I'm unbelievably lucky where family is concerned.
I was born to and raised by liberal Democrats.
My mother is a liberal. My father is a liberal. My brother and sister are both liberals.
And though my in-laws are former Republicans, with one noted exception... all of my extended family on both sides are voting for Barack Obama.
And yet, with each passing day I read at least one diary written by someone who is getting emails from and sending email to parents on the fence about voting for a black? progressive? Democrat? for President?
Most of these diaries contain a line like, "help me refute these facts."
Well, may I humbly submit... fuck the facts and play your bloodline.
I'd go with something like this...
Dear Mom:
Ok, so, we're down to 10 days before the election and I know we've been going back and forth about politics and I that we've have lot of disagreements along the way.
Now, I could keep sending you a thousand different emails refuting the lies about his religion or his associations or his tax-plan, but I understand why you might be as suspect of these emails... as I would be suspect about any YOU might send me.
So, instead I'm going to ask you to do something else.
I'm going to ask you to trust your daughter.
Mom and Dad, you've raised me well. You've taught me to think critically and to be fair and to care very deeply about my country. You've shown me the difference between right and wrong. And, best of all, you've helped me develop a fantastic, seering, wonderful bullshit detector.
YOU'VE given me the skills to think this through and using all those skills, obtained through nurture and nature, I've come to the conclusion that Senator Obama should undeniably be the next President of the United States.
Now, this is the part of the exchange where we could get into the "buts". But what if Obama THIS on taxes or what if Obama THAT on the war. I understand that there are no guarantees about ANYTHING, which is why I'm asking you to take a chance not on Barack Obama, but on me, your child.
I have read everything I can read on the man... watched all the debates... pored over Obama's website... and, using what YOU INSTILLED IN ME I'm as sure about this decision as I've ever been about anything in my life.
By casting your ballot for Obama... you'd also be voting for me.
So, that's my final pitch... short on disputable talking points... but long on indisputable things like family and personal history and a lifetime of gifts handed from parent to child.
Love,
Your Name Here.