll toss in my vote to the deal.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[cosmic _mind]

53. In what respect, Grovelbot?

[Mariana]

32. I promise my parents that I'll visit them in the reeducation camp.

I figure if I pretend to take them seriously, and follow their thinking to its obvious conclusion, they'll see how ridiculous these ideas are.

It works temporarily, long enough to have a peaceful dinner usually. Then they turn on Faux News or Hate Radio again, and it's back to square one.

[ginnyinWI]

80. that might work--show them how silly they sound.

When you actually say these things out loud they do sound really nutty. This will work when I see them in person--through email they wouldn't get it.

[Terran]

33. How about pointing out to them that...

...other than his ethnicity, Obama is not significantly different, politically, from Bill Clinton or any other Democrat that's been elected President in the past 50 years; and none of those prior Dems lead the nation to some 'nightmare' socialist state. In fact the nation enjoyed unprecedented prosperity under Clinton. I would think the elderly ought to be able to exercise their memories and their wisdom enough to see this obvious fact.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

35. Maybe offer to be there with them to "man the barricades"

if Obama really DOES start showing signs that he intends to be a petty tyrant (like Bush). :shrug:

You'd think that if there was something REALLY sinister about Obama that it would've ALREADY come out, especially given Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Neal Boortz, and Glenn Beck's intense "journalistic efforts" (and media platforms) to get the "truth" out about Obama to everybody prior to the election. I mean WHAT exactly did they say on their programs that didn't eventually get picked up and broadcast by the "mainstream" media outlets?

Seriously, why do Democrats "scare" other people more than Republicans do even though, as we have witnessed over the past 8 years, there seem to be far more reasons to fear Republicans and their neocon and fundie supporters than people like Clinton and Obama? I just heard a local news story about the sharp increase in gun sales. I mean, WTF are they so afraid of?

[ginnyinWI]

81. people think they won't be able to buy any more guns,

once Obama's in office. Like he is going to become some dictator and command that all gun shops be closed! It's crazy.

Fortunately my parents aren't into guns. They are more social conservatives and traditional Republicans voting against their own best interests. The traditional Republican believes in Reaganomics and that business must remain unfettered by government.

[Arugula Latte]

36. "Ooga Booga Smooga Wooga!"

[DefenseLawyer]

38. Tell them to put their bibles in one stack and their guns in another

The truck will be by to pick them up right after the inauguration. Tell them they need to do their part to make the collection go smoothly before we are all assigned to our collective farms or re-education camps. And not to worry, the forced gay marriage for all single people over 30 isn't going to be that bad. It'll be fun! Enjoy the show!

[THUNDER HANDS]

39. tell them if they want to fight back, give up their social security and medicare

that'll learn 'em.

[cooolandrew]

40. Get digital tv with channel blocker for fox and break their radios job done.>

I suggest all people concerned about their parents do the same. Make sure they can only receive MSANBC and CNN it's the only ethical thing to do.

[juno jones]

84. Heheheh!

and with their proven lack of remote abilities we can lock them out of dangerous TV! Good thinking! ( and I say this as someone who had to program my parents remotes in the last 15 years of their lives...):evilgrin:

[csziggy]

41. When my 88 year old Mom got disgusted with McCain because of Palin

But still said she was "afraid" of Obama, I talked to her about the reasons I was volunteering for the Obama campaign: that Obama and Biden were both Constitutional scholars that would hopefully restore the balance of powers among the branches of the federal government; that Obama was looking to the future of the country, which would be good for her grandchildren's future; that both Obama and Biden were intelligent and better educated than McCain and Palin; and that Obama has surrounded himself with some of the smartest people in the country for the various subjects needed to run the government.

She still balked about the tax issues, but I pointed out that Obama would cut taxes for all her children and grandchildren even if he might possibly raise taxes for her and Dad (I have no idea if their taxes would go up - they might, but I doubt it).

I the end I think she did vote for Obama - this week she still made comments about how stupid she considered Palin and how much respect she had lost for McCain because of that choice for VP.

[Obamanaut]

42. I sent this 'reply to all' to a fundie relative who sends stuff on a

regular basis, this a response to the 'Obama is a socialist' meme. I'm getting fewer and fewer of this sort of email without having to block anyone. They don't seem to have found the BCC line, so everyone gets a response. This was one of my latest responses, with a biblical verse thrown in even though I am a non-believer:

Socialism - economic system which is based on cooperation rather than competition and which utilizes centralized planning and distribution


Have you considered that you might have socialist leanings if you:

Pay taxes, money that goes to a central distribution point (Washington, D.C., Tallahassee, etc. )

Ride on a public road paid for by taxes, a road that does not require a user fee to ride upon;

Have been in the military, know of anyone who has been, or supports having a military - paid for by taxes;

Use a public library, know of a fire or police department, know someone on social security and/or Medicare, know of anyone whose children attend a public school;

Have ever benefited from the various funds for education such as a Pell grant;

Know of anyone who has benefited from the laws concerning minimum wage or 40 hour week, or maternity leave;

Live in Alaska and received the more than $3,200 this year that came by way of taxing oil companies;

If any or all of the above apply to you, “You might have been aided by a socialist program!”


