That's a quote.
I'm writing this as stream of consciousness because I just walked in the door from another two hour session with my neighbor from two doors down. To put this on the record, since I refer to him often in comments and other diaries, I find my neighbor to be an honorable, admirable man. He has been married to the same woman for decades, he has raised a beautiful daughter who is tops in her class and is now about to graduate college, and he works harder than anyone I know making a living two cents at a time with a family-owned vending machine business.
Having said that, the title of this diary is the echo I can't get out of my head from tonight's encounter. Follow me while I try to sort this out.
UPDATE: I realize Larry Madill covered this topic as recently as Aug 01, but my story is local and personal. I'm ranting on the effect, not so much the cause.
UPDATE: Aug 4, 2008 2:51 PM: I'd like to ask those 28 of you with such a short attention span that you actually answered the poll with option 5 to go back and actually read the whole diary instead of just the headline. You will then realize that I am not suggesting Barack Obama is the antichrist, but I needed an attention getter.
Ferrets on crack are more deliberative than anyone who would choose that answer if you had actually taken the time to read; this was a test and you tripped.
Some background on my neighbor: Ronald Reagan was the greatest president ever; The tax cuts that Reagan put in place were just kicking in when Bill Clinton took office and were the reason the Clinton years were so profitable - and the tax increases GHWBush and Clinton put in place are the reason that the current economy is tanking. (economic factors don't kick in for a while, don't you know). When I asked him about the stock market crash of 1987 and the Recession of the late eighties/early nineties, he said he would have to look it up; he wasn't aware of it. When I asked him about "It's the Economy, Stupid" he said he didn't remember that. He beleives that his marriage of thirty years and the beautiful daughter that they raised who is now graduating college with excellent grades really is threatened by gay marriage.
And did I mention that he constantly reminds me he's a registered Democrat because decades ago some friend of his encouraged him to do so for a local election and he's never changed it? He's a lifelong Catholic, and although he admits that there are many Sunday mornings that the car is still parked in front of the house and he's not that devoted to God, he again repeated the "abortion is murder" routine with conviction and believes that anyone who votes for a Democrat should be denied communion. (how the priest would know who you vote for is one of those divine mysteries, I guess).
A few months ago I had already known most of this, but in the primary campaign with Limbaugh's Operation Chaos in full swing, this gentleman said he was actually thinking of voting for Obama in November. Oh, and did I mention that I whenever I rail against Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage, O'Reilly, Coulter, Malkin et al, he says that they are "purely entertainment." That's right, fellow Kossarians - we have no right to be indignant about anything Rush Limbaugh says because it's solely entertainment. The fact that most of Limbaugh's talking points come from my neighbor's mouth the minute they are aired has no bearing on how he thinks or votes, because...well, just because.
Now, given that I can't exactly explain what it was that had my neighbor thinking about voting for Obama in November, let's just say as of last night all hopes of such are now dashed. And the reason why our dear friend can't fathom a vote for Obama? Is it Abortion?
No.
Is it Iraq?
No.
Is it the Economy?
No.
Is it the fear of a Democratic congress with Democratic President?
No.
All other factors aside, the reason my neighbor can't vote for Obama in November is because he heard some audio tapes of the "Left Behind" series, and my neighbor now realizes that Barack Obama is the "dark skinned man" who will become the Antichrist. He says he became convinced of this ONLY after Obama's European swing, because the speech Obama gave fullfills Biblical prophecy that the rest of the world will become enamored by the dark skinned man...
Now - people - if you don't know me, when I rant on Daily Kos, I take off my helmet and seat belt because I want people to know I'm for real. I kept my cool with my neighbor mNany times that I felt like throwing something because even though I had already violated one of the cardinal rules of polite people and discussed politics, sex, and religion in the first place(sex notsomuch), I realized that in the end, me and my neighbor are going to live together anyway, and my neighborhood is a very remote, isolated, tiny community of five houses surrounded by woods. We need each other.
I didn't even try to cover all the other missing variables to fulfill prophecy because I knew I could not stomach the explanations of 666 being part of some computer code for debit cards and whatever else is going on at this very moment that atheists like myself are oblivious to that makes us agents of the devil...
But Barack Obama is the Antichrist?
Ok - so then I pulled out the trump card - I explained I never understood why Judas always took such a bad rap, because were it not for Judas' betrayal of Jesus the whole Crucifixion and Resurrection never would have taken place and there would have been no savior. In other words, SOMEONE had to be Judas to fulfill the prophecy, so he deserves some credit for at least being a cog in the machine. So if there is to be a Second Coming, there must be an Antichrist, so by voting for Obama is one not helping bring about the return of Jesus?
Ah, but his conscience will not allow him to be party to the End of the World. I said to my neighbor - pleading as if he was about to throw his wife and daughter off a cliff and to talk him out of it - "_________, you knoq I find you to be an honorable man. Are you standing here tonight to tell me that you believe your God will take the entire collection of your life's efforts - your faithful marriage, your daughter, your lifetime of hard work and all you have achieved with it, and condemn you to eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire because you picked Barack Obama on the second Tuesday in November of 2008?"
"Yes."
So, let's raise a glass to Tim Lahaye of the "Left Behind" series for his contribution to the Republican party in this election cycle.
Because the sickest of the sick and twisted shit is working.
I'm shaken. I'm feeling very sick and empty inside, and I had a hard time sleeping last night - this from a guy who has lost many a job because he oversleeps (I always sleep like a brick, and never have trouble winding down; I'm almost narcoleptic). Last night I spent two hours noticing the flaws in my bedroom ceiling, and I woke up this morning to unload this.
It's only 100 days until election day - I don't know how much more I'm prepared to stomach from other side is this is the measure of what they're going to come up with. Any suggestions for how to keep my sanity?
For right now, the best I can do is dial up Simon and Garfunkel on my iPhone and keep playing The Boxer
"All lies and jest such are promises
still a man hears what he wants to hear
and disregards the rest"