By chance found this comment at dkos:

I’m a registered Republican. Heh heh heh. (0+ / 0-)

At the moment.

Because I can waste some Republicans’ time.

I used to politely say “No, thank you” to people calling me for Republican causes and conservative causes.

Then one day I got inspired when an earnest young man called me with a spiel about a particularly awful Republican candidate. I realized that the more of his time I took up, the fewer calls he could make. So I told him how interesting I found his comments, but there were some things I didn’t understand and asked him dumb question after dumb question. I took up about a half hour of his time.

A couple of hours later, I got a call from a pleasant-sounding woman supporting an anti-woman position I find particularly awful, and I listened to her, and asked some dumb questions, and some questions that sounded dumb but actually forced her to think through her position. Acting as if I was confused about some issues myself, I brought up different scenarios and asked her how she thought difficult situations should be handled. She actually really thought about them and realized that she wasn’t as sure of her position as she thought she was.

In the past, pleasant and understanding as I try to be, I don’t think I’ve ever changed anyone’s mind by arguing with them.

But now my family members and some of my friends are doing this. It’s become the favorite recreation of one of my sisters. “Now what’s the name of that man with that…um…hair that…well, it kind of looks like he’s got some animal sitting on his head? Tromp? Oh, Trump. Yes. What does he think about it?”

“Oh, I had no idea President Obama was a Muslim. Didn’t I see him and his family attending a Christian church on the news? Or was that a different black family? They kind of look alike, do you know what I mean? I thought they said it was the President. Does he have one of those….oh, dear, what do you call them….the little carpets you get down and pray on? I’ve never seen that on the news. Does he do that in the Oval Office? Well, I’d like to know. Could you call me back if you find out? We usually eat dinner between five and six, and I go to physical therapy at two, so between 3:30 and 4:30 would be best.”

“Kenyan, you say? Oh, my. I thought….didn’t I see a copy of his full Hawaiian birth certificate on TV? Hawaii is a state, isn’t it? I think I remember when it became a state. Or was that Alaska? I’m sure it wasn’t Puerto Rico. No, I really think it was Hawaii that became a state and that I read that birth certificate on TV. Are you sure? Does that mean Arnold Schwarzenegger can’t run for President?”

Maybe the amount of Republican time we manage to waste isn’t all that significant, but maybe every little bit counts.

Every year I try to crochet enough warm hats for everyone who eats at the soup kitchen near our home. Since the number of hungry people keeps going up, it’s become a large task, although by this time I could do it in my sleep. This year I’m trying to make 180. (I start in January.) So I just keep my yarn and crochet hook by the telephone, so when I get nut calls, I turn out hats while listening to political nonsense and asking questions.

Since I changed my party affiliation, I get calls every day. When I’m called for polls, I’m enthusiastic about the dumbest, low-numbers candidates Republican candidates, and if asked how Obama is doing I give him the highest rating. Since I am a (transient) Republican, I hope that messes with Republican minds.

I’ll need to be working real hard on those hats over the next month, huh?

“Oh, ma’am, I’d cast my ballot for Newt Gingrich a hundred times if I could. Is there some way I could do that? Where in the Constitution does it say that, do you know?”

Love,
Elizabeth

by Old Gardener on Thu Oct 06, 2011 at 03:58:01 PM PDT