Here's the story: I've got a soon-to-be-brother-in-law who is a Rush Listener. He makes his daughter (11 years old) listen frequently, telling her that if she doesn't, she won't "know what's going on in the world." His mantra is "Nobody ever gave me nothin' -- and they sure aren't gonna take it away and give it to some welfare mother." He's that kind of Republican.
But when it comes to people and things with which he's familiar, he's a caring, compassionate guy, and very smart.
Anyway, I have a plan to convert him, and I want to know if anyone has tried it. (continued below the fold)
This guy reads a lot. I've seen him passing around copies of books like "Dereliction of Duty" (which details how 9/11 is Clinton's fault). And that's where I want to get my foot in the door. I plan to offer him the following proposition:
"Look. We're totally opposite when it comes to politics, and I've got an experiment in mind. You give me a book coming from your political point of view, I'll give you one from mine. We agree to read each others' books cover-to-cover, and mark up anything that we either really agree with or disagree with or find interesting. Then when we're both done, we'll have a chat about it."
...something like that. I expect I'll be confronted with something like O'Reilly, and in return I'll hand over a copy of Al Franken or maybe Joe Conason. Or if someone has a better suggestion of the Best Book To Give A Dittohead, I'd love to hear it. My hope is that we'll be able to open up a good debate, and eventually -- over time -- he'll start to see the light.
Anyway, I'm wondering a couple things: 1) has anyone here tried this tactic? 2) was it successful at all, and if so, how? and 3) does anyone have a better idea?