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center rising

(971 posts)
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:01 PM Oct 2012

My next door neighbor is voting for Romney, here's why!!

Was talking with my next door neighbor this morning, just back from a six month tour of duty in Germany, and he told me he was voting for Mitt Romney. After I got over the shock of that little announcement, (He's an independent, who usually votes Democrat), I asked him why he would do just a stupid thing. He told me that he agreed with Romney assertion about the 47% of Americans being lazy, and want the government to bail them out.

I told him he was wrong about the 47%, and I told him most Americans are hard working and that Romney's policies would hurt the majority of Americans. Medicare and social security would be phased out, the deficit would balloon out of control, RoeVWade would be overturned, and a whole host of other things would affect the middle class and poor!!

He told me that Obama had four years to fix things and he has done a horrible job at doing so. I told him the Republicans in Congress has obstructed everything Obama has tried to do He said that didn't make any difference seeing that the Senate and the presidency were Democratically controlled, and Obama could have put through anything he wanted!! I told him that the Republicans filibustered Obama for 4 years.

Then the truth came out. Seems those men in Germany he was over there with convinced him that Obama was this evil, nasty socialist BLACK MAN, who had to be stopped at all costs!! I called him a racist!! With that, he became angry and slammed the door in my face.

Is there any reason to try to talk to him again, or should I just ignore him and cancel his vote by voting Obama?? My neighbor seems like a reasonable man, who has just been listening to the wrong people. It's just absolutely insane that we have people in this country and abroad who think like this.

