My folks live in Indiana. I've said in numerous comments, and one diary that my ma is now not only supporting Obama, but volunteering for his campaign in Madison County. I can't tell you how amazing that is, considering she works for a private, religious university and has voted Republican since 1976. It reaffirms my belief that anyone can change if given the proper motivation and tools.
My old man has been another subject altogether. He's one of those old school conservatives that vote straight-ticket just because. He only watches Fox News, and listens to Rush on a daily basis. When I told him I was posting diaries here on DKos, he asked me if I was a communist. I replied, no more or less than your President, and that ended that conversation.
So what changed my pops' mind?
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I was inspired by a diary which I can no longer find a few weeks ago where the diarist listed some reasons as to why he was voting Obama. I decided to sit down and do the same, and send it to my folks. This is what I came up with:
I’m voting for Barack Obama because his message resonates with me. This is 2008, and we need a President who is capable of dealing with modern day problems. I feel very strongly about the direction this country has gone in eight short years, and would like to elect someone who feels like we’re on the wrong track, and need to take massive leaps to gain our global credibility back. I believe in evolution(in all senses, but most importantly in the social sense). I believe in progress. And I believe that is a shared ideal with Barack Obama.
I’m voting for Barack Obama because I oppose the war in Iraq. Surge be damned, we’re there for the wrong reasons. I agree with General Petraus when he says that victory is impossible in an occupation. Were it not for the Anbar Awakening, excessive bribery, and brilliantly executed covert operations by US Special Forces, the surge would have failed, and more of our soldiers would have lost their lives. I agree with Barack Obama when he says that Afghanistan is the central front in the war on terror, and that action should be taken in that theater, be it in Waziristan, Afghanistan, or Pakistan. Support the troops is more than a bumper sticker.
I’m voting for Barack Obama because I’m a parent. I want what every parent wants for their child: a better life than the one I had. And I had a pretty damn fine life. I was able to go to college due to scholarships and loans, which I am still paying for today. Barack Obama has a plan to make college more affordable to all families. You can read the bullet points here . Without proper education, and a chance for anyone to go to an institution of higher learning, we will not be able to compete in the global market.
I’m voting for Barack Obama because I believe in Women’s Rights. I believe that women should receive equal pay for equal work. I believe that women should be given reproductive rights. While I feel that it should ultimately be a state by state issue, I would rather it be Federally protected than not. I believe that if assaulted, women should be given every consideration for their privacy, and every opportunity to prosecute their assailants. This is a fundamental disagreement I have with John McCain, who has voted against equal pay, and advocated making abortion a Federal crime.
I’m voting for Barack Obama because I want to pay less in taxes. In case you don't feel like wading through report after report, here’s a simple chart of the Obama tax plan.
I’m voting for Barack Obama because I’m self-employed. Under John McCain’s healthcare plan , families would get a $5,000 tax credit, individuals would get a $2,500 tax credit, and employer based health care would be eliminated. Why am I against McCain’s plan if I’m self-employed, you ask? Because health care would be placed on the open market. The average cost of a health care plan is around $12,000 a year, leaving $7,000 by McCain’s standards for those with care. If you don’t have healtcare, you’re screwed. Barack Obama’s healthcare plan can be found here.
My dad called me up in tears. And this guy doesn't cry. The only time I've ever seen him shed a tear in my 30 years of life was when he buried his own father when I was eight. He told me that my ma had been working on him for a while to get him to vote for Obama, and that McCain's stunt with the bailout made him less confident in him, but it wasn't until he actually had to sit down and read why his own son felt this way that he started looking into exactly what Barack Obama offered America as a president. He admitted that he had the negative crap on FOX, and had a pretty skewed vision of who Barack Obama was. He said that Sarah Palin didn't represent his brand of conservatism. He said that Joe Biden reminded him of our old neighbor from Kendalville, IN, who he's still very close to. He apologized profusely for being manipulated by someone else's opinion and allowing it to become his own. I don't cry much either, but by the end of it we were both weeping like little girls with skinned knees.
This is why I love our campaign. It's personal, it's real, and it's effective, even if it's one voter at a time.