So, how and why did a then 94 yo Texas born & raised, Catholic, life-long, two-time Trump voter become a huge Kamala Harris fan? Bear with me, it’s not a short story.
I sold my home & bought a house in the suburb of St. Paul/Minneapolis, MN in the fall of 2021. I chose this city because my dad’s long-term memories are here. I moved my dad in with me so I could care for him. We have a split-level home, and he lives downstairs.
Dad grew up in generational racism. He doesn’t hate people - he was truly uninformed & ignorant. Living with me full-time, a tried & true Lib, well … he was exposed to more information than he had been for decades. Mom passed in 2010. Side note: Dad told her she had to vote Republican. Since the 1952 election (Eisenhower/Stevenson) she told my dad she voted Republican. On her death bed, she told me I could tell dad the truth once she was gone; she never once voted Republican! “He’ll be so mad I canceled out every single vote of his!”
Dad likes to spend time “upstairs” with me. I blocked Fox “News” from MY TV. If he wanted to watch it, he had to do it on his own time & on his own TV. He’d get to the church parking lot early every Saturday evening so he could listen to a conservative radio show, before mass.
In June of 2022, Roe was overturned. When is saw the breaking news chyron on the TV I dropped to my knees and sobbed. He didn’t get it. He didn’t understand why I was so upset, why I was sobbing. I began to explain the ramifications of the decision. He was quiet.
2022 was also an election year in MN for governor. Not long after Roe was overturned Gov. Walz codified abortion & reproductive rights in my state. When the laws passed Dad came to me and said he was glad. He said Dobbs was wrong. He was angry. He asked a question, which changed everything, “Even though I am registered as Republican, can I vote for Walz?” Yes, Dad, oh yes you can – and he DID. This was his first Democrat vote in his entire life, in 76 years of voting.
(continued)
I sold my home & bought a house in the suburb of St. Paul/Minneapolis, MN in the fall of 2021. I chose this city because my dad’s long-term memories are here. I moved my dad in with me so I could care for him. We have a split-level home, and he lives downstairs.
Dad grew up in generational racism. He doesn’t hate people - he was truly uninformed & ignorant. Living with me full-time, a tried & true Lib, well … he was exposed to more information than he had been for decades. Mom passed in 2010. Side note: Dad told her she had to vote Republican. Since the 1952 election (Eisenhower/Stevenson) she told my dad she voted Republican. On her death bed, she told me I could tell dad the truth once she was gone; she never once voted Republican! “He’ll be so mad I canceled out every single vote of his!”
Dad likes to spend time “upstairs” with me. I blocked Fox “News” from MY TV. If he wanted to watch it, he had to do it on his own time & on his own TV. He’d get to the church parking lot early every Saturday evening so he could listen to a conservative radio show, before mass.
In June of 2022, Roe was overturned. When is saw the breaking news chyron on the TV I dropped to my knees and sobbed. He didn’t get it. He didn’t understand why I was so upset, why I was sobbing. I began to explain the ramifications of the decision. He was quiet.
2022 was also an election year in MN for governor. Not long after Roe was overturned Gov. Walz codified abortion & reproductive rights in my state. When the laws passed Dad came to me and said he was glad. He said Dobbs was wrong. He was angry. He asked a question, which changed everything, “Even though I am registered as Republican, can I vote for Walz?” Yes, Dad, oh yes you can – and he DID. This was his first Democrat vote in his entire life, in 76 years of voting.
(continued)
During the summer of 2022 we also had Congress’s Select Committee hearings on January 6th. The first broadcast was when he saw extended video of that day and heard testimony. He started shaking in anger. He said he had no idea. He asked – jaw dropped – “Is this true? This really happened?” You see, he was still watching Fox back then. He knew there was a “protest” and “a few people got out of hand” but had *NO CLUE* what actually happened, that people died, and many were left permanently injured.
“That f*cker waited hours to do anything?” (Dad rarely swears unless it’s about DJT)
“You mean he encouraged it?”
“That was a riot! That was horrific!”
“How did I not know all this?”
The dots connected. Let me tell you, this man was angrier and more furious than I had ever seen him, at least not since I was 15 and puked in the driveway from too much Crème de Minthe & Canadian Club whiskey from his liquor cabinet.
He was ticked off for WEEKS. He worked through being conned, being fear farmed, being lied to by Fox AND Trump, being a mark, and being oblivious. He was mad at HIMSELF, too, because he’d *viciously* argue with me and my brother & defend Trump. He was mad he was wrong. He was mad he was duped. He was mad he defended “that POS.”
So, Dad voted for Walz. He started asking more questions – about social program recipients, immigration, how Congress works … educating himself. “I never stopped to think that Republicans were blocking bills. I just thought Biden couldn’t & wouldn’t do anything - that he didn't care.” Add in Trump's court cases, s*x abuse allegations, convictions ... Dad was OUT.