66 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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My next door neighbor is voting for Romney, here's why!! (Original Post) center rising Oct 2012 OP
As a soldier, he is part of the lazy 47% appleannie1 Oct 2012 #1
.... CatWoman Oct 2012 #2
Exactly --- I Would Apologize To Him For The Racist Comment You Made And Then Ask Him If He Realizes global1 Oct 2012 #12
Exactly ! QuietLight Oct 2012 #37
peer-influence Rosa Luxemburg Oct 2012 #3
Yep. GoCubsGo Oct 2012 #11
your idiot brother? mitchtv Oct 2012 #14
Every family has one, it seems. GoCubsGo Oct 2012 #18
Just one idiot brother? KatyMan Oct 2012 #46
Well, I only have one brother. GoCubsGo Oct 2012 #59
no i'm sure that was my idiot brother barbtries Oct 2012 #35
at least my father in law is now voting for Obama Rosa Luxemburg Oct 2012 #41
he's right barbtries Oct 2012 #44
You might be correct CJCRANE Oct 2012 #4
Maybe you're right, it was a flash of anger!! center rising Oct 2012 #10
Obama was black four years ago aletier_v Oct 2012 #5
Obama was supposed to solve racism but he didn't because he didn't side with racist Republica Alekei_Firebird Oct 2012 #8
Obama was too kind. QuietLight Oct 2012 #38
Anybody who doesn't see the racism in the anti-Obama camp Alekei_Firebird Oct 2012 #6
Yes. I am white, but yet it is clear to me Quantess Oct 2012 #30
It's rather obvious. ChiTownChavista Oct 2012 #55
Hmm, actually that is not true that all mormons are racist, Quantess Oct 2012 #56
Limbaugh has too much influence, mary195149 Oct 2012 #7
You're correct. Limbaugh's lies were broadcast to the Armed Forces Network since G.W. Bush's time Cal33 Oct 2012 #15
I know that the AFN booted Ed Schultz off and kept Limpballs BlueCaliDem Oct 2012 #32
Yes, the vast majority of the military top brass are Republican. A few, like Gen. Clark, are Cal33 Oct 2012 #63
I know two teabagger veterans that I would say have spent more time drinking brewens Oct 2012 #9
Well, for one thing. BellaKos Oct 2012 #19
I know one has a "bad back" but can hunt or whatever else he needs to do. The other I took to brewens Oct 2012 #21
At some point BellaKos Oct 2012 #28
I wouldn't propose screwing with those guys but being baggers, it doesn't hurt brewens Oct 2012 #49
Like so many baggers, they are ill-informed. n/t BellaKos Oct 2012 #65
Stop. BellaKos Oct 2012 #13
Sorry, but when he say he isn't voting for Obama because he's black center rising Oct 2012 #16
Yes, he said that, but ... BellaKos Oct 2012 #20
Er, what so the argument made the guy Maximumnegro Oct 2012 #61
Sort of BellaKos Oct 2012 #64
Republicans who are haters cannot discuss issues MizzM Oct 2012 #50
Leave him alone. How sad that the government stops to realize that they really DO southernyankeebelle Oct 2012 #17
Ive noticed that with my very liberal son in law now in the Navy. progressivebydesign Oct 2012 #22
Rush Limbaugh is broadcast overseas on Armed Forces Network. n/t BellaKos Oct 2012 #24
Not all lower ranks are that way. In fact Obama enjoys a big support from enlisted personnel. southernyankeebelle Oct 2012 #27
My husband retired from the Air Force in '95. BellaKos Oct 2012 #31
Yes, I haven't been able to pinpoint it but I will tell you this much if you read anything southernyankeebelle Oct 2012 #47
The military is a microcosm of the nation. BellaKos Oct 2012 #23
The public's perception of most things is simplistic and inaccurate, though. aletier_v Oct 2012 #25
That's why we must maintain exceptional standards. BellaKos Oct 2012 #29
More important is to choose your battles aletier_v Oct 2012 #43
Racism and rape is thriving in the military. It is a fact. The military has closed their eyes to southernyankeebelle Oct 2012 #48
Nope. And it's not worth fretting over. Get on with your life. geckosfeet Oct 2012 #26
You did the right thing. Baitball Blogger Oct 2012 #33
he's a racist. barbtries Oct 2012 #34
After thinking about this for awhile, BellaKos Oct 2012 #39
Why Would You Ever Want To Talk To Him Again If He's That Dumb? Guitarzz Oct 2012 #36
You might point out to him ... GeorgeGist Oct 2012 #40
And just WTF was he protecting me from in Germany? GeorgeGist Oct 2012 #42
Don't bother trying to reason with him.....and watch your back.... Wounded Bear Oct 2012 #45
Yet The Red States otohara Oct 2012 #51
so I am mostly convinced that behind the bullshit is "he's black" 90% of the time. Warren Stupidity Oct 2012 #52
PISS on your neighbor. RBInMaine Oct 2012 #53
Rule #9 in my survival guide says Sekhmets Daughter Oct 2012 #54
You've made the basic case. Even if rejected on the surface, you planted some seeds in his mind. Voice for Peace Oct 2012 #57
Hand him this article, and if that doesn't do it, nothing will make any difference (imo) Native Oct 2012 #58
I'd just maybe talk about non political things if you like the neighbor toomuchcoffee Oct 2012 #60
the military brain washes our soldiers ThomThom Oct 2012 #62
he's a lost cause Carolina Oct 2012 #66

global1

(25,166 posts)
12. Exactly --- I Would Apologize To Him For The Racist Comment You Made And Then Ask Him If He Realizes
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:18 PM
Oct 2012

that Rmoney's 47% includes him. Then I would go through all the types of people that are included in the 47%. I don't think most people realize that they or people that they know and love are lumped in under that number. They think it is code for welfare queens, etc and don't realize that that comment was intended to include them.

QuietLight

(6 posts)
37. Exactly !
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:55 PM
Oct 2012

I would pay him no mind. What is a friendship worth with a person like that? Nada!
He is the typical type of idiot who supports the GOP to their own disadvantage. There
isn't much to do to remedy ignorance and poor character in an adult. Why did he join
the service? He couldn't hack it in the real world. He would rather risk his neck for a
free ride rather than face the fact that in the real world he is a looser. He is exactly
what Romney was talking about.

