Ok, My contractor says he'll vote for Obama

none of you know my long running relationship with my [wonderful] republican contractor who gutted and renovated our house the year before last. We used to have three and four hour arguments, over the cabinet knobs and the various floods and disasters that accompany a year long project, about politics. He's a basically very good guy with authoritarian leanings. He came over this morning to measure something and of course I demanded to know if he was going to vote for McCain. More... He said no, because McCain was "too old" and then he began listing every other thing--the Palin choice, the debate head fake, as reasons that even if McCain weren't too old he wouldn't be voting for him. But he told me that he just "would stay home" because "here in MA" his vote won't count either since the state is "going for obama." We had a long talk about the guys who work for him, even lower down on the financial scale, and how permanently disgusted with politics they are. And how electoral college "winner take all" system of the elections makes them feel even more disenfranchised. Even if they want a candidate, like Obama, they feel their vote "doesn't really count" that its only the "swing states" that matter. So where someone who is very politicized and energized, like me, looks at the swing state maps and goes "now what can I do?" they look at the nightly news and think "someone else's vote counts, not mine."

I argued with him saying that he had basically come to the democratic position on everything from regulation to the war and that Obama would need a mandate becuase if he wins the electoral college but not the popular vote the republicans will never let him forget it. I just said to him, straight out "Obama wants your vote, and so do I. We need it." So, he says he'll actually go out and vote for Obama (his wife already is). This isn't here to be one of those "cheer up" Kos diaries. Its here because I really believe there are lots of votes out there of people who are wavering, or disgusted, or whatever and we need every one of them. And people are just waiting to be asked.

aimai