My mother recently told me that several of her friends were disturbingly - and sometimes surprisingly - staunchly opposed to the candidacy of Barack Obama. Based on the smear emails that she was getting forwarded to her, it seemed to be based on opposition to Obama, rather than any concrete support of McCain.
Knowing mom's friends, I don't expect that many of them are of the type to wholeheartedly buy into the whole "OMG! Mushlim Terr'ist gonna take my guns!" spiel.
Rather, I suspect that they have an enduring mistrust of liberal/progressive views, and that they're happy to find any reason to justify their beliefs.
For the letter I sent her - and perhaps, your help in improving it, or sending it to your own friends - see below the fold.
And for a brief psychological synthesis, see my sig.
H/T to all of DailyKos; most of the information and links I came across here.
Please let me know what I can improve, or if you think this might be of use to you in some way.
Email below:
I really do think that politics should be driven by policies and agendas and what's truly best for this country. I could hope that for 4 years and get disappointed, of course; it often comes down to personality, mudslinging, and outright divisiveness.
That's why this year's election's been so damned interesting. We've actually got two candidates who started out this process with the real promise to carry out those ideals. After 8 years of exactly what we didn't need, it was - however briefly - a breath of fresh air.
Regardless of the parade of slime, there is still a lot that we can productively discuss about these candidates' plans, even when we differ.
Of course, I feel that I can support my point of view with evidence and explain why I believe as I do. That doesn't do anyone else a lot of good, though :P . Instead, I thought I'd share some thoughts from conservatives who - after much soul-searching - are voting for Barack Obama.
Agree or disagree, what these guys say is well worth a read.
I would argue that, for people who believe in any kind of true Conservativism, the current Repbulican brand really doesn't suit them. As simple evidence, look at the increasingly intrusive government (from Schiavo to sex) and the skyrocketing $10,000,000,000,000 deficit that makes us borrow money from China that my children will have to pay off. That is NOT conservative, my friends.
But enough from me...
Colin Powell -- please, just read the whole transcript. It's well worth it.
Transcript: http://www.opednews.com/...
Video: http://news.aol.com/...
Pictures he referenced in his speech: http://img263.imageshack.us/...
and http://s85.photobucket.com/...
Christopher Buckley -- son of William F. Buckley
"Sorry, Dad, I'm voting for Obama" - The Conservative Case for Obama
http://www.thedailybeast.com/...
"[McCain] said, famously, apropos the Republican debacle post-1994, "We came to Washington to change it, and Washington changed us." This campaign has changed John McCain. It has made him inauthentic."
Wick Allison -- publisher of The National Review (fmr?)
"A Conservative for Obama" -- another very good read
http://www.dmagazine.com/...
"THE MORE I LISTEN TO AND READ ABOUT "the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate," the more I like him. Barack Obama strikes a chord with me like no political figure since Ronald Reagan. To explain why, I need to explain why I am a conservative and what it means to me...
"Barack Obama is not my ideal candidate for president. (In fact, I made the maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was still hope he might come to his senses.) But I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history. I disagree with him on many issues. But those don’t matter as much as what Obama offers, which is a deeply conservative view of the world.
... Most important, Obama will be a realist."
Larry Hunter -- worked with the Regan White House, US Chamber of Commerce, Contract With America, etc.
"I'm a Lifelong Conservative Activist and I'm backing Barack Obama"
http://www.nydailynews.com/...
click here for video
"[How could I vote for Barack Obama]?
The answer is simple: Unjustified war and unconstitutional abridgment of individual rights vs. ill-conceived tax and economic policies - this is the difference between venial and mortal sins. "
And finally, from
http://www.republicansforobama.org
"Why Some Conservatives will Vote for Barack Obama" -- the list, at least, is worth a look
http://www.republicansforobama.org/...
"Some Conservatives have finally realized, after twenty years, that national elections are too critical to waste on partisan rhetoric that does not solve any of the serious problems of our country. Government should focus on strengthening our borders, cutting our debt, and allowing the middle class to prosper by cutting taxes and reduce overall spending. Our elected and appointed officials should let individuals deal with the moral issues surrounding their decisions. Let's get back to the original idea that the Founders of this Republic birthed-- that Government should not mandate the extent of Individual Liberty."
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It would be foolish of me to expect everybody to embrace my views. But I hope that we can always discuss them. And I hope that serious and thoughtful pieces like this can be a bridge to that. Please let me know how it goes.
Thanks for reading.