GoCubsGo

(32,061 posts)
11. Yep.
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:16 PM
Oct 2012

That's what's going on with my idiot brother, too. He used to know better. Now he does nothing but spew right-wing talking points, just like his idiot wife, in-laws, and friends.

GoCubsGo

(32,061 posts)
18. Every family has one, it seems.
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:30 PM
Oct 2012

I also have an uncle who is a Vietnam vet. He was a good Democrat until he started hanging out at the VFW hall during the 1990s.` He became a foaming-at-the-mouth right-wing nutbag. As his sisters would say, their dad (my grandpa) would be spinning in his grave if he knew that. I don't know how he feels about the draft-dodger his party is running this time around, as I no longer keep contact with him.

KatyMan

(4,146 posts)
46. Just one idiot brother?
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 01:43 PM
Oct 2012

You're lucky. I have at least 2 idiot brothers and one idiot brother-in-law!

GoCubsGo

(32,061 posts)
59. Well, I only have one brother.
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 04:25 PM
Oct 2012

Although, he HAS managed to brain-wash his only child, my nephew, sad to say. I used to have an idiot brother-in-law, but he's somebody else's problem now. Neither of my sisters, or my niece have gone over to the Dark Side, however.

barbtries

(28,702 posts)
35. no i'm sure that was my idiot brother
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:52 PM
Oct 2012

you know, the one with whom politics do not enter the conversation.

Rosa Luxemburg

(28,627 posts)
41. at least my father in law is now voting for Obama
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 01:08 PM
Oct 2012

Vietnam vet in his 80s. Repub all his life will vote for Obama AGAIN! He thinks Romney is an imbecile.

CJCRANE

(18,184 posts)
4. You might be correct
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:11 PM
Oct 2012

about him being a racist...but you're not going to win him over by calling him that.

If you get another chance you could apologize or soften your tone a little.

Alekei_Firebird

(320 posts)
8. Obama was supposed to solve racism but he didn't because he didn't side with racist Republica
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:15 PM
Oct 2012

I think some white voters cautiously voted for Obama because they believed that he was Different from all those other blacks, and that he would finally tell his community to shut up and be grateful or something.

But once Obama dared to side with Prof. Gates over that dumbass power-tripping white cop, they were sorely disappointed.

QuietLight

(6 posts)
38. Obama was too kind.
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 01:00 PM
Oct 2012

Yea, and Obama was all too kind by inviting that stupid cop to the White House for beer.

Alekei_Firebird

(320 posts)
6. Anybody who doesn't see the racism in the anti-Obama camp
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:13 PM
Oct 2012

Is either stupid or has lived with white privilege all their lives.

I'm not Black, but I'm a minority, and the racism is so blindingly obvious to me.

Quantess

(27,630 posts)
30. Yes. I am white, but yet it is clear to me
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:48 PM
Oct 2012

there is plainly a lot of racism out there among Obama-foes. There is a lot that would still be said about him if he were white, simply because he is a democrat, but there are undeniable racist elements.

ChiTownChavista

(55 posts)
55. It's rather obvious.
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 02:19 PM
Oct 2012

Every open racist I've met votes R. Some Rs pretend that they aren't, but I assume that they are simply better at hiding it.

Romney is clearly a racist, all Mormons are. Romney/Ryan ooze white privilege.

Quantess

(27,630 posts)
56. Hmm, actually that is not true that all mormons are racist,
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 03:15 PM
Oct 2012

although racism is built into mormonism. I went to school with a lot of mormons and ex-mormons, and I think it's unfair to call mormons racists.

As the saying goes, not all RWers are racist, but racists tend to be RWers. Or something like that.

 

Cal33

(7,018 posts)
15. You're correct. Limbaugh's lies were broadcast to the Armed Forces Network since G.W. Bush's time
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:23 PM
Oct 2012

right up to now. I don't know whether there are any Democratic reporters who have the
same privilege. If not, why not?

