Today at the spaghetti dinner I had a conversation with a friend whom I admire in many ways. Big heart. Lots of energy. A recognition that BushCo is a trainwreck of an administration. Well, I made the mistake of letting my curiosity get the best of me and so finally asked what it was she liked about the candidacy of Hillary Clinton that motivated her to place three Clinton signs in her yard.
"I don’t like him," she said. "Because he didn’t put his hand on the bible and he doesn’t put his hand over his heart."
I screamed.
It was as if I was in a haunted house and some creepy, crawly creature jumped out at me; I had no control. I screamed. Because I was horrified to meet someone up close and in person who couldn’t tell me anything positive about her chosen candidate yet was casting a vote against the opposition candidate based on media manipulation and lies. I know plenty of people have done just that in the past seven years or so (for dawg’s sake, 27% still think Bush is doing a heckuva job), but I’ve resigned myself to them being so adamantly ignorant that nothing could blast them into reality. My solace was that the majority of the population would use its brainpower regarding the upcoming election. Wrong.
The whole scene got ugly. Friend got upset. I was embarrassed to have reacted so vocally and apologized profusely. But then it got quieter and the conversation continued. I pointed out Clinton’s vote on the Kyl/Lieberman Amendment which basically lays the groundwork for invading Iran in a repeat of Iraq, and someone else responded with "The U.S. is already the world’s police, so what’s another country?"
I kid you not.
What is there left to say when people put more energy into their ignorance than their awareness?
After the fact I wondered if maybe I could’ve changed their perspectives if I’d mentioned Clinton’s vote against banning land mines.
Yeah, right.
Tracy Abell 
I admire your forebearance… and that you only screamed. Aaaack!
I live in Indiana & today is the day I will at least make my voice heard via the ballot box.
A Clinton supporter stopped by my house the other day to ask if I was voting. He was a young man, 20ish, and very eager. I hope the short discussion we had (after I said I was voting for Obama) gave him a thing or two to think about. I could’ve (maybe should’ve) said more… but, I didn’t. *sigh*
Last time I was this enthused about a candidate was probably Shirley Chisholm. Of course, she didn’t stand the proverbial “ice cube’s chance in hell.” (can I say that on your blog? I apologize if you are G-rated!)
This country needs a change – Barack is right, “we can’t wait!”
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That scream came out before I knew it. Pure horror.
I think it’s great you talked with the Clinton supporter (without screaming, I assume). I didn’t ask my friend that question because I wanted to change her mind; I was curious because she’s never been politically active before and I wanted to know what got her all enthusiastic. Too bad the whole thing fell apart.
We desperately need a new direction, new blood. Thank you for voting today.
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LOL – I did not scream.
I have (for the first time I can remember)been fairly vocal about this election – because so much is at stake. And, I feel I am better informed than I have been in the past – which makes any discussions I have much more fruitful. I am not sure I’ve changed anybody’s mind – but, I have found out very interesting things about people I know.
We do need a new direction… oh… my daughter just called and said the news is reporting the turnout in Indiana is 3 times what it’s ever been for a primary! Wow! I hope they’re all voting Barack!
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Good for you on getting educated about the issues. It’s so frustrating trying to talk to people who rely on Faux News for their opinions.
As for the high voter turnout, that makes me happy every time it happens! People definitely want to turn this boat around!
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I admire your forebearance… and that you only screamed. Aaaack!
I live in Indiana & today is the day I will at least make my voice heard via the ballot box.
A Clinton supporter stopped by my house the other day to ask if I was voting. He was a young man, 20ish, and very eager. I hope the short discussion we had (after I said I was voting for Obama) gave him a thing or two to think about. I could’ve (maybe should’ve) said more… but, I didn’t. *sigh*
Last time I was this enthused about a candidate was probably Shirley Chisholm. Of course, she didn’t stand the proverbial “ice cube’s chance in hell.” (can I say that on your blog? I apologize if you are G-rated!)
This country needs a change – Barack is right, “we can’t wait!”
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I’m with you!
