I just got a phone call from the Obama campaign
It’s the evening of September 20, 2012. I’m sitting here typing now – trying to get this down as accurately as I can remember. The following is just a rough version based on my memory – I did not record the call, so these are not the exact words.
Phone: Ring!
Me: Hello?
Her: Is this Daniel (—)?
Me: Yes.
Her: My name is (—). I’m calling from the Obama campaign right here in Squirrel Hill.
Me: Really? That’s where I live. Where are you?
Her: We’re right across from (—).
Me: I know where that is. I’m just a few blocks away.
Her: I’m hoping that you’ll vote for the President in the upcoming election.
Me: Actually, I’m planning to vote for someone who isn’t the President – Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate. Have you heard of him?
Her: No.
Me: Please tell me why I should vote for your candidate.
Her: Because I feel deep inside that he’s the best person for the job.
Me: I’m not interested in feelings. I’m interested in Obama’s positions on the issues. What are some of his policies that you agree with?
Her: Health care reform.
Me: Obama gave waivers to many of the very same unions that helped him to get his health care reform passed. These unions asked for exemptions from some of the very same provisions of health care reform that they want everyone else to be forced into.
Her: That’s your opinion.
Me: No – it’s not my “opinion.” It’s a fact. It’s a fact – not my “opinion” – that many of the unions that helped to pass Obama’s health care reform got exemptions from some of the more expensive parts of it. That is not my “opinion” – it’s a fact.
Her: Just because you say so doesn’t mean it’s true.
Me: Go to google and search for “Dan from Squirrel Hill” – that my blog. I have a list of 95 reasons not to vote for Obama. It’s not at the top of my blog, but if you scroll down a bit, it’s there. And I cite sources for everything. I cite sources which show that many of the unions that helped to pass Obama’s health care reform got waivers which exempt them from the very same things that they expect everyone else to follow.
Her: Just because something is on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true.
Me: That’s true – but these particular sources are legitimate. Speaking of health care, Obama promised that he would stop the federal raids on medical marijuana in states where it’s legal. But he broke his promise – the raids are still going on. There are people who are dying of AIDS and cancer – and people with multiple sclerosis and glaucoma – who have prescriptions for medical marijuana in states where it’s legal – and Obama is sending in his armed agents to prevent them from taking their medicine. People are dying from AIDS and cancer – and Obama is stopping them from taking their medicine.
Her: That’s what you say.
Me: It’s not just me who says that. Rolling Stone magazine – a very left wing magazine – said that Obama’s war on medical marijuana is worse than Bush’s. Mother Jones magazine – which is also far left – has also criticized Obama for this. So has NPR. There are all sources that liberals love. Have you heard of Rolling Stone magazine?
Her: Yes.
Me: Have you heard of Mother Jones magazine?
Her: Yes.
Me: Have you heard of NPR?
Her: Yes.
Me: Well, I cited all of those sources on my bog. The links are right there. You can read from those websites about Obama’s war against medical marijuana. I cited examples of dozens of raids, all with sources. You don’t have to take my word for it – you can look it up for yourself – and I cited legitimate sources for everything. Obama carried out a huge number of raids against medical marijuana in states where it’s legal.
Her: That’s your opinion.
Me: It’s not my “opinion” – it’s a fact. It’s a fact – not an “opinion” – that Obama has carried out huge numbers of raids on medical marijuana in states where it’s legal. He made a campaign promise to end the raids, and he broke that promise.
Her: In your opinion.
Me: No – it’s not my “opinion” – it’s a fact. Did you know that Obama supports indefinite detention?
Her: That’s your opinion.
Me: No, it’s not my “opinion” – it’s a fact. Obama also supports unwarranted wiretapping.
Her: In your opinion.
Me: No, not “in my opinion.” It’s a fact, and I cited sources for it. He also signed a renewal of the Patriot Act.
Her: That’s your opinion too.
Me: No, it’s not my “opinion.” It’s a fact – not my “opinion” – that Obama signed a renewal of the Patriot Act. I cited sources for it.
