The Patriot Post® · Opening Closed Minds

By Don Rosenberg

If you are reading this article, you know how essential it is to win this election, because if we don’t, our entire world will change, with no going back. We not only have to win, we need to win by enough votes to overcome massive cheating from the Democrats, and we need to reach 271 electoral votes early so we don’t end up with uncalled states changing the results with fraudulent mail-in ballots.

A lot of people in our lives have given up with politics in general and voting in particular. They are overwhelmed with conflicting information on so many topics that they just hunker down and focus on their day-to-day struggles to survive. “Campaigns are so negative,” they say. “Let someone else figure out who to vote for.”

Everyone detests negativity. But negative ads are significantly more effective than positive ones, and that’s not going to change.

So, how can we encourage our families, friends, and neighbors to think about their political future and vote this year?

Telling them to vote won’t work. Calling them idiots for ignoring politics and their future won’t work.

Try the “ask, agree, share, ask again” method.

First, get them alone and in a decent mood.

Ask them if they are paying attention to the election this year and if they plan to vote in November. Most will say “I don’t like politics” or “I’ve heard so many bad things about each candidate, I don’t want to vote for either one.”

Agree — since you do.

Share an example of how you hate politics, too.

Ask, “What issues concern you the most when it comes to the future of our country?”

Liberals will probably list equal rights, police brutality, and the environment.

If they lean liberal, they’re probably brainwashed, and every minute you try to spend changing their minds is a minute lost forever from your life. If they were to vote, it would be for another liberal. Check your watch and say, “Oh, sorry, I’m late for a dental appointment!” and move on.

If they lean conservative, they will probably list the COVID-19 pandemic, the economy, and/or violence in the streets. At least they’re thinking about what’s going on!

Agree — since you do. Share how you are concerned about these issues.

Ask, “If you don’t plan to vote, are you OK with other people deciding your future?”

Wow. That will stop them cold. Usually they’ll respond with, “No, but it’s impossible to decide. I know all politicians lie about each other. How can I figure out who to believe?”

Agree — since you do. Share how you hate having to become an expert in 15 different areas just to figure out who’s telling the truth.

Then say, “But I figured out what to do. Since all politicians lie, I decided to look at what they do instead of what they say!”

“Let’s talk about your top three top issues — COVID-19, the economy, and violence in the streets.” Know some facts on five to 10 important issues so you have plenty to say.

COVID-19

Ask them if they know what Trump has actually done about COVID-19 and what Biden and the Democrats have done or proposed.

Trump banned travel from China early on. The Democrats and Biden disagreed and called him xenophobic.

Trump immediately assembled a task force and put Vice President Pence in charge. Pence is considered a nationwide leader with how he handled AIDS as governor of Indiana. Democrats said COVID-19 wasn’t a big deal and invited people to visit Chinatown and party in bars in New York City. Cuomo sent COVID-19 patients into nursing homes, killing thousands, and no Democrat has ever condemned him for it.

For each issue, ask, “If you ignore what the politicians say — about themselves or the other side — what do their actions tell you? Which side do you prefer?”

The Economy

Remind them that under Obama, we were losing jobs from horrible trade deals, wages were stagnant, the “recovery” was the slowest in history, taxes were high, and China was soon to overtake us as the biggest economy in the world.

When Trump took office, he obliterated regulations, got us all a big tax cut, renegotiated trade deals, and opposed China’s dumping their products in the U.S. This led to the fastest growth in decades and the lowest unemployment in history, especially for blacks, Hispanics, and women, all of whom enjoyed higher wage increases than wealthier Americans.

Political Violence

Ask, “Do you feel these are legitimate protests, or a good cause being overtaken by people who just want to riot and loot?”

Trump supports the police and the rule of law. Democrats have let criminals out of jail, want to defund the police, and have eliminated bail in Democrat cities, leading to a massive increase in crime — criminals get arrested at noon and are back on the streets by five o'clock.

When you’re done, ask, “Even though you may dislike a candidate personally, does that mean you prefer to be governed by the other candidate for the next four years?”

Ask, “Do you want to leave this to chance and let other people decide for you?”

Ask again, “Do you think you might want to vote in November?”

Since they’re probably in the habit of not voting, they might say, “I’m not registered,” “I don’t know where to vote,” or “I can’t get to the polls that day.”

Deal with their concerns one by one. Make sure you know the answers about voting in your state, or visit a voter information website and look it up with them. MyFaithVotes.org and TrueTheVote.org are good options.

Remind them to vote or register to vote. Offer them a ride to the polls. Tell them not to mail absentee ballots — drop them off. Find out where.

After college, Don Rosenberg started a record store that grew to 15 locations in North Carolina and Virginia. In 2009, he joined the Tea Party movement, and in 2014 he was hired by the Draft Ben Carson campaign and later hired by the CarsonAmerica campaign as the Eastern U.S. Volunteer Coordinator. In 2016, he started Red America Consulting to help conservative groups and candidates across the country.