I did not think so at all.
A couple weeks ago I went canvassing on a rainy and icy Sunday. First three houses who answered I had fairly short conversations with people who liked Bernie but had not decided or were still voting Hillary. To my surprised one invited me inside for a couple minutes to get out of the rain. Then came the fourth house: the resident being a 64-year-old man named Josh, Undeclared. He answered my knock and invited me to take a seat on his porch rocking chair; not something that's happened before nor was I sure followed protocol. His two friendly huskies got up in my face as I sat down. He had a bunch of birds in cages in the back that got very loud later. Christmas tree was still lit up (tacky).
Our talk went for
over an hour. I'm not a people person and canvassing is already hard for me, so I was not prepared to force my way out of a conversation. Up until that point I was lucky to get someone to speak with me for five minutes. Anyway, Josh was considering either Trump or Sanders, the former I never heard any inclination why. He liked Ron Paul, once whispering into his ear at an event something I don't remember. I don't recall everything in the conversation, but it went off the rails at one point, becoming very personal. I started in about Bernie's positions, why he should be president, talking points and asked what concerned Josh. The thing with canvassing, at least I feel, is you want to act like a real person and not a tool for the campaign. I mentioned how the issues related to me and probably gave my opinion too much, it just felt okay since there was agreement between us. Josh was even more skeptical than me. He mentioned a 9/11 conspiracy, the president already being picked, and that Saddam Hussein might not have been hanged because he was wearing a heavy coat and scarf, unlike a hanged Saddam relative who was decapitated. He thought there might be a conspiracy between Hussein, Putin and Bush or something. He was not a die hard conspiracy theorist, so I tried to relate mentioning that in the 1970s a House committee concluded there was probably
a conspiracy in the assassination of JFK. It's been denounced since then.
When we got to healthcare, an important topic for me, I saw a good chance to push Bernie's single payer system when Josh explained his illnesses. Years ago he got hepatitis C from a blood transfusion at a hospital (making it clear he did not do drugs) but didn't sue the hospital because he did not know how. He also had some liver issue, for which he described how he got rid of it using some nonprescription medicine. Josh's daughter was beinged treated for her multiple sclerosis by unconventional means as well. Trying to relate, I mentioned I had some digestive problems, which he was eager to advise me on. Josh shoved some home grown brussel sprouts in my face, told me about a mucus free diet, green juice, apricot seeds, liquid chlrophylI, eating living cells and the importance of green vegetables (which I should eat more of truthfully). When offered me some of it (including coffee when I entered) I declined, being uncertain if it was acceptable to take food and not feeling particularly comfortable doing so. To his insistence I did take an apricot seed, which you can only order online he said.
Josh was a nice guy, but boy, not a fan of him referring to "the Jews" as good people. He asked if I was a Jew (see profile picture) and said they affect the media (don't remember the word control being used), but they're funny. Told me he doesn't agree with people who say bartering and selling was not hard work. Talked about how politicians are not suppose to have American/