I have talked about some of this in Comments but thought I would put it in a single Diary. Now I’d like to say these lifelong Republicans moved to our side because they realized we are better for the economy. Equality of all citizens. Heck they just showed some empathy to their fellow citizens that a “social safety net” is a good thing.
That is not the case.
They came our way, and I guess I will take votes anyway we can get them, because they had life changing events happen and the goverment was there with aid and open arms.
My Mother
A few years ago mom got very sick. In the ICU for a month. Three operations. Rehab. There was a helicopter involved. Single patient room. One nurse for each two patients. According to the US News & World Report rankings on hospitals, she was in a top 5% of 1% facility. So about the best medical care you can get.
Mom voted for Obama in 2006, before she was sick. Changed from that lifelong Republican vote. She did this out of a single voter issue. Reproductive rights. I would find out at her father’s funeral of all places, she had been married before. I was in my 40s and had never known this. Her first husband beat and raped her.
She was able to get away, but was pregnant. She went, and gosh I couldn’t make this up, to my dad’s father for what at the time was an illegal abortion (before my father and her were dating). She doesn’t know I know this, dad told me to NEVER bring it up, EVER, but it helped to make sense of a lot of things.
Why for as long as I can recall my mother has volunteered and given to women’s crisis centers. Why, and I guess all good mother’s do this, pounded into my head to respect ladies with every fiber of my being.
But again she was a single issue voter. Still not so much a fan of government.
Not long after she was out of the hospital, sitting at my dinner table, I asked what her hospital bills totaled. She looked to my father and he said nothing. They didn’t pay a single penny. His health care, as a former high-level DoD (GS17) employee of more than 30+ years their health care is through the government.
My mother didn ’t realize this. Figured they had to pay a ton of money, because well everybody else she knows that got sick always did. Almost in tears I said to mom when you hear me rant about single payer this is what I mean. Do you have any idea how many millions of Americans would give just about anything to have the health care insurance you do? Why as the richest country in the history of this world can’t we have this? Why can’t we all have “nice” things?
You could sense she’d never really thought about it, but it was kind of a strikingly good idea. In the next story she would eventually come our way full circle.
Laurie (My Cousin)
Massive health issues of family members seems to be a thing lately. Laurie was at a Bible study group over a year ago and just hit the floor. Stopped breathing for about 7 minutes. It is at this point I should note she was 8 months pregnant. Another helicopter involved, which I found out cost $65,000. She was in the same ICU as my mother for 5 weeks. Her son Noah, who the doctor’s gave less than a 5% chance of survival, well he made it. In the prenatal ICU for two months.
We don’t know for sure, but estimate the bills could go well into the seven figures and they will be paying them off for the rest of their lives.
To make matters worse, Laurie didn’t go back to work as a primary school teacher, so now only one income. Although Noah just turned one and the fears he could have developmental issues because he didn’t have oxygen for an extended period of time appear not to have occurred. But the doctors have stress you’d always give an infant a lot of attention, but he needs even more. These early years are even more critical them usual.
My father’s side of the family are doctors and PhDs. My mother’s father side, and therefore Laurie are factory workers. Salt of the earth. They don’t cotton much to asking for help from anybody, much less the government.
My mother over the course of weeks and months convinced her that there is no shame in asking for help. They are deeply religious, go to a church where they are only a step or two above snake handling, but the church can only do so much to help. And it should be noted even though I am an atheist and confused to all get out about their “born again” faith, the church has been a pillar of support.
They are now on Medicaid, which could be key since there might be some serious developmental issues to deal with (no sign of that now, but still too young to know for sure) with Noah. Laurie is still having major health issues, including just the other day.
Also got her on SNAP. Or in Illinois the program is called LINK.
I can’t speak for how these programs work nationally, but my understanding is the program in IL is pretty darn good. And we use ATM like cards to make payment, which I assume is a national thing in 2016, so there isn’t the shame I can recall ages ago when there were actually “stamps.”
Again nothing close to the raging liberal I am. But I’ve had long talks with her about the benefits, how I don’t mind paying for them as I know all liberals think, and maybe just maybe she should ponder that we’re not the “evil” people she once viewed us as. She agreed with me full heartedly! Voted for Obama. Her husband is a work in progress :).
Sarah (My Brother’s Wife)
I find this to be the most telling and the biggest change of all. Sarah had a job at the local liquor distributor. She was by far their number one producer. She was also the only lady at the place that wasn’t an assistant. Had worked there for 15+ years.
When she had Katie, her only child, she decided to take the maturity leave offered. It would seem her employer expected her to come back early. She didn't.
When she did go back to work all of her accounts had been assigned to other people and she wouldn't get them back no matter want. In a nutshell they made her life living hell so she would quit and they didn't have to basically fire her for having a child, which is kind of illegal.
She needed a job. Newborns are expensive. My father knew some people at the local military base and got her a job interview with TRANSCOM (The United States Transportation Command). She passed the security clearance and got the job.
As somebody that was skeptical of government. That government workers didn’t really work very hard Sarah was stunned. First off the job was hard. She works her butt off. As do all of those around her.
She also didn’t know any federal government workers and was floored by all the benefits. The family friendly nature of all of it.
Her health care, government provided of course, was superior to what my brother had. And as a Cisco Networking Engineer, he had pretty good heath care to start with.
They would continue to train her. Send her to educational conferences. Offer to pick up large percentages of college if she wanted to go back and finish her MA.
Picked up almost 100% of day care while Katie was too young to be in school. Paid ALL of pre-kindergarten.
Lets her have flextime of her choosing, to where she works ten hours days 4 days a week to have Fridays off. Then in the summer or even over X-Mas break where Katie has weeks off of school, scale back to 20 hours a week. No questions asked, she just has to give them notice far in advance.
I say this was the biggest change because Sarah was raised in a family that is to the right of Rush. Over X-mas I had to jump into a conversation with her parents that didn’t broder line on racism, it was racist. I’ve always found her to just hate politicians of all strips and government in general.
She has come to see government isn’t evil, cause well I guess part of it is she works for it and gets the benefit of said government now. Benefits she still talks about years later like they are the greatest things in the world.
As I said to my mom asking about her hospital bills and my goal of single payer, “millions of Americans would like to have what you have.” I’ve said that to Sarah about the benefits she receives.
There is a knowing nod and reflection I might be right whenever I bring this up.
Conclusion
In the intro I kind of wished these people had empathy and came our way not because life changing events inserted government into their lives. But again will take the votes anyway I can get them.
I will end with I have always, for as long as I can recall, been the hippie liberal in a family of Republicans. Often kind of a bleak thing. I feel it has taken longer than it should have, but my gosh in the end good ideas and results win out don’t they?