Many people spit out the word ‘socialism’ as if it tastes bad, but it seems to me like the items listed above are used by most of us (except for the Alaska tax give-away) nearly every day. I cannot for the life of me imagine why anyone would want to find fault with a system that, for the most part, assists people rather than hinders them (minimum wage may be too low, but that’s another rant,)


For people who like to have biblical references for things, I submit this for you:

Jesus told the rich man to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor. He drove the money changers, good capitalists all, out of the temple with a whip.

He said it’s easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go to Heaven.

He said you can't serve God and mammon.

Webster's dictionary defines 'Mammon' as: 1) the false god of riches and avarice. 2) riches regarded as an object of worship and greedy pursuit; wealth as an evil, more or less personified

Acts 2:44-45 (NIV)
44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need

As to whether or not socialism in government works, one might look to Great Britain, Australia, Germany, Canada, and Sweden. The people there seem no less happy than do the people in the USA.

edited to remove random smilie

[zulchzulu]

43. Make a CD of Obama speeches and ask them to listen...

I have a bunch on my site:
http://www.americatotherescue.com/site/?q=node/5

If you have the capability to burn MP3s on CDs or have an extra MP3 player, put these on there and just ask them to give it a listen.

If they are prejudiced, ask them if they like Tiger Woods. Tell them that listening to college dropouts like Limbaugh and Hannity is not really doing them a favor.

I had a grandfather who was convinced that when Jimmy Carter was elected, the Trilateral Commission was going to take over the country and we were all going to be sent to reeducation camps. OK, he was right! :crazy: Kidding aside, he died thinking that crap.

[TahitiNut]

44. 45% of voters over 65 voted for Obama!

(sheesh!) Where the hell do people get this stuff?? 14%?? Nonsense.

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#USP00p1


The conjecture regarding the REASONS for this is CRAP, too. Note that only 41% of whites 30 and older voted for Obama and the percentage was uniform for all ages in that group!!

The slicing and dicing of human beings is bad enough. To both select ONE statistic and misrepresent it to make som broad brush claim about individual human beings is just stupid.

[Waiting For Everyman]

45. Maybe ask them to "branch out" and listen to some other media,

for some other points of view... like start with MSM to begin with. Then maybe they'd see that everyone doesn't agree with the RW media's so-called "facts".

As long as all they hear is RW lies, they won't see anything different. Tell them they're isolated in a self-reinforcing small bubble.

[Doctor_J]

46. Try this:

Have you completely lost your fucking mind?

[4themind]

47. I think the best thing is to ask them to realistically asses their highest interests

and use use consistent criteria to determine how well Obama's achievements measure up to them. Now's the time for them to see him in action and to make judgments from that, just ask them to apply the same standard to him as to everyone else, to just give him a fair chance. Also ask them to listen to other countering viewpoints from news sources along with their own. If they aren't willing to do that, then they may not be possible to convince. They need other stimuli to come in to do that IMO and if they just shut it down from the start then they might be close to being close-minded

[tigereye]

48. that's kind of sad - it might be useful to use the AARP as an argument

that Obama seems to be the one concerned with people's health, safety and welfare. And that he's a really, really smart guy.



Where do people get this stuff? A guy from Hawaii, who went to Harvard, and was a community organizer in the inner city, will be leading us toward Fascism? Give me a break. The real bad guys here are the greedy bankers who ran away with everyone's cash when banking regulations were changed.



It also might help that some of he folks he seems to be picking to advise him on the transition are old hands.

[Egnever]

49. Die allready

not really pleasent but these fuckers have been bigots their whole lives they arent changing now.

[Hekate]

51. What my hubby tells conservatives: "Obama will be the best Republican prez since Bill Clinton"...

That opens a dialog. They go, "Say what?!" and he proceeds to talk about Fiscal Conservatism, which has been notably absent from the Republican Party for quite some time, not just the last 8 years.

Mr. H is actually registered Green, which indicates his level of disgust with my party, so he doesn't have much of an ax to grind when it comes to defending the Democrats in the first place. He very happily voted for Barack Obama; Obama brings him to tears every time he gears up the oratory; and in general Mr. H is as big a fan of Obama as I am.

But back to Clinton -- he really does believe Clinton's presidency reflected old-style Republican values, the good ones, the ones we used to be able to respect, before the days when Gingrich and Atwater and those guys dragged the Repub party through the slime and made politics a knife-fight.

