Reply #15: I was actually handing out Obama buttons, and he approached me [View All]

he asked, in a nice way, "why should I prefer him to my candidate?"

(what follows is not an exact conversation, just as close as I remember)

I (wrongly) assumed he meant Senator Clinton. I began, "Obama and Clinton are close on a lot of issues.."

He interrupted, "I support McCain, I would prefer Romney, well actually, I just want a Republican, I would even take Huckabee."

Now at this point, his voice was flat, and he had approached me, so I figured maybe he was looking for an out. I remembered a Kos diary I had read, I don't remember the Diarist's name, but he mentioned that Dr. King and Gandhi always believed in hating the act, not the person, and arguing against the act, not the person, and presenting the person with a way to separate themselves from the act with their dignity intact, presenting a graceful exit.

So I mentioned that after being taught to feel an automatic aggression to any ideas that came from the other side for so long, we need to find our way back to appreciating good ideas, no matter who comes up with them, and do some good for the American people, not a particular party.

He asked if I really thought Obama could do that.

I went on a spiel about Obama's tenure in the Illinois Senate, and how when he found a good idea, or came up with a good idea, he worked it with both sides to get it passed (using death penalty reform as the example) without watering it down until it was totally ineffective and just a photo op instead of real reform. I mentioned how he often gave up the credit and gave it to a Republican if that was what it took to get things done.

We went back and forth. His body language changed, his voice changed. He went from flat and disconnected to more animated. Maybe I flatter myself, but I think he was happy to have been offered a smart way out.

(No, he was not hitting on my, I am an old married lady with three kids)

In the end, he smiled, all the way to his eyes - and said, "you know what, I'll catch hell from my buddies, but I'm sold. How much are the buttons."