The way things ought to be

Having a discussion with the Romney supporter in the cubicle across from me.

"What do you know about disaster relief?" he asks me.

"I know your boy wants to privatize it completely," I respond. "Private disaster relief means a lot of rescued rich people."

He shakes that off. "Yeah, I don't think disaster relief should be privatized," he says.

"Maybe not," I say, "but that's what you're voting for. Plus, no gay marriage."

He shakes that off, too. "I don't care about that stuff." He then explains to me that marriage should simply be a religious ceremony, but anyone should be able to enter into a civil contract.

I tell him "Okay, I agree, basically, but whatever you think, you are voting against marriage equality for non heterosexuals."

He shrugs. "No, I'm voting against Obama's economic policies. I don't think we can afford another four years of them."

When I asked what policies he means, he shrugs again. "When I ask myself, 'am I better off now than I was four years ago', I have to say, 'no'."

I hear this argument all the time, and it infuriates me, since it is generally coming from someone on the right, and on the right, everyone claims to be patriotic... except when it comes time to vote against the darkie, in which case, it's all about them, and Are You Better Off Now Than You Were Then.

I ask him if he's a patriot, if he believes in the greater good of the United States of America. He says of course. I say, "And you honestly believe that a guy who made millions of dollars buying American companies, putting their assets in his own pocket, shutting them down, and sending those jobs overseas, is the best guy to run our country?"

He blinks, but he's not fazed. "That's not how it would be," he says. "Look... we just can't afford for more years of Obama's economic policies. What's he done about the federeal bureaucracy?"

"The federal bureaucracy?" I ask him. "Like FEMA?"

"No, no," he says. "It's these public worker unions. They're ridiculous."

"Oh my god," I say. "First it's Obama's economic policies, and then it's the public unions. Just tick on down that list of Fox talking points. Look, dude... if your'e voting for Romney and you make at least six figures, I get it. You're evil and selfish, but I got you. But you're poor, like me. If you're voting for Romney, you're just..." and I substituted, not saying 'stupid' at the last second... "misinformed. Badly misinformed. And you ARE voting for privatization of disaster relief, and continued legalized bias against non heterosexuals. "

He shrugged.