Her: Those sources could be wrong. Just because something is on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true.
Me: It’s a matter of public record. All laws signed by the President are a matter of public record. You don’t have to take my word for it – it’s a matter of public record that Obama signed a renewal of the Patriot Act.
Her: In your opinion.
Me: Remember that $700 billion corporate welfare bill that President Bush signed, which gave bailouts to the Wall St. criminals who caused the financial crisis?
Her: Yes.
Me: When Obama was a Senator, he voted for that.
Her: In your opinion.
Me: No – it’s not my “opinion.” It’s a fact – not my “opinion” – that Senator Obama voted for the $700 billion TARP bailout. What do you think of Guantanamo Bay?
Her: I think it’s terrible.
Me: Did you know that Obama promised to shut it down, and that he broke that promise?
Her: I think that Obama made a promise that sounded good at the time, but once he was in office, he realized that it was a bad promise.
Me: Liberals hated Bush for his actions regarding Guantanamo Bay – why don’t they hate Obama for the same thing?
Her: I think Obama had some tough decisions to make.
Me: Liberals hated Bush for his support of indefinite detention, unwarranted wiretapping, the Patriot Act, the war against medical marijuana, and the $700 billion TARP bailout. Why don’t liberals hate Obama for supporting those exact same things?
Her: It’s only your opinion that Obama supports those things.
Me: No, it’s not my “opinion.” It is a fact – not my “opinion” – that Obama supports those things. I cite sources for all of those things on my blog.
Her: Just because you say so doesn’t mean it’s true.
Me: You don’t have to take my word for it. I cited sources. I cited many left wing sources that supported Obama four years ago, which are now being very critical of him. You can click on the links and read the sources yourself.
Her: Just because something is on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true.
Me: He’s the President. Everything he does is part of the public record. Every bill he signs as President, and every bill he voted for as Senator, is part of the public record. You can look it up for yourself.
Her: That’s your opinion.
Me: These things aren’t my “opinion” – they are facts. The policies that Obama supports are a matter of public record.
Her: In your opinion.
Me: Obama has raised more money from Wall St. than any other candidate.
Her: That’s your opinion too.
Me: No – that’s a fact. It’s not my opinion. Obama has fundraisers where the rich people on Wall St. donate $35,800 per person – the maximum legal amount. That’s $35,800 for one person getting one plate at one dinner – and he has many of these events. This is a fact. Obama really does have these huge fundraisers, and the rich people on Wall St. really do donate all that money to him.
Her: That’s just your opinion.
Me: No – it’s not “just my opinion.” It’s a fact – Obama really does raise all that money from the rich people on Wall St.
Her: In your opinion.
Me: Do you know who Jill Stein is?
Her: No.
Me: She’s the Green Party candidate. She disagrees with Obama on these issues. Please give me a reason to vote for Obama.
Her: Because he needs time to continue with the things that he’s been doing for the past four years.
Me: Really? You mean like his support of indefinite detention, unwarranted wiretapping, the Patriot Act, the bailouts for the corporate criminals who caused the financial crises, and the war against medical marijuana?
Her: That’s just your opinion.
Me: No – it is not my “opinion.” Obama supports all of those things – it’s a matter of public record.
Her: I have great trouble believing you.
Me: You don’t have to believe me. You can look these things up yourself. Obama really does support each and every one of those things. I cited sources on my blog. If you don’t trust Rolling Stone magazine, Mother Jones magazine, NPR, and my other other sources, you can look all of these things up for yourself, in whatever sources you want.
Her: I have great difficulty believing that Obama supports those things.
Me: Please tell me something about Obama that would appeal to my libertarian beliefs.
Her: I just feel that he’s the best person for the job.
Me: In the beginning of this call, you also said you supported Obama based on your “feelings.” Well, I judge candidates based on facts. This is where you and I differ – I prefer to go by facts – whereas you prefer to go by feelings. Please give me one reason why I should vote for Obama, based on the facts.
Her: I have to be going now.
Me: OK. Goodbye.
Her: Goodbye.