BlueCaliDem

(15,438 posts)
32. I know that the AFN booted Ed Schultz off and kept Limpballs
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:50 PM
Oct 2012

but I'm not sure if Big Ed is still aired.

It's clear "why not". The Brass, that usually gets lots of kickbacks in military spending (not spending for the troops), would rather have a Republican in the WH with a Republican't Congress since they cater to them with hundreds of billions of taxpayer funded pork every year.

 

Cal33

(7,018 posts)
63. Yes, the vast majority of the military top brass are Republican. A few, like Gen. Clark, are
Mon Oct 15, 2012, 10:48 AM
Oct 2012

Democrats. It has always been this way. I think one of the main reasons is that
most of the top brass are thinking in terms of paving the way for a high-paying
cushy job after they've retired from the military. It's always the same thing --
self-interest.

brewens

(13,392 posts)
9. I know two teabagger veterans that I would say have spent more time drinking
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:15 PM
Oct 2012

than working since they finished their four year stint as kids. One I actually delivered to a VA clinic for detox a few years back.

I won't propose it but when I see guys like that it makes me think, WTF are we doing paying for their free government medical care? Seriously. They are both Vietnam era non-combat veterans as well. So they had nothing going on, joined the military, stayed as drunk and stoned as possible while in there, decided they didn't like it and got out. Now we owe them medical care?

BellaKos

(318 posts)
19. Well, for one thing.
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:30 PM
Oct 2012

The military doesn't offer medical care for anyone other than retirees - those who have served twenty years or so. Even in that case, it's second rate.
A veteran who is not a retiree must prove that he has suffered an injury during service. (And proving that injury is not easy either unless it's an obvious physical injury.)
So, with all due respect, your impression of these veterans is inaccurate on some level.

brewens

(13,392 posts)
21. I know one has a "bad back" but can hunt or whatever else he needs to do. The other I took to
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:34 PM
Oct 2012

a VA clinic myself. I'm not sure what his dissability is unless alcoholism qualified him somehow. I know neither served 20 years though. Both definitely get VA medical care.

BellaKos

(318 posts)
28. At some point
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:44 PM
Oct 2012

They have walked through the fire of a bureaucratic maze in order to prove a level of disability. The VA didn't hand it 'em.

brewens

(13,392 posts)
49. I wouldn't propose screwing with those guys but being baggers, it doesn't hurt
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 02:08 PM
Oct 2012

to throw a scare into them. They are also the last guys in the country that would appreciate that a Democrat President helped them out.

BellaKos

(318 posts)
13. Stop.
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:22 PM
Oct 2012

Stop blaming Republicans and calling people racists. That approach turns people off.
Say this:
2009: Dow Jones at 7,000; 2012: Dow Jones at 13,000+
2009: Loosing 750,000 jobs per month; 2012: 43 months of consecutive job growth.
2009: Bin Laden alive; 2012: Bin Laden dead.
2009: GM bankrupt; 2012: GM thriving.

Strip away the rhetoric; just the facts.

BellaKos

(318 posts)
20. Yes, he said that, but ...
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:34 PM
Oct 2012

Your approach was bound to solicit that reaction, because by blaming Republicans and calling him a racist, you're doing exactly what Faux and Rush have said you would do.
So short, simple, plain, is better.

Maximumnegro

(1,134 posts)
61. Er, what so the argument made the guy
Mon Oct 15, 2012, 03:45 AM
Oct 2012

say racist things? I'm confused. Dude's clearly a racist. what is this 'you were bound to get that reaction' business. LOL.
When you get defensive do you start saying racist things?

