Mike Devx, I like your methods and have used similar ones at times. It’s a long process.

Another thing I’ve found useful is to seek and use descriptive substitutes for the sort of judgemental wording preferred by many. For example, in a recent discussion, someone mentioned that he was opposed to the ‘torture’ at Guantanamo. I noted that that meant he thought that scaring a terrorist (without harming him) in order to obtain information to save innocent lives was a great evil.

Or, instead of “socialized medicine” (few younger than ~30 find socialism bad), mention “turning many medical decisions over to bureaucrats”.

I daresay most of us can think of others.

But I guess as with the prodigal son, better late than never:

WASHINGTON (AP) – Colin Powell worries that President Barack Obama is trying to tackle too many big issues at one time and he offers this advice: take a hard look at costs and consider the additional red tape that will be created.
“The right answer is, ‘Give me a government that works,’” the former secretary of state said in a television interview to be aired Sunday. “Keep it as small as possible,” added Powell

The problem is, Obama and “keep it as small as possible” are like matter and anti-matter. They don’t mix; it isn’t possible. I wonder if Colin leaves these discussions with Obama thinking, “You know, he really listens to me. He understands what I’m saying. This time, he just might change his direction.”

Ha!

Where the gulf is too wide, don’t even bother.

I’ve found myself lately interjecting into the conversations very innocuous phrases that might direct the discussion toward conservative ideas. We’re all bemoaning the fact that the unemployment rate is above 9%, and worried about where it will go. I say, “Well, part of the problem is that business owners are afraid to hire. There’s so much uncertainty! They can’t tell what’s coming next, and so they’re sitting on their cash. They’re sitting on their hands. They just want to wait and see what’s coming next. It’s about risk, and there’s so much risk out there.”

And if I get any sort of an agreeable response of any sort – that it’s understandable that those (evil) business owners might not be able to figure out anything in the age of Obama – I’ll start throwing in specific actions by the administration that have created all the uncertainty, making it impossible for business owners to budget, assess risk… and hire.

Or I’ll add something like, “The money has to come from somewhere. Yes, you can tax, but you can only tax the productive people if they’re working.”

I love tossing in the phrases like “business owners who would hire people”, and “the productive people”. I imagine it causes a momentarily jarring dissonance within the liberal construct, reminding them of these concepts. The jarring dissonance probably doesn’t last very long. But if enough of us keep up the pressure, like drops of water against the rock, it eventually turns the rock to sand.

My salt-of-the-earth, pro-Union father, who has never and will never vote for a Republican, muttered several times while I was visiting them this summer up in Michigan, about Obama and his damned socialism. I was shocked.

It’s a slow process. Is there any other way other than gentle persuasion? Remember, we need 50.1%. That’s all we need.

Oops, correction. Given the inevitable planned, targeted fraud by the Democrats in close elections, we better shoot for 55%.

(snip)
After recounts in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004, both of which were key to Bush victories, the left realized that who is secretary of state is as important, if not more so, as which candidate got the most votes. Control the election process and you control the future.

The Secretary of State Project Web site holds up Katherine Harris of Florida and Ken Blackwell of Ohio as the type of people they want to defeat. Naturally, Ritchie is the sort they want to elect. It was ruling after ruling by the Ritchie-led State Canvassing Board that went against Coleman that put Franken in the Senate.

http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=331427013184109

(snip)
If this trend continues, our elections may soon be no more honest than the one recently held in Iran. If the Secretary of State Project and Acorn are allowed to so manipulate the process, there will be more “victories” like Al Franken’s to come.