My 85 year old mother is voting for a Democrat for the first time in her life this year. I grew up hearing nothing but scorn for Democrats from her. This is a woman who used to tell me that “the only good thing Kennedy ever did was get shot.”
I started out as a Republican myself, but realized early on that I agreed with Democrats on most issues, and that the GOP didn’t support me as a professional woman. Additionally, I have two disabled adult children and the GOP not only doesn’t help them, but their policies generally turn out to be down right detrimental to their interests.
I have worked for years to get my mother to stop voting for Republicans, but voting only for Republicans was an innate part of her she refused to change. I often argued to my vehemently pro-choice mother that Republicans were going to overturn Roe v. Wade and make abortion illegal. She claimed that Roe would never be overturned, and it was just a “scare tactic” Democrats used to get them to vote for them.
She also claimed that Republicans were morally superior to Democrats. But I persisted in telling her that was bunk, and that by voting for Republicans she was screwing her grandchildren.
A few things did shake her resolve. First was gay marriage. My mother was never hostile to gays and lesbians and ready welcomed all family members who came out. Still she claimed she had more in common with Republicans, like fiscal responsibility, etc.
Then came Donald Trump. Mom voted for TFG the first time he ran, but by 2020 she had enough and didn’t vote. She just stayed home.
I would have preferred she voted for Biden (not that it mattered since she lives in NJ), but I thought not voting in protest was progress.
When Roe v. Wade was overturned, it literally rocked her world. She was utterly devastated, and I told her that she, and all her other pro-choice GOP voting friends, made that happen.
Last week I went to see her, and we were discussing the mid-terms, and she shocked me by telling me she’s voting for the Democrat who currently represents her district in Congress. I asked why. It turns out the congress person came to her senior center and spoke to she and her friends directly about the issues. My Mom expressed her dismay over Roe being overturned, and the candidate told her about all the measures she has taken to protect women. She also pointed out all the good things the Democrats have done under Biden to help seniors (like the new cap on prescription drug spending in Medicare).
That meeting, combined with the GOP putting someone up with a history of anti-choice rhetoric led to her deciding to vote for a Democrat for the very first time in her life. I also think my argument that the GOP would never stop with the anti-choice rhetoric unless and until they started losing big time at the polls may have persuaded her.
The lesson here is that you can get people to change their voting habits. It can take years (I’ve been working on my mother for over 30), but it can be done. You have to consistently point out why a Democrat will better represent their views and why the GOP does not.
The other lesson is that candidates doing the ground work and actually meeting with people makes a difference. I think my Mom would have just stayed home again, but for meeting her congress person.