BellaKos

(318 posts)
64. Sort of
Mon Oct 15, 2012, 03:29 PM
Oct 2012

When people are irritated, yes, their true nature is likely to come to the surface.
But that's not what I meant. In other words, when the issue of race comes into the conversation, the Right believes that the Left resorts to the "Race Card" because the Left doesn't have real points with which to argue the case in support of Obama. All I'm saying is try not to bring it up. Use the numbers instead.

That aside, I do believe that the visceral, adamant, and excessive dislike of Obama is probably based on racism. And in many cases, it may be so deeply embedded in the subconscious part of the mind that people may not even be aware that that's what it is.

MizzM

(77 posts)
50. Republicans who are haters cannot discuss issues
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 02:09 PM
Oct 2012

I don't mind engaging a Republican when we talk the issues, but if all they can do is name calling, I politely leave. I was in the elevator in my apartment building two days ago when an obvious Republican asked me if I was voting for Romney? Not that it was any of his business, but I said, no, I don't like conservative viewpoints. He said to me, "You do know Obama's parents were communists?" I said that I wasn't aware of that but since Republicans have been calling him a Muslim these past few years, I find a Muslim-Communist to be an interesting combination. Obviously, he is picking weirdo information off the Internet. Some of it you wouldn't believe.

 

southernyankeebelle

(11,304 posts)
17. Leave him alone. How sad that the government stops to realize that they really DO
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:30 PM
Oct 2012

HAVE A RACIAL PROBLEM in the military. There are hate groups in the military. I think these right wing racist are encourage young men to go into the military to learn how to fight. Until the military realizes you are going to keep fighting racist people. Don't tell me about the supreme court doesn't matter. Look at the rightwingers we have now.

progressivebydesign

(19,458 posts)
22. Ive noticed that with my very liberal son in law now in the Navy.
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:35 PM
Oct 2012

He and my daughter were as liberal as they come. But I've noticed that, while they still support Pres. Obama, his language and his jokes on FB, are changing.. and he's posted things that are very borderline race-wise. They hang out with hard-core racists repubs from the midwest and south, and apparently that's a big thing in the lower ranks of the military. Sucks.

 

southernyankeebelle

(11,304 posts)
27. Not all lower ranks are that way. In fact Obama enjoys a big support from enlisted personnel.
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:44 PM
Oct 2012

The SGM, Msgt, SFC,SSG and Sgts need to do a better job with the new recruits. They are the most influenced by the hate. But again even the religious right is effecting this lower enlisted soldiers. My husband retired in 95. He said he noticed the soldiers of today were different from when he was in.

BellaKos

(318 posts)
31. My husband retired from the Air Force in '95.
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:49 PM
Oct 2012

The level of hateful discourse in the country is much different now, too.

 

southernyankeebelle

(11,304 posts)
47. Yes, I haven't been able to pinpoint it but I will tell you this much if you read anything
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 01:56 PM
Oct 2012

about the 7 moutains you can see what is happening under our very noses. People aren't paying attention. Honestly the men coming back seem alittle meaner. My husband said they were different then when he was in. My dad retired from the Air Force and that was a different breed of men also. My father-in-law retired from the Army but he wasnt anything like these guys of today.

BellaKos

(318 posts)
23. The military is a microcosm of the nation.
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:39 PM
Oct 2012

Except the institution has strict rules against racism and sexism. The public's stereotypical perception of the military is simplistic and inaccurate.

aletier_v

(1,773 posts)
43. More important is to choose your battles
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 01:11 PM
Oct 2012

the public has finite attention span and finite capacity to grasp complex subjects

 

southernyankeebelle

(11,304 posts)
48. Racism and rape is thriving in the military. It is a fact. The military has closed their eyes to
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 02:02 PM
Oct 2012

it because they lowered the standards to get people to enlist.

barbtries

(28,702 posts)
34. he's a racist.
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 12:51 PM
Oct 2012

why bother with him. put an obama sign in your yard and sticker on your car and let it go.

