A Tried and True Approach with Independents and Fence Sitters

Forget the far right-wing, forget the willfully ignorant and forget the habitual Republicans-for-life. You have better things to do with your time and you won't get anywhere anyway.

I promise you the following approach has worked every single time I have used it. Even with people who consider themselves regular voters but fairly apolitical because they have become cynical. This approach works particularly well when the presidential election has come up as a subject of conversation organically rather than you initiating it. When you encounter someone who does not know whom they will vote for or is leaning but hasn't committed, here's what has worked for me time and time again.

The Don'ts:

Do not provide a list of reasons why McCain is a bad choice.
Do not provide a list of reasons why Palin is a bad choice.
Do not tell the person why you support Obama.
Do not tell the person why you support the Democratic platform.

The Dos:

Ask the person whom they are learning towards.
Ask the person what issues are most important to him or her.
Ask the person what issue(s) is preventing them from wholehearted support for Obama.

I promise you the answer to the last question will be a Republican/right-wing spun meme perpetuated by the media.

Respond with, "oh, well then you'll be relieved to know....." or some such. Let me give you an example.

I was spending the afternoon with a friend when the topic came around to politics. We were discussing whether or not all the political talk was appropriate at church. I asked her for her opinion of the candidates and she said she despised McCain but could not support Obama. "Oh, what is preventing you from supporting him."

His support of Partial Birth Abortion.

"Oh, well then you'll be relieved to know that such a thing doesn't even exist." I went on to explain what a D&X is, how rare and tragic it is and how the GOP made up the phrase. I urged her to Google it and learn for herself.

I got an email three hours later that she was voting for Obama.

Try it sometime. You'll be glad you did.

iv sent this one out to a bunch of folks who are doing the canvasing here in NE OHIO.

phone banking. I asked them what issues were important to them and their family and then explained where my candidate stood on them. Pointing out the bad points about our opposition or your feelings is a sure way to close the door to conversation.

Thanks for the information!

:kick:

:thumbsup:

x

friend who was still 'undecided'. She had seen an interview with Cindy McCain that talked about how her family was 'in touch' because her father had worked hard to build his beer empire. I used the exact same argument that I heard Rachel Maddow use....McCain married into the family business, he had nothing at all to do with it, he can't take credit for starting from nothing and gaining wealth. I also said that the Mccains spend more each year on their household help than most Americans earn in a year. I ended by asking "Do you really think that people with this lifestyle care if gas is $4 a gallon? Or if food prices are skyrocketing?" That did it apparently, the next day she emailed me and said she was voting for Obama.

:thumbsup:

Someone else told me they were concerned about Obama's lack of executive experience. I said, "oh, well then you'll be relieved to hear that executive experience has not historically made a difference in the quality of leadership. Remember James Madison, father of the U.S. Constitution, Abraham Lincoln, and John F. Kennedy all had no executive experience. In fact, Lincoln had far less political or leadership experience than does Obama. Presidents such as Warren G. Harding of the Teapot Dome Scandal and Richard Nixon of Watergate fame both had executive experience before becoming President. If you focus on judgment, quality of character and ability to inspire, does that change your opinion about the race?

Ka-ching!

I had to take another person through a series of objections (person is in early 40s).

Obama is too young. "I agree he seems quite young by comparison (no mention of McCain's age directly), but besides the fact Obama is older than several previous presidents, in my opinion his age is to our benefit. Because he is at that stage of life where he is raising a family he is intimately aware of our concerns. And think about how intelligent, motivated and caring he must be to have accomplished so much in 46 years. I want someone that smart who works that hard leading our country during these troubled times."

Yeah but he's got connections to that angry black preacher who hates America. (me playing dumb) "Well, yes, Martin Luther King did rub the establishment the wrong way with his condemnation of the Vietnam War and he did say that "America was going to hell" in one of his speeches. Overall though....

No, no, that preacher guy today.

Oh! You mean Jeremiah Wright? Well let me ask you this? Do you agree with everything I say in the pulpit (I'm a minister)?

No I guess not.

Would you want people judging you by my words and actions and assuming you agree with me 100% of the time?

No I guess not.

Let me send you a link to a speech I think you'll get a real kick out of. I'm sure you'll love it!

Okay.

Sent link to Obama's speech in Philadelphia. Guy watched it. I ran into him at the grocery store a few days later and he told me he was not only voting for Obama he had sent $50.

Ka-ching!

I've yet to have it fail. But seriously, it's probably because I would never bother trying with lost causes. And you definitely need to know your stuff because you never know what objection is going to come tumbling out.

Overcoming Objections. Salesmanship 101

Cheers!

