Earlier this evening, I had an unexpected and pleasantly surprising conversation with my Mom about politics. It gives me some hope for November. Read on for details . . .
Conversation With My Rockefeller Republican Mom:
Mom: So how's your brother? (my brother is Mr. Republican and a very close follower of wingnut politics)
Me: Mad at me because I told him that I didn't want to argue about politics with him anymore.
Mom (sigh): I'm afraid he's turning into a John Bircher. He offends people.
Me: No kidding!
Mom: So what do you think of Bush's ads today?
Me: Honestly, I think they're terrible. It's exploiting the deaths of thousands of innocent people.
Mom: It certainly seems that way.
Me: You think so, too?
Mom: Yeah. I'd be offended if I had survived that.
(pause)
Mom: So what do you think of Kerry?
Me: He's okay. He wasn't my first choice in the primary, but I'm definitely going to vote for him in November.
Mom: He's interesting me. I haven't made up my mind yet.
My jaw dropped when I heard this. Despite her some of her socially liberal views (such as being pro-choice and anti-school vouchers), my Mom has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1984 and strongly preferred Bush to Gore in 2000. But she's finally starting to see Bush's inconsistencies. It would be a stunning development if she voted for Kerry. The only times she's ever crossed party lines in national elections were for McGovern in '72 and Anderson in '80.
This got me wondering . . . is it possible that educated, socially liberal voters who are nominally Republican could be persuaded to vote for Kerry? The few polls I've seen indicate that Bush has a lock on his base, but I haven't seen any polling on Bush's approval rathing with Republicans who self-identify as moderate or liberal?
