GOP to democrat conversion in my office

[Hamlette]

I wrote about this before, this is an update. For those who didn't see it the first time, briefly:

This republican in my office gave me crap before the war. A few months ago I ran into him again (we are on different floors, sometimes our work assignments bring us together but we can go months without seeing each other) and said: "So how are you loving this war of yours now?" He'd forgotten his comments to me earlier so I reminded him how he'd given me crap about my opposition to the war. He said, shaking his head humbly: this war is a mess, we should never have gone in, it was a horrid mistake. We talked about it for a few minutes and I said: Well, you're not gonna vote for Bush again are you?

He said: I don't know, I just can't vote for Kerry. Something about him I don't like but I'm not sure what it is.

I said: The flip flopper thing?

He said: Yeah, that's it. He changes his position.

I said: Well, you changed your position on the war. Smart people do that when they learn more facts or the facts change.

I left him in the hall nodding.

Today he sought me out. He knows more about the middle east now that I do! He's really been doing his homework. Reading and watching some DVD on revolution. Anyway. He came up to me and said: "You were right about this war and I was wrong and I'm voting Kerry."

The three other "reasonable" republicans in my office are voting Kerry too. Two of them are upset about the deficit and the third is upset about the war, but she always was. He lost her vote the day he invaded Iraq.

I don't talk to the other republicans. I don't think I can reach them.

[txindy]

1. Excellent story! Thanks for sharing it.

Yet another example of why the polls aren't reflective of what is happening in this country. I also know people who were rabidly pro-Junior in 2000 who have either voted for John Kerry already or, in protest, wrote-in another candidate for president (they couldn't bring themselves to support Nader, either).

[PleadTheFirst]

2. That is fantastic!

I had the same effect on my boss. Diehard Republican, but a single issue voter (Pro Choice Catholic).

Now he sounds like a completely different person than he did 4 years ago. He is 100% against the war. I guess working with me raging against the * Administration for years has taken its toll, because he can't wait to vote for Kerry next week. :)

[DaveSZ]

3. There are Republicans and then there are freepers/fundies

Huge difference.

[Bandit]

4. Great news and I love your comeback

I said: Well, you changed your position on the war. Smart people do that when they learn more facts or the facts change.

Great comeback....:-)

[Tweed]

5. What state?

[TexasChick]

6. Great news! But what did he mean by this war of yours? I don't understand

that sentiment? How can it be a war of yours?

[Demit]

7. Original poster said that to the Repub coworker. He had been for the war.

[Hamlette]

8. no, I said to him "this war of yours"

meaning the war he was so gung ho about earlier.

And I'm in Utah, so it doesn't mean squat vote wise. But I did put in a plug for our Dem governor. He's so pissed he may vote straight Dem ticket.

The lesson I think we all need to learn is: we need to bring our country and the whole world (see Friedman today) back to the center/left and try to keep it there. We've been tilting right for so long it made a mad man like Bush possible.

We also need a permanent campaign. Someone in the dem party needs to set up an account on November 3 where I can sign up and have a certain amount of money taken from my account each month for a war chest.

We need a democratic federalist society and pundits/think tanks of our own. That's how the right wing took over this country. We can not make this a once every four years event on our side. We gotta fight like they fight.

[TexasChick]

9. Oh, sorry, Hamlette, I misread it. I thought he said that to you! My bad!

n/t