I'm going to photocopy these and hand them out to all our phone canvassers! *woohoo*!!!

At least not using unfair media coverage as a reason. I have found that this argument tends to shut people down. I'll explain.

One person I spoke to had hooked into the Republican/media meme that was so effective in 2004. "The Democrats don't have a plan."

Instead of my knee jerk response which would be, "of course they do, the goddamn media just never reports it" or "you've got to be kidding me, you just believe that because that's what the Republicans say over and over again."

I responded

"Granted (agrees with the person tacitly) the Democrat's plan is not as simplistic as the Republican platform (slams them but acknowledges they have one), but you'll be glad to know the Democrats do have one and it's quite impressive. I think you'll find it to be one that few people, either Democrat or Republican, can fundamentally disagree with. Although it may take a little longer to read because it is comprehensive, I know you'll appreciate the confidence Obama shows in our intelligence as American voters to understand it. May I send you a copy of "The Blueprint for Change?" That's the name of Obama's plan for America.

And boy is this a tough one to do without raking McCain over the coals.

"I can't get behind Obama because he's an elitist."

Response

"I can definitely understand that concern because so many of our politicians have come from coddled rich backgrounds, enjoyed world class educations and dress like a million bucks. That's why I'm so impressed with Obama's background. Talk about pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps, boy howdy, did he ever! (fill in some details on his childhood and education)"

I am so not a clothes hound, but the woman I was talking to is so I went on with this.

"Oh by the way, I thought of you when I saw his wife at a fourth of July event. She had on the cutest Gap dress that would look adorable on you. Last I saw it was on sale for 40% off of the original $60 bucks"

But for those with honestly open minds, or who have been mis-informed, or who have been swayed by MSM nonsense, excellent responses.

I like how you never make people feel stupid (I'm pretty sure my prefered technique of shaking them and yelling "how stupid are you?" probably wouldn't work)

I'm also going to print out your replies for my own use.

Like trying to convince a child that a dime is worth more than a nickel!

(I hate to even write this because it sounds so racist and stupid) but when people say that they are afraid if Obama wins African Americans will start asserting themselves more, pushing white Americans around, expecting more from the government, etc. Got that one from my mom and sister (not that they necessarily think that themselves but they'd heard it from other people. TIA -- taking notes also as I plan to travel to swing states to do canvassing.

I would probably take this approach and spin the whole thing on it's head.

"Sadly, it's a shame that it won't happen even though it should. We have to be honest and admit that blacks in this country still do not enjoy the same rights, privileges and benefits that whites do. I wish his success would make the African American community as a whole more assertive, but it probably won't. On the other hand, his presidency would go a long way towards alleviating the oppressive conditions that lead to African Americans disproportionately represented in poverty and crime figures. And his example may inspire African American, and white, individuals to aspire to higher goals. *sigh* I wish we had more blacks in positions of power and authority. Our country would be a lot healthier as a result."

I appreciate your response. One thing I said when they say that to me is that Obama has run his campaign to be inclusive of anyone and everyone from the very beginning so I don't know see why it should be any different after he's elected. Well, if you think of anything else pass it on! Thanks again.

As you said, comes across as pretty racist and stupid. Very little one can do with that effectively.

I also frequently mention to people that we are all the same race anyway -- the human race.

He had a black author on (forgot his name...*kicks self*) who had a beautiful statement about Obama being president. I'm paraphrasing here but he stated how our children (black, white, asian, etc) will grow up with a completely different perspective of people and race because every day they will be seeing a black president and how it will become natural for these kids to think that color isn't important.

I loved the way he stated it because it was a very strong message.

He turned it into a positive. Only a racist would have a problem with that. Thanks much all of you -- this has been very helpful!!

to point out that Obama hasn't done that as a senator. The question is usually phrased more like, "I'm worried that Obama will buckle into special interest groups, especially for blacks." My response is that he hasn't done that yet. Several terms as a representative from Chicago and into his first term as senator there's been no sign of the kind of bizarre favoritism they fear.

I don't know if it works or not, because with this question, we're seeing the deep-rooted fear that underlies racism.

Another effective counter might be that black people have always voted for white candidates in the past, and many of those white candidates have gone on to do things that helped blacks and minorities instead of solely helping white people. (This requires some acting skill to keep a straight face, though.)

"You're in the Green Party? You **-enabling scum! All non-Dems should die! Vote for Obama you #%*@%$^%@$ POS!"

But seriously, thank you for a very thoughtful and useful post. :yourock: I can assure you it's a much better approach than the one above. :rofl:

Great post. Persuasion is not my forte. I need all the reminders and instruction I can get.