UNLESS you think he's reasonable enough to listen to you. in that case put some graphs and facts together and present those. is he married, does he have a daughter, sister, wife or mother? grandmother? let him know how the republicans have really spent their time during the past four years. does he believe in open and fair elections? let him know how the republicans have really spent their time during the past four years.

i love my sister and she's a wonderful woman in so many ways. if we keep on talking politics it could ruin our relationship if only because all of the respect i have for her could disappear. i'm not changing her mind. you of course don't have a close loving relationship with your neighbor so it's not that great of a risk. but judging by him slamming the door in your face it could be too late already, and i don't you wasting energy worrying on that.

please update your post with any further happenings!

BellaKos

(318 posts)
39. After thinking about this for awhile,
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 01:00 PM
Oct 2012

I have concluded that we're dealing with a segment of the population who are brainwashed. A cult mentality, so to speak. No facts will alter their perception of events. A perception that has been crafted after years of listening to a narrative that begins with "Fox and Friends" first thing in the morning and ends with "Hannity" at night.
The other night, for instance, it was apparent that Ryan was lyin.' But not to our cultist friends. They actually believe the lies because this is what they have been told.

Wounded Bear

(58,436 posts)
45. Don't bother trying to reason with him.....and watch your back....
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 01:35 PM
Oct 2012

Seriously, people like that are quite capable of cowardly attacks.

 

Warren Stupidity

(48,181 posts)
52. so I am mostly convinced that behind the bullshit is "he's black" 90% of the time.
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 02:14 PM
Oct 2012

And the anger that surfaces when you point out the flaws in their rationalizations for voting against their own self interest is the anger at being briefly conscious of their own racism as the core reason for their choice.

But that is unlikely to change their opinions. The fleeting awareness of racist feelings is quickly suppressed, and that suppression is accomplished by reinforcing the bullshit rationals being fed to them by the media machine.

They like Romney because he is white and Obama isnt. The trick is to make Rmoney very unlikable. So unlikable that the racism recedes as a motivation.

Sekhmets Daughter

(7,515 posts)
54. Rule #9 in my survival guide says
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 02:17 PM
Oct 2012

It is imperative that you get along with your immediate neighbors. You don't have to like or respect him, you don't have to have a beer with him or invite him to your barbecues....but you want to be at least on a "hi, how are ya'?" footing with him. Apologize for calling him a racist and forget about trying to change his mind. He's not voting with his mind, he's voting with his "beliefs" and as beliefs are not based in fact, there is nothing you can say to change his vote.

 

Voice for Peace

(13,141 posts)
57. You've made the basic case. Even if rejected on the surface, you planted some seeds in his mind.
Sun Oct 14, 2012, 03:23 PM
Oct 2012

From here on in I would just treat him with friendliness,
kindness, and respect and don't bring up politics at
all.

Leave him to reflect on what you've already told him.
Be somebody with whom he has no reason to be defensive;
walk the talk of common ground.

good luck!

toomuchcoffee

(1 post)
60. I'd just maybe talk about non political things if you like the neighbor
Mon Oct 15, 2012, 01:14 AM
Oct 2012

Believe me, my neighbor and I don't agree politically but we are still good neighbors. It may be that you don't want to talk politics with him. Try to agree to disagree

ThomThom

(1,486 posts)
62. the military brain washes our soldiers
Mon Oct 15, 2012, 08:05 AM
Oct 2012

One thing we need to do is get right wing talk radio off of armed services radio or at least get equal time for our side
I have met several military people who think they are conservative but when you talk about what they think issue by issue they are pretty moderate or liberal.
Apologize for the racist comment and start over, being on good terms with your neighbors is always good and helpful. You never know when you might really need them.

Carolina

(6,960 posts)
66. he's a lost cause
Mon Oct 15, 2012, 04:05 PM
Oct 2012

and he just showed his true colors, no pun intended.

It's racism pure and simple, since he's a 47%er.

Soldier does not equal hero.

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