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View Full Version : Just had a long conversation with Obama cavassers




The New Revere
01-05-2008, 08:26 PM
Two Obama canvassers came to my door today. I engaged them in a long conversation. I was curious why someone would be for Obama.

They were very polite and we bothh expressed appreciation for the others good manners and enthusiasm.

The down side is that many of my suspicions about them were correct and the MSM's view of Ron Paul seems to be beaten into thier head.

I also found it sad that they seemed to want the same things we do. The reasons they want Obama are exactly Paul's campaign stances, but they are swayed by his heartfelt speeches and the fuzzy feeling they get from watching him.

Here's what i was told in a nutshell:

1. They think he will get us out of Iraq.

2. They see him as a uniter that will stretch across party lines.

3. They believe he opposed the war.

4. They say he has principal and does things that may be unpopular. They claim his run for senate was unpopular and he perservered.

5. They claim that electing someone of mixed race is redeeming and that the world sees our support for him and it changes they're view of us "maybe were not so bad".

6. The girl expressed fear about the overturning of Roe vs Wade. When i asked here would'nt she rather have a voice in her local government and make the decision for herself in state government, rather than have a supreme court judgement she could do nothing about if conserative judges overturned it, she didn't really have an answer, but went back to him being pro abortion and scaring her about what he would do in office.

7. He's "Electable"

Overall I was left with the impression that even though they seemed of like mind in many ways, having a "rock star" style candidate with big dreams, big promises and a different complexion meant hope and real change.

The reasons for not going with Paul were predictable and kind of annoying.

"He's not electable" I was asked twice who my second choice was. Even when i said unelectable just meant that they wouldn't vote thier concience and believed media hype they agreed. Didn't change thier mind though.

The abortion issue

Overall it just came down to he wasn't "shiny" enough for lack of a better simile.


They were polite and very cordial. I was just sad they could see past the glamour and the polularity garbage.

I hope these notes give some insight into what your gonna see when you try to convert Obama people.

The facts aren't always gonna matter.

The Good Doctor
01-05-2008, 08:29 PM
Well, we have had some fugly Presidents in the past. And Ron Paul certainly isn't ugly. He looks so kind and would seem like a guy you would want for your grandfather.

Anyway my two cents.

slantedview
01-05-2008, 08:32 PM
hmmm interesting.

yes, the idea that obama wants to get us out of iraq soon is troubling since people fall for it.

you should haven brought up the point that obama WOULD NOT COMMIT to when we would be COMPLETELY out of iraq. he also said he'd be for going into pakistan to hunt terrorists, without pakistan's permission. this infuriated the president of pakistan, needless to say.

glad you tried to engate them though.

coboman
01-05-2008, 08:40 PM
Overall it just came down to he wasn't "shiny" enough for lack of a better simile.

I would have the same opinion if all my references to the doctor were MSM or the official ads.

My first impression was very good. It was a video on youTube with the compilation of his responses in the Republican debate.

My second impression was even better, with one of Aravoth's videos (I think it was "A New Hope"), and right there and then I knew this was something great. It was the first political figure ever to generate lots of enthusiasm for me.

From then on, I have tried to stick to those images, in spite of the new videos. The ads with the constitution in the back, were a big turnoff. He looked like an angry old man, with prejudices.
Watching the Iowa 20 minute special, I really had to go back and remember why I supported him in the first place. This video presented an old lunatic shouting about abortion, and conspiracies that keep people poor.
And now the commercials, like the one of immigration, really confirm that white old man mentality.

If these had been my first impressions of him, I would have never supported him.

The New Revere
01-05-2008, 08:42 PM
I did say i thought he was disningenious about Iraq in the past and that invading Pakistan was not an option.

Again, I got the head nod as if they agreed and then they moved right on forward with the "but the hope, and the future, and the dreams, etc, etc.

dircha
01-05-2008, 08:48 PM
I did say i thought he was disningenious about Iraq in the past and that invading Pakistan was not an option.

Again, I got the head nod as if they agreed and then they moved right on forward with the "but the hope, and the future, and the dreams, etc, etc.

I have no doubt the majority of Obama supporters have never gone to his website and read his policy positions for themselves.

On the whole his policy positions do not differ in any substantial way from Hillary's policy positions.

Danny Molina
01-05-2008, 08:50 PM
A good question would have been why did he vote to keep The Patriot Act.

Richandler
01-05-2008, 08:53 PM
So why didn't you convince them that all their perceptions are wrong?

moostraks
01-05-2008, 08:53 PM
Form over substance and media hype...oh joy!!

The New Revere
01-05-2008, 08:54 PM
I asked about the patriot act. No answer. They kinda glazed over at that point.
we spoke about quite a few topics i didn't list. I felt i engaged them and made good arguments without being insulting.

Gotta remember who i'm representing!

The New Revere
01-05-2008, 08:56 PM
So why didn't you convince them that all their perceptions are wrong?

You can can only tell someone facts, you can't make them want to hear them. That's why i said converting them isn't gonna be easy alot of the time if they choose to be charmed instead of informed.