2 Southern Baptists in Texas...

[Clobbersaurus]

My little sister and her new husband both raised conservative and both are currently attending a Southern Baptist Seminary in Texas. He is a Southern Baptist minister from Kentucky. She is a Christian Counselor from Virginia. Both ultra conservative and Jebus freaks. (Example: Their wedding in May was a DRY WEDDING. She had to ask her pastor permission to allow DANCING. It was a fun day for me, her queer maid-of-honor sister. But that's a story for another day...)

Last night I asked who they were voting for. My sister said she HATES Bush but has reservations about Kerry. Surprisingly their one hang up was:
"I'm afraid Kerry's going to pull all our troops out of Iraq and then we will be attacked again."

After a quick de-bunking of that myth, and a lecture about the evils of Bush, I got BOTH of them to agree to vote for KERRY.

If we can get them, we can get ANYONE.

I was a total pessimist about this election 2 weeks ago. I was depressed, I was angry. But it's all turned around now. The election is ours for the taking, people. Get out there. Keep talking - Keep debunking the myths about Kerry. There's still votes to be won...

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

1. Great story..thanks!

[Not Me]

2. Congratulations...when other's would have written them off, you persevered

They will thank you. Very soon.

[veteran_for_peace]

3. It is not over yet

Every needs to commit to volunteering at their county headquaters. We shouldn't discount any state. In Memphis the lines for Early voting are over 1 1/2 hours long. Shelby County is going to carry TN for John Kerry.

[naufragus]

4. DANCING??!!!???

hopefully it was not in the church's multi-purpose room but at a reception at another location.

[Clobbersaurus]

6. Why, of course it was held at another locale...

We wouldn't dream of defiling the Lord's house in that way....

[Onlooker]

5. That's like getting four votes for Kerry. Good job!

-2 for Bush
+2 for Kerry

[pelagius]

7. You know why Baptists are so down on sex?

It could lead to dancing.

Sorry. Couldn't resist.

Great story!

[molly]

8. Great news - but you had an advantage

they both sound intelligent.

[Tafiti]

9. I hear ya...

...I always talk to my ultraconservative dad about politics, but it usually goes absolutely nowhere. However, a couple nights ago, I actually got him to consider some nuances about conservative vs. liberal economic policy in general (you know how much trouble Repugs have with nuance), and he mostly agreed. He really didn't know much about it. He called me a couple days later and said, "you know, you really got me thinking the other night, I'd like to talk more about it sometime..."

It's kind of like what Thomas Frank says in "What's the Matter with Kansas?", the fact that conservative pundits actively avoid any economic discussions, and label any discussion of it as class warfare. Notwithstanding the usual rhetorical flourishes about "free trade" and "free market" policies, a truly basic understanding reveals the motivation behind pro-corporate policies, which undermine the quality of life for the middle- and lower-class voters, many of whom support the very party who is destroying their livelihoods. This is what I've been trying to tell my dad, and now I'm making headway...

[oldschoolguy]

10. They listened to reason, thought it out...

....and made an intelligent choice. They are not letting the RW hijack them through their religion. If they want to follow the SoBap path, that is their choice and more power to them. At least they were able to see through the stereotypes and other crap thrown around by the RW.

One of my best friends from high school is a strong SoBap. I am a better person these days for being his friend as his devotion to his religion and his relationship with God moved me closer to Christ. He has furiously rejected the hijacking of Christianity by the RW and has voted Democrat for years--including now.

Thank you for taking the time to share.

[PittLib]

11. I have nothing but admiration for the devout ...

as long as they are able to see through the hypocrisy (especially when mixing God and politics) and live their beliefs sincerely - not merely preach and judge like many are wont to do. Congratulations on a job well done.