Arrghhh... conversation with my mother

[MonkeyFunk]

My parents are life-long Republicans. They voted for Nixon over Kennedy!!!

I was talking on the phone with her yesterday, and she talked about how she and my Dad are supporting Obama. I thought that was awesome.

Then she said "Well, the big strike against him is that he's Muslim".

I set her straight, and she was surprised to learn that he was a Christian.

So... it's cool that they supported him, but scary that the idea that he's a muslim is so pervasive.

Disclaimer: I've not chosen a candidate, but I'm split between Clinton and Obama. Mom hates Clinton.

[monmouth]

1. Does Mom watch Fox news??? That's their meme..

[MonkeyFunk]

2. No

absolutely not.

[Redstone]

3. You did as well as anyone could have. Keep up the good work, and you'll make progress.

And maybe get Obama two votes he wouldn't have gotten otherwise.

And, to morph two Republican votes to Obama votes? Priceless.

Redston

[NoodleBoy]

4. think of it this way: even with that "big strike" against him, they still supported him

I love seeing people overcome prejudices.

[MonkeyFunk]

8. i agree...

they grew up in a time and place where the idea of a black President was unthinkable. That they now support him is just amazing.

[maxsolomon]

5. imagine if he were an ATHEIST.

THEN she'd have a problem!

[skids]

6. .

:banghead:

Obama isn't even my pick, but that still makes me want to drive around neighborhoods with a megaphone yelling, "Attention Fox News viewers, Barak Obama is not a Muslim."

Of course then I'd feel obliged to add "Not that there's anything wrong with being a Muslim" which would probably limit the effectiveness of the yelling.

[tigereye]

11. just goes to show both Fox's racism and bigotry.

I still wonder how they get away with that crap.

[Adelante]

7. That's a terrific story

They didn't mind him being a "Muslim" enough not to vote for him :)

[MonkeyFunk]

10. that impressed me a lot...

even when they thought he was a muslim, they still wanted him to be President. And they're old-school cAtholics.

[Adelante]

16. I have a sister who is a Republican

Not terribly political at all, but that's her party. In the 90s she HATED both Clintons and believed every last bad thing about them, even the Vince Foster shit. I talked to her a lot about what was true and what wasn't but I never tried to turn her on the party. I figured that was her choice. She voted for Bush in 2000; by then I was turning the screws but she was unconvinced by me. Then in 2004, with the war and everything else she started saying things like, "If I could wake up tomorrow and Clinton was back in the White House, I'd be happy." She actually said it in the board room of the financial firm she works for when her bosses were politicking for Bush. (I almost fainted the first time I heard that story!) And she ended up voting for Kerry. Now she's all for Hillary, a woman she deeply despised. So things are changing in the country.

[AtomicKitten]

9. Really amazing misconceptions out there.

I'm glad you had the opportunity to set mom straight, and I applaud your parents wholeheartedly for being able to move beyond the (R), but what strikes me as particularly interesting is that your mom would have voted for Obama anyway! I am in awe of the evolution of political opinion. It gives me great hope for America to hear your story. Cheers.

[MonkeyFunk]

12. yes...

that's the edifying story behind this anecdote.

The larger point is that middle-America is ready for a differnt kind of President.

[AtomicKitten]

15. And that's a wonderful larger point

... particularly in light of Obama's rating:

[antigop]

13. I think you should listen to your mother. n.t

[ginchinchili]

14. "Mom hates Clinton" Your mother has a lot of company.

[liberal renegade]

17. there isn't enough of you too

keep her from becoming president.

[illinoisprogressive]

18. Your parents watch Fox??? that is why it persists. and talk radio.

But, aside from your mom being a republican and believing that Obama was a muslim until now, I like her thinking. and agree

[MonkeyFunk]

19. No

they do not watch Fox. They watch the local evening news.

They're definitely NOT news junkies.

[mwb970]

20. Where then did she get such a crazy idea?

Does she not listen carefully to the news she does manage to hear? I don't get it.

[MonkeyFunk]

21. Well

his father was muslim. That's probably where the scuttlebutt comes from.

I saw Jennifer Harmon, the professional poker player, say the same thing on TV. It's a popular rumor.