I love my parents dearly, but they've always been staunch Republicans. They were both raised in the South, and even though they've made great strides in the past few years, they are very much products of their times and environments. This year, once again, my father will vote Republican. He's adamant about it, and though I've repeatedly pointed out he'll be voting against his own best interests, he refuses to change his mind. What I didn't realize was that during all those conversations with my dad, my mother was paying attention.
During lunch today, while my father was out running errands, I grabbed some take-out and stopped by my parents' house. While I sorted out the plates and silverware, my mother checked the email account she shares with my dad. They're constantly being forwarded those ridiculous smears against Obama, and while I refute them whenever my dad brings them up, my mother has never mentioned them to me.
Out of the blue, my mom said, "I just don't know what to believe anymore. I think all these politicians are lying to us."
I muttered, "Well, some of them are lying more than others," and then went back to setting the table.
She closed out the email and turned to me. "Don't tell your dad, but I think I'm going to vote for Obama."
I almost dropped the plate I was holding. I'm certain my mouth dropped open. I finally managed to promise I wouldn't tell my dad and added, "Besides, once you're in the voting booth, no one knows how you really vote."
My mom is the sweetest woman I know, and as far as I'm aware, she's never lied to my dad about anything, so I was doubly surprised when she said, "That's right. He won't know who I really voted for, and if he asks me, I'll just tell him I voted for McCain. I'd hate to lie to him, but what good would it do for us to have an argument about it?"
I agreed that it wouldn't do any good and finished setting the table. All the while, I was doing an imaginary victory dance.
So for anyone who is discouraged that they can't convince a particular person to vote for Obama, my mom is proof that we can't stop trying. Someone else may be listening.