Once he engaged, he taught himself how to use my smart TV remote so he could watch CNN, MSNBC, etc. Imagine my shock to come home and hear Nicolle Wallace on the TV and dad cheering her on. I even tempted fate with Rachel. “I hate that b*tch,” he used to say. He watched an episode and said, “I owe her an apology. Oh boy is she smart. No wonder Fox folks hate her.”
Dad’s evolution boils down to education & knowledge. The more he (re)learned about civics, the more he understood the situation. The more he opened his mind, the less angry, fearful, hopeless and hateful he became. He began to truly understand the stakes this election cycle. He was all in on Biden, albeit reluctantly. Truthfully, he was nervous about Harris. Not gonna lie. It wasn’t about being black & brown. It wasn’t about being a woman. He was never exposed to her career, her time in the Senate, and what she has accomplished. I reminded him – again – of basic civics and what the actual job duties are of a VP.
“That f*cker waited hours to do anything?” (Dad rarely swears unless it’s about DJT)
“You mean he encouraged it?”
“That was a riot! That was horrific!”
“How did I not know all this?”
The dots connected. Let me tell you, this man was angrier and more furious than I had ever seen him, at least not since I was 15 and puked in the driveway from too much Crème de Minthe & Canadian Club whiskey from his liquor cabinet.
He was ticked off for WEEKS. He worked through being conned, being fear farmed, being lied to by Fox AND Trump, being a mark, and being oblivious. He was mad at HIMSELF, too, because he’d *viciously* argue with me and my brother & defend Trump. He was mad he was wrong. He was mad he was duped. He was mad he defended “that POS.”
So, Dad voted for Walz. He started asking more questions – about social program recipients, immigration, how Congress works … educating himself. “I never stopped to think that Republicans were blocking bills. I just thought Biden couldn’t & wouldn’t do anything - that he didn't care.” Add in Trump's court cases, s*x abuse allegations, convictions ... Dad was OUT.
Once he engaged, he taught himself how to use my smart TV remote so he could watch CNN, MSNBC, etc. Imagine my shock to come home and hear Nicolle Wallace on the TV and dad cheering her on. I even tempted fate with Rachel. “I hate that b*tch,” he used to say. He watched an episode and said, “I owe her an apology. Oh boy is she smart. No wonder Fox folks hate her.”
Dad’s evolution boils down to education & knowledge. The more he (re)learned about civics, the more he understood the situation. The more he opened his mind, the less angry, fearful, hopeless and hateful he became. He began to truly understand the stakes this election cycle. He was all in on Biden, albeit reluctantly. Truthfully, he was nervous about Harris. Not gonna lie. It wasn’t about being black & brown. It wasn’t about being a woman. He was never exposed to her career, her time in the Senate, and what she has accomplished. I reminded him – again – of basic civics and what the actual job duties are of a VP.
When he saw her first rally …. OMG. He was hollering back at the TV in joy. He would turn and look at me with a huge grin, with hope. He was mesmerized, on board, and had a sense of peace I hadn’t seen in a long time. “She’s got this. She’s ready. She’s The One.” This, from a former racist, from a man whose wife didn’t have a (joint) credit card until the 90’s, who didn’t have a car in her own name (only) until the 2000’s, and who didn’t have her own bank account until the 80’s. He saw greatness. He saw in Kamala someone who was ready, had the smarts and the talent to win this thing and to unite our world. He wanted a piece of the action and still asks me every day if she has a rally. He’s practically memorized her stump speech. He hollers back, “WHEN WE FIGHT, WE WIN!” “WE ARE NOT GOING BACK!” “VOTE!”
He never *really* believed in Trump. Had Haley been the nominee I think he MIGHT’VE voted for her over Biden. But now, he’s excited for a candidate that wants to unite the country, who values the rule of law, and whose policies will HELP us and not harm us. Might he ever vote Republican again, should he have the opportunity? I think he might, if the candidate was “normal” and valued those same things. (Something the old Republican party in his long lifetime once did, for the most part). At 96 & with health problems he realizes this is likely his last election. He voted blue up & down the ballot and could not be prouder.
Thank you so much for your support and love for my dad. He thinks all this is crazy, but he also loves it! He sends his love and thanks to each of you, even his detractors. 💙💙💙
#HarrisWalz2024
#republicansagainsttrump
#WhiteDudes4Harris
He never *really* believed in Trump. Had Haley been the nominee I think he MIGHT’VE voted for her over Biden. But now, he’s excited for a candidate that wants to unite the country, who values the rule of law, and whose policies will HELP us and not harm us. Might he ever vote Republican again, should he have the opportunity? I think he might, if the candidate was “normal” and valued those same things. (Something the old Republican party in his long lifetime once did, for the most part). At 96 & with health problems he realizes this is likely his last election. He voted blue up & down the ballot and could not be prouder.
Thank you so much for your support and love for my dad. He thinks all this is crazy, but he also loves it! He sends his love and thanks to each of you, even his detractors. 💙💙💙
#HarrisWalz2024
#republicansagainsttrump
#WhiteDudes4Harris
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