[via email]

Wow. Isn’t it amazing, Marc? I know you don’t do the whole TV thing, but I’ve been pretty glued to the election coverage. I’ve been researching both candidates in an effort to truly be informed and to have the facts on hand when presented with a debate. This all came in rather handy recently.

I was having a garage sale - as economic times are tough, despite what the current administration would have you believe. And rather than send perfectly good, gently used items to a landfill, I say come see if any of my stuff could become a treasure for you. Most of what I own has come from other people’s estate and garage sales.

Anyway, my dad offered to watch the money box and my brother said he could help folks while I took care of a few household chores. When I came outside to find out what everyone wanted for lunch, I discovered my father locked in a debate with an older woman who was clearly not a support of Sen Obama. She was explaining to my 61 year old father that many people start out as Democrats, but when they become older and better educated they become Republicans. My father is a letter carrier. He belongs to a union. He has always been a Democrat. He is very intelligent despite not holding a college degree . . . and I doubt the 72 year old woman barking at him had any formal education beyond his.

Being as we were all standing on my driveway, I felt I had the right to interjec t. I asked her what she was talking about. She said Obama was a liar and no Republican would ever be dishonest with the American people. So, I asked for an example of a lie he was telling our country in hopes of providing her with some truthful information. When she could not, she immediately demanded I offer an example of a Republican lying. I calmly told her the most recently lie McCain had shared with a group at a town hall that very morning regarding Palin selling the governor’s jet. McCain said Palin sold it on eBay for a large profit. The truth is she put the jet on eBay and it did not sell. Someone else in the Alaska Senate brokered a private deal for a $6,000 loss. I asked her if she wanted to hear more, because we could talk about the truth regarding the Bridge to Nowhere, among other things.

Her response was to scream — yes, scream at me on my property — that my generation is destroying everything her generation fought so hard for, what her husband had died for so long ago. I told her I was sorry for her loss, but I did not accept her accusation that we are ruining the country. I know too many of trying to fix the problems we have inherited to ensure that good, hardworking Americans like my father, will be able to retire and get something out of the social security they have been paying for so many years. I also told her I have done a lot of research and spent a great deal of time looking at both candidates and I imagine I know more truth about both candidates than she does her own.

My father repeatedly asked her to leave. He told her that she should take the few items she had picked up and just go because she clearly needed these things more than we needed a few dollars. She continued to bark at my father, my brother, and me.

I looked her in the eyes and told her, “I think John McCain honestly believes he can do what’s best for our country.” She said, “Yes!” I went on to say, “And I think Barack Obama honestly believes he can do what’s best for our country.” She said, “Okay.” And then, I said, “It is my right as an American to choose the person I believe in, and I choose Barack Obama because I’m not just voting for myself, I’m voting for everyone in our country to have a chance at a better life, at the American Dream.”

She said I spoke intelligently and beautifully and wanted to hug me. I told her no and asked her to leave my property. She called back to us and said she would pray for us . . . I said, “And I will pray for you. It might do you good to learn that Republicans don’t have the corner market on God.”

It’s only going to get more heated as we go.

Hope you are well and creating many beautiful things!!!

Thanks for sharing with me the story of the yard sale. Nice work on keeping a cool head and respecting the screaming woman’s viewpoint while asserting your own. That is exactly the response that is needed in dealing with folks from the other camp. it takes courage to do, as well as knowing your stuff.

But what about electronically? On the phone and in person, sure, I can see that. In web forum discussion board? On email? It seems like a losing battle.

Recently, I began receiving a series of pro-McCain emails from a woman on the east coast. I’d put her in her early 60s. I’ve known her all of my life, but the emails she was sending to a distribution list, often were a collection of “facts” that did not cite sources. The first few times, I attempted to calmly engage in debate, combing the web to prove false the ill-contrived “facts” contained in the emails. This attempt was met with animosity, so I asked to be removed from the mailing list.

For a while, I did not receive anything, then again I got something that didn’t cite any sources, something that she didn’t bother to check out to see if it is true or not. I sent back the post above, without commentary.

I sent it mainly to show how empty these kinds of “arguments” are via email. Granted, the post above is an opinion piece, never attempting to be portrayed as “fact”.

The response I received, and my reply is below. It makes me realize that attempting to change the minds who are already committed is impossible, but we need to focus on people who are truly open and undecided.

You know, Mark [sic], if I had time I could refute your skewed definitions point by point. But I don’t have time and you don’t have the openness, being such a benevolent, broad-minded, free-handed, superior human being. ooooooooooooooo…

My response:

Hi, [redacted],

Marc (with a “C”, as displayed in my email address

)