Posted on 11/02/2004 1:41:42 PM PST by misharu
Today I took the day off of work to volunteer for Bush Cheney in the capacity of a ballot tracker at two west St. Louis County polls. The job entailed getting a voter, preferably a Bush supporter, to remember thier ballot number and after voting to let me know, whereupon I called the number in to the HQ. I had to do this at 10am and 2pm
At one of the polls I was to go to, an elementary school, there was a MoveOn.org volunteer standing outside. In the morning we struck up a conversation as I waited for the gentleman who was nice enough to get me his ballot number. It was a nice, friendly conversation. No histrionics or yelling back and forth.
When I returned at 2pm, he was still there standing in the cold overcast day. As it was sort of a dead time for voters and I had to wait for someone to help me out, we got to talking some more. He asked me why I liked Bush and I asked him why he was involved in an organization like MoveOn.org. Most of the voters who passed looked at us strangely as we were laughing and generally having a nice discussion. (I had my "W" button and a GOP cap on and he had a MoveON.org armband.)
One gentleman stopped by us, looked from me to the other guy noting out polar opposite attire and asked "You two are getting along?" I told him that we might not agree about politics or social issues or anything else, but we were both Americans. And as such, why shouldn't we be able to have an amiable conversation while waiting outside a polling place in a light drizzle and cold wind?
Don't get me wrong. I vehemently oppose what MoveOn.org espouses, but at that moment we were two St. Louisans who did not feel that animosity was an answer. This is something you won't see on the MSM --- two political opposites getting along and being courteous to each other. Maybe there is hope for us after all.
Please don't flame me for being nice to the guy. I am a Midwesterner and we are basically nice and courteous in nature. I just did not see the need to hate the guy for what HE believed in. After all, its his right as an American.
So why is he working for Move-on?
While you were talking to him his partner was stealing your hubcaps...
Walked up to the polling place today, minding my own business, and a Kerry supporter was parked along the walkway to the polls...(btw I had to literally go thru the bushes to get to the polling station. Long story.) Kerry supporter makes a big show of yelling out to me, "it's right there, just past that van (her van, parked to obscure the already obscure entrance). I didn't look at her or acknowledge her unwanted "help."
When I left she thanked me voting. I assured her it was my pleasure to vote Republican and that I expected to do so for many years to come. We smiled, but I was thinking, "bugger off!"
Honestly, I don't think many of the move on dorks even KNOW why they hate Dubya so much.
You talk to them and ask them and they give you a littany of different silly answers. When you defeat their arguements they just sit there with their mouths open not knowing what to say.
Eventually, they retort with, "well, both sides do it." That's the standard answer whenever you defeat any argument.
It's like talking to a moron.
Thanks.
SBM
Liquidation doesn't require hate.
I'm a midwesterner too, and most non-midwesterners do NOT understand our basic niceness and courtesy. They mistake it for timidity and lack of backbone. I'm proud of you for what you did. We can disagree without being disagreeable.
I thought you were going to say "Shaving down those hairy legs"... ya know, MoveOn.Org and all...
It's silly and futile to get into political arguments, isn't it? Adults really can find an amicable solution. Personally I like to lull them into a false sense of security and slide the stiletto in when they turn their backs...
That's true. One thing I've noticed since moving to St. Paul is how decent most people are to each other. Since I came from a small town in California, that didn't seem all that strange to me, but it sure is different from what I've experienced in other large cities. I like it.
That said, there sure are a lot of pulled posts in this thread. I guess those folks don't live in the midwest.
I noticed that the Bush/Cheney election worker and the Kerry/Edwards worker at my polling place seemed to be getting along quite well. They were chatting with each other and laughing. It made going in to vote more pleasant than I expected it to be.
You'd have accomplished nothing by arguing with the guy. He probably feels as passionately about his politics as you do about yours. The only difference is he's wrong and you're right. :o)
Except for maybe Southerners, no one seems to get the midwestern sense of politeness and civility. They don't seem to understand how important it is to us to treat others with respect.
Thank you also for your service at the polls.
Oh yeah, one more thing... Cards Rock! Just wait till next year! ;o)
From my experience, it is a total waste of time to try to discuss the issues with these people because you are not going to change their beliefs no matter how good your logic and facts are. It is best to just be nice to them and move on to someone who is not into politics and explain why that person should be a conservative. The die hards don''t change.
Interesting that you found a lib that wasn't nutty and argumentative, especially one from Moveon. Too bad there are very few libs these days who can discuss/debate issues rationally without getting nasty. That, IMHO, is a huge difference between our side and theirs, and it was no more evident than around this time in 2000.
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