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I wish you’d been there in the kitchen with me. Fortunately, another friend talked with me later and helped me regain my bearings. I was quite distraught by things people had said/revealed about themselves.
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That scream came out before I knew it. Pure horror.
I think it’s great you talked with the Clinton supporter (without screaming, I assume). I didn’t ask my friend that question because I wanted to change her mind; I was curious because she’s never been politically active before and I wanted to know what got her all enthusiastic. Too bad the whole thing fell apart.
We desperately need a new direction, new blood. Thank you for voting today.
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Oh, that is scary. I hate it when people throw you for a loop like that! Gosh, I don’t miss childhood usually but one thing I do miss is being completely oblivious to politics. It’s scary how many stupid voters are voting. Or not voting. It’s not that hard to get a little information, people.
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It does seem appealing to be completely oblivious to everything going on; it would certainly cut down on the stress. On the other hand, so many people are oblivious and still go out and vote, and look where that’s gotten us!
You are so right about it not being hard to get a little information yet there are those who like to be spoon-fed. Sigh.
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LOL – I did not scream.
I have (for the first time I can remember)been fairly vocal about this election – because so much is at stake. And, I feel I am better informed than I have been in the past – which makes any discussions I have much more fruitful. I am not sure I’ve changed anybody’s mind – but, I have found out very interesting things about people I know.
We do need a new direction… oh… my daughter just called and said the news is reporting the turnout in Indiana is 3 times what it’s ever been for a primary! Wow! I hope they’re all voting Barack!
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Good for you on getting educated about the issues. It’s so frustrating trying to talk to people who rely on Faux News for their opinions.
As for the high voter turnout, that makes me happy every time it happens! People definitely want to turn this boat around!
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It does seem appealing to be completely oblivious to everything going on; it would certainly cut down on the stress. On the other hand, so many people are oblivious and still go out and vote, and look where that’s gotten us!
You are so right about it not being hard to get a little information yet there are those who like to be spoon-fed. Sigh.
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We’re registered independents (because we *thought* that would give us a little more freedom and a little less brainwashing, sigh)…information can definitely be scary. I know that finding a candidate who matches even 60% with my hopes for this country is a real challenge. Seems like the more I learn, the more frustrating it is! But I do think that it’s much better to be informed than just throw a dart (which some people seem to do) or even than just voting for your party (which most people that I know do).
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I agree that information can be scary but the alternative is even worse. I’m so very tired of the people who act all cynical about every single candidate yet truly know nothing other than what the media feed them.
The funny (and by that, I mean not at all funny) thing about Clinton and Obama is that their policies aren’t all that different (which is why I wasn’t thrilled with either of them; this liberal knows a liberal when she sees one and what she sees are two corporate candidates) but the difference is in how they approach situations. From where I’m sitting, Obama is willing to take reasoned approaches on issues but Clinton is so busy proving she can run with the big boys that her machisma is on full throttle. Obliterate Iran? Really? Call me crazy but I don’t find that talk at all reassuring.
I voted for Republican Steve Burkholder when he ran for his second term as Lakewood mayor because I was so impressed with his willingness to interact with the gay community when all that anti-gay rhetoric was going full tilt. That took courage.
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I agree that information can be scary but the alternative is even worse. I’m so very tired of the people who act all cynical about every single candidate yet truly know nothing other than what the media feed them.
The funny (and by that, I mean not at all funny) thing about Clinton and Obama is that their policies aren’t all that different (which is why I wasn’t thrilled with either of them; this liberal knows a liberal when she sees one and what she sees are two corporate candidates) but the difference is in how they approach situations. From where I’m sitting, Obama is willing to take reasoned approaches on issues but Clinton is so busy proving she can run with the big boys that her machisma is on full throttle. Obliterate Iran? Really? Call me crazy but I don’t find that talk at all reassuring.
I voted for Republican Steve Burkholder when he ran for his second term as Lakewood mayor because I was so impressed with his willingness to interact with the gay community when all that anti-gay rhetoric was going full tilt. That took courage.
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