My Mom voted for Gore in 2000, against Bush in 2004, and for Hillary in this year's primary. How did I get her to change her mind, you ask?
First, a little background. I grew up in, let's say, a less than racially tolerant family. Voting for "The Black Guy" was never something to be seriously considered. Here's what happened, and hopefully these are some strategies that others can use to sway the opinions of others.
Mom is an insatiable reader, mostly murder mysteries, but she picked up a copy of Dude, Where's My Country? at the used bookstore without knowing anything about it other than it had a funny title and the cover made it appear anti-Bush. And so, she started asking me questions:
Mom: Did Bush really just sit in that classroom after he found out about the plane hitting the WTC and do nothing???
Me: Yes. He was reading My Pet Goat
Mom: Unbelievable!!
I'd forward her the video, but she only has dial-up and hates computers, anyway.
Mom: And did they really fly Saudis and members of bin Laden's family out of the country when all other flights were grounded?
Me: Yep. That shows pretty sound judgement and trustworthiness there, huh?
She knows I'm a political and news junkie, so we always chat about current evnents
Mom: So I'm sure you watched that debate. What do you think of Sarah Palin? (with a little bit of excitement in her voice)
Me: Well, pardon my language, Mom, but she's a complete trainwreck and the thought of her as VP scares the shit out of me. [Since we had already touched on 9/11, I asked her to picture Bush's plane in the air and the secret service not wanting him to land, but instead of it being Cheney in the Whitehouse running things, it was Sarah Palin.]
Mom: <silence>
Me: Yeah. That folksy hockey mom stuff seems a little less appealing when you think of it that way, huh?
Mom: Well, she seems like a quick study. But my God, I'd rather it be Cheney running things, and you know what I think about him! (I do. And it's not positive)
Sure, I stole this from Brian Williams on Letterman, but Mom doesn't watch that show. Scroll ahead to 5:45:
We chatted a bit about the economy. She worried about my 401(k), I worried about the fact they they are retired and in worse shape than me.
Mom: But what about Biden? He's been there for 35 years - what's he ever done?
Me: [mental note to self: research Biden-sponsored legislation] Well, I'll tell you what he hasn't done. Remember the S&L collapse in the 80s? And our bank was one of the ones affected?
Mom: Oh yeah, those were scary times. You were just a little guy then
Me: Yeah, well, remember the Keating 5 Scandal associated with that?
Mom: Vaguely
Me: [brief explanation] And do you know who was one of the Keating Five? John McCain! So I can tell you at least one thing Joe Biden hasn't done in his 35 years there.
Mom: [silence] [crickets chirping in the background] I had no idea.
So, that's how I changed the mind of a Hillary supporter who was threatening to either vote McCain or write in Hillary rather than vote for Obama:
- McCain = Bush
- Sarah Palin is frighteningly underqualified and what little we do know of her thought processes and judgement is also terrifying.
- The Economy
- Keating Five
And then, just as we were about to say our I love yous, and hang up:
Mom: But don't tell your father I'm voting for Obama. He'd kill me!
Yeah, I won't be changing his mind. My sister, on the other hand...
Oh, and did I mention that she'll be voting in Virginia?