And he thinks Obama's temperament will "right the ship of state" by steering it towards the center. In a good way.

This line of talk is worth a try when dealing with people who are very fearful of the imaginary socialist paradise. Mr H is trying to talk our neighbor down with this line of reasoning -- the poor guy is ready to sell his business.

edited to add our ages: 61

Hekate

[busymom]

52. Boo!

[sixmile]

54. Soylent Green is people!

It's people!

[southpaw]

55. That's PRESIDENT Barack Hussein Obama, if you don't mind!

:evilgrin:

[KayLaw]

57. Rigid gender roles? White males running everything?

So they vote for Sarah Palin?

:wtf:

[Life Long Dem]

58. Give it a break.

Tell them all about the alternative we have had for the last eight years. Something that seems to evade the discussion.

[gkhouston]

59. Tell them to give it six months. After that, when the sky doesn't fall, maybe they

should reconsider the "news value" of the information sources they've been relying on.

[Speck Tater]

60. Fifty years ago my dad told me...

The day after election, no matter who is elected, he is OUR president, and we should all support him. Of course some presidents, like Bush, show us pretty early on that they don't deserve our support, but until a new president shows us otherwise, we should always give him the benefit of the doubt to start with.

[mitchum]

61. "You will be dead soon and there will be no need to worry any longer"

[OxQQme]

62. Hook 'em up to the internet tubes

with a big monitor set on extra large fonts and DU as home page!

[RoadRage]

63. "Deal with it. He WON". NT

[Ladyhawk]

64. In my case, it's a lost cause.

My obsessing about it isn't going to change the minds of my family because they are not open to change.

[bullwinkle428]

65. Find a good psychiatrist.

[Zombie2]

66. You need to put them in a Nursing Home....

....or a Psychiatric Hospital.

[elleng]

67. Be calm,

speak softly, tell them you're sad they're scared, and try to explain in highly civil tone and words that there are some who gain their living from saying horrific things.

Think of examples in their lives (people, situations) when those they might have agreed with said awful things, etc. Bring it home.

And tell them about Florida, where thousands > millions of people, including elders, voted for Senator Obama, and are NOT scared. (The only 'scared' ones I've heard are 2 who've been listening to the fox group.)

[johan helge]

69. Tell them some simple facts about Repubs that should tell them

who they can trust. Example: Krugman on health care (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/opinion/06krugman.html?scp=2&sq=krugman%20health%20care%20destruction&st=cse)

[cameozalaznick]

70. Have they ever actually sat through one of his speeches?

I don't think that you can come away from his speeches and still maintain the illusion that he's somehow dangerous. I think he's his own best advertisement.

[ginnyinWI]

83. I'm not sure they have.

I do think that the more they are exposed to him, the better they will feel. How can you not feel reassured by the guy? He's cool, calm and collected. And I know they were sick of and disappointed with Bush, even though they voted for him twice. To them a bad Republican is better than a good Democrat. Sheesh.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

71. Boo?

[H2O Man]

72. You already know the answer.

You identify it in your third paragraph.

One of the things that people tend to find most frustrating is that in most cases, there is nothing we can say or do to change others. We have to be patient, and hope that the seeds of truth will take root. Sometimes they do, and other times they do not.

[SoxFan]

74. He's only taking your guns. You can keep your knives.

[lelgt60]

75. So see post 44. Does any disagree it was 45% NOT 14% ?

[ginnyinWI]

76. Thanks to you all for your replies!

I had to be away from the computer so this was a post and run--sorry! Will read them all soon.

[JJ]

82. BOOO!!!!!!!

really loudly

[proud patriot]

85. My 87 yr old life long republican Grandmother voted Obama

She believes as I do that Obama will lead from the center .

I don't know if that helps .

[YvonneCa]

86. This is one reason I have been so upset with...

...what this administration has done. With the help of Fox News, they have brainwashed and divided families. My parents were subjected to the same thing. They were afraid...because fear was used for the promotion of Bush policies. It was NOT their fault...but it changed them. My dad passed away a year ago, but Mom just voted for Obama. :) It's a partial victory that I give total credit to my mom for...she started reading, listened to her grandchildren, and turned off Fox.

But it took four YEARS.

I agree with you that the worry isn't good for them. My advice is just to be reassuring and supportive...and give them things to read, if they will. I also believe that over time, people will realize that they have nothing to fear from Obama...and the fear-mongering will die off. The sooner the better, IMHO.:hi:

[qwlauren35]

87. Unless they are rich...

I'd try to have a rational discussion and see if you could move them toward "wait and see".

If they are rich, you'll just have to let it go - because they WILL get pinched in the Obama administration. D*mn those socialists!!!

[JVS]

88. Just toy with their scared asses.