Office Election Talk: The Right-Wing certainly is downtrodden today! (TN-SEN)

[TornadoTN]

I was approached by a fellow employee today about the Senate race here in Tennessee. She is a strong Republican but waivering on her support because of the path our country is taking. So she comes to me, knowing that I am a proud Democrat, to convince her to vote for Ford. I go through all of the talking points, ask the right questions, judge her response and things look promising.

She then goes to another office worker who is a rabid right-wing fundamentalist - "abortion and gays are rotting our country". She gets the talking points from this person and then the Iraq issue comes up. She is very unclear as to what the Fundy person is saying, so she brings her to me - the fundy is basically saying that Iraq and 9/11 were connected because "they are all the same over there".

Getting past this obvious lack of brain power on the part of the fundy, there was something else about her rhetoric that stunned me. Instead of the obvious gay bashing, white-power attitude that they usually take, she was more reserved and was saying "it doesn't matter, both parties are the same anyway." Wow, what is this stunning reversal? Is this bizarro world?

Even with Ford running behind (I tend to think this race is even) in most polls, I think the right wing is sitting this election out. Beyond that, some more moderate Republicans are reaching out and asking those of us who are outspoken why we feel the way we do about certain issues and candidates. I have never encountered this sort of behavior to this large of a degree in any election I have been exposed to.

I'm wondering what the pulse is out there across this nation today and if anyone is running into the same type of circustances and how they were handled.

[unpossibles]

1. I've noticed this trend too and was just commenting on it in

another thread. The die-hard Kool Aid drinkers won't go so far as to be pro-liberal, so they just get disgusted and stop voting or start voting 3rd party, which is fine with me.

Then again, the cynic in me says since so many are chicken-hawks and liars, they probably still vote Republicon just can't admit it in public.

[TornadoTN]

4. But one would think they would at least put up a fight against the "liberal"

That's what I can't wrap my mind around - they don't even try to defend their positions or attack the liberal - it's now shifted to "it doesn't matter anyway".

I know a lot of them will still vote Republican, but I think a good portion could in fact sit this one out. At the very least, they feel abandoned by their own and that bodes well for us - they are disorganized and fighting for their political survival. We are organized and are fighting for the survival of our Democracy.

[unpossibles]

10. well, it kind of makes sense

they feel let down by their side, but so many have grown used to anti-liberal rhetoric for so long, they can't even consider taking the "liberal" side of things, even when it's ridiculous.

I've seen one guy on another board - who claims now to be a Libertarian - defend the invasion of privacy and use of torture and even the idea of a State ID. None of those stances are pro-Libertarian or even old school conservative.

But yeah, so if their party is screwing up and getting busted for everything under the sun, they say "but Clinton did it" first, then when they realize that (a) it doesn't matter to me if Clinton did something or not and (b) that the corruption, lies, and death just keep getting worse, they fall back on "everyone in Washington is crooked." See? That way they never have to admit they were wrong. They were taught to hate Clinton, and now when they find out the alternative is just as disgusting, instead of "going over to the other side" they give up, or claim to anyway.

I think it has to be something 'beamed from above' by Rush or someone, only because of the number of people dittoheads who are suddenly saying it. I'm not buying it either.

[TornadoTN]

13. That makes sense

I still don't understand the fact that so many people get suckered into not thinking for themselves. Rather, they go about their daily lives content in their ignorance and sulking when things don't look promising for the talking heads that give the marching orders and talking points.

The fact that they are restorting to the "everyone is corrupt" group speak leads me to believe that they, as a movement, are in very dire straights. That disturbing to me because they have proven that they will stop at nothing to propel their cause.

[Actionmac]

2. forced to think...

they are forced to think now because they know what is going on is not right and it is EFFECTING THEM IN THEIR HOMES...

[bscottsmith]

3. heard it before............

when the republicans screw up their supporters always try to end the conversation with "they are all alike" in other words they can't defend them anymore..I love it

[liberal N proud]

5. Yeah, you know they have no more answers when they throw that one out there

[TornadoTN]

6. It's working wonders for us

When they try that stuff, we have the playing field all to ourselves to explain what is at stake and why we vote the way we do. Makes my life easier since I don't have to deal with the brain dead shouting "ABORTION! GAYS! LIBERALS TAKING MY GUNS!" over the top of my voice.

[baldingrockwarlord2]

12. re: they're all crooks and bad etc....

Band practice last night: Everyone is republican except for me. The first argument was that if Dems win taxes will go up and that's bad for their precious little small business and their bottom line. I told them taxes can't keep going down or be cut otherwise how will we ever pay to repair and un-f*** everything the Pugs have done. Next up he brings up Jesse Jackson and his out of wedlock child. I said "Look, there is no amount of dung you can try to pile on the left to even attempt to make yourselves smell good right now, but I'll drink another beer and laugh at you as you try."
Finally it defaulted to the "their all crooks and bad no matter who...." crap. I have found that all you have to do to a republican is speak up for yourself, and they cannot sustain an argument or conversation. They are too used to parrotting and not being challenged that when they are, it totally confuses them and they can't keep up.

I'd go start a band with all lefties but I don't want to limit a following or customer base solely from politics, but it is quite difficult to work with conservative republican musicians.

[TornadoTN]

14. Welcome to DU!

I understand where you are coming from - my office is made up almost entirely of rabid Republicans. Today was a pleasant surprise when a couple actually were curious about their options in this race. What is surprising is watching them go about business today and how they answer the political questions directed at them - it's a very different vibe today than it was in 2004 thats for sure.

[reichstag911]

16. "Following or customer base?"

If your music is good, politics needn't play any part in developing a following. And Radiohead's (U2's, R.E.M.'s, etc.) staunch progressivism doesn't seem to have inhibited their development of a rather large and rabid fan base...

[baldingrockwarlord2]

17. problem with that is.....

I highly doubt, although regrettably, that the radiohead/U2/REM customer base is really an active voting block anyway. Same goes for the whole Springsteen,Bon Jovi, Mellencamp GOTV efforts in the last election.So even though fans may cheer and flick their bics at anti establishment messages or songs, it really doesn't matter in the final ballot tally. There was a time I believed it could, but we still lost in '04. On a local level when you are basically a "tavern and small venue" entertainer people do not want to be confronted by or even know your politics. They just want to be entertained and not swayed in any direction. I prefer to keep my politics separate from my art, but that's just me. I know that the opposite does work well for some. Please don't take my disagreeing with you as a complete total disagreement. We're BOTH democrats and I'm on your side. I just don't believe artists influence translates into votes at the ballot box. I even like the Henry Rollins rants, too, but he's basically praching to a choir of unregistered voters.

[Norquist Nemesis]

18. Did the "Vote for the party that's less corrupt!" line get down your way?

:rofl:

A week or two ago, there was a Republican who stood on a street corner holding a document that Blago had flown with an indicted lobbyist (Rezko, maybe? :shrug:) Cameras all focused on him, a reporter asks something to the effect of, "So you're saying voters should vote for Republicans because they're not corrupt even though Governor Ryan was convicted and sentenced?"

To which the guy replies: "No. I'm saying vote for the party that's less corrupt. And that's the Republicans." :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Wickerman]

7. noticed same here

Republican die hard wanted to engage on the elections today. She made fun of the local Republicans, she picked on their state senator. She is really pissed at Governor Pawlenty (Minn) for his dirty politics in recent days. She is disgusted at Bush** for turning the Kerry misspeak into a "rah-rah" moment saying the Republicans are the party taking care of the troops. Amazing stuff, really. The sheen has gone missing on her party.

[TornadoTN]

8. With this same thing happening in Tennessee, the polls mean nothing

Too many disappointed/disgusted/fed up Republicans this election cycle for these polls that show Corker ahead to have much meaning. A week ago I was feeling discouraged, but after all of this I am really starting to feel that this thing certainly is not over - not by a long shot.

[Bluestar]

9. Both of my sisters who are fundies

Tried this on me this summer when I was home visiting--"all politicians are corrupt". I take this as a real cop-out and it disgusts me. If everyone adopted this attitude, no one is left to vote. They adopt this ONLY when they have screwed up our country beyond belief like they have now and they aren't adult enough to admit they were wrong.

[TornadoTN]

11. You can be rest assured, however, that once we take control

Then everything will be blamed on Democrats once again, and the vicious cycle continues.

They (Republicans)have nothing to offer but rely on pitching to the lowest common denominator. (Not directed at your family, but rather at the demographic as a whole)

[TroglodyteScholar]

15. A republican-voting friend of mine...

...drew me into a dialog (unintentionally) when he copied me on one of those "Dems hate America" email forwards that go around. I asked him about his views on several controversial Bush policies (stay the quagmire, legal torture, invasion of personal privacy) and he shrugged it all off with "I'm not a Republican, I just vote for the guy I think will do a better job. Politicians are all just crooks trying to make money and find new ways of screwing each other over anyway."

So I guess it's a common phenomenon that they quietly renounce their own with the excuse that all pols are crooked. But that's a VERY different song from the one my friend was singing in 2004. Is is THAT hard to simply ADMIT you made a MISTAKE? Apparently so. It seems some people live large chunks of their existence in denial of one thing or another.

I didn't ask my friend whether he was voting this time around, but it wasn't hard to tell that he was less than enthused.