He pulled into my driveway yesterday afternoon. My neighbor from down the road. I haven't spoken to him since last October just before the 2004 Presidential election when he also pulled into my driveway to give me hell for displaying my John Kerry banner
In the front yard. At that time he couldn't understand why I wasn't supporting the commander and chief in a time of war. That even my own son and daughter were in the Army and I was not thinking of their best welfare. That GWB was a strong president and was going to get rid of abortion and knock the gays off their soap box.
He was so brainwashed! Both he and his wife were avid FOX NEWS hounds and loved
Limbaugh and Hannity like they were family.
Let me back up a second and set this up better. This fella and his wife who both happen to be in local law enforcement were giddy about GW Bush's election in 2000. He rubbed it in my face from time to time. And after 9/11 he was pretty hard core about it and asked me what would have happened if Gore had been president. I told him it might not have even happened. He called me a few choice names and went on to say that he for one is very glad we had the man we have in office to protect us. Thinking to myself that
Nothing I say would ever change this redneck conservative's thinking I just stayed quiet and went about my business. So when he gave me even more grief last October it was just more of the same. He was in LOVE with George Bush. He had the bumper stickers and T-shirt. And he was working with the re-election campaign to boot. And when I told him I was doing the same for the Kerry Campaign he was livid. That I was a traitor to my country and how could I vote for a liberal war protester like Kerry. Yep....he had been
Taken over by the Swift Boat lie and everything else FOX NEWS was spewing out at the time.
So....back to yesterday. I was washing and waxing my car in the front yard. I saw him go by and then stop and turn into my driveway. He smiled at me as he got out and started walking up to me. He said of course, that I could wash and wax his car too. And I must say, it really needed it. But the smile was genuine...and his joking was too! He walked up to me and said...."I want to apologize. Apologize for being wrong about Bush and everything I've said to you in the past few years. I was a first class butt!." In short he just wanted me to know that he had seen enough bullshit from the Bush administration. He said that anyone with half a brain could see what was really going on. And then he stated the laundry list. Shiavo, Bolton, Weapons of mass destruction lies, Downing street memo, Abugrave, Guantanimo, gas prices and big oil, Dick Cheney and Enron and Halliburton...and on and on. He had seen enough. Everything he was pissed about were the same things he was defending last year. But somehow my neighbor had one of those moments we wish many of our neighbors would have. He added it all up...better than even I could have expected. He had started to dig deeper into it all too. And said he'd never waste his time watching FOX or listening to Limbaugh and Hannity ever again. I told him that Air America had finally come to a local station and he should listen to that. It would re-enforce what he was already discovering on his own.
This guy my wonderful new found old neighbor was becoming my best buddy again. He respected me and I was quickly regaining respect for him again.
He's a hard core political fella like myself. And from what I gathered had been a good solid republican from the Reagan days. He voted against Clinton both times. And now he was telling me that the party he was so supportive of did not support him and his wife's views and that all they seem to care about were corporations and big business and the money for the fellas at the top.
We had a great time together yesterday. I didn't need to say too much. He said everything I've been thinking and feeling all along.
It's safe to say....we can welcome my good neighbor to the Democratic Party. I'll work on his redness as best I can. He does have some issues that need straightened out but I don't think that will be as hard as it once was. After all I don't have to counter every lie
That he see's on FOX ......
Good to have my neighbor back. What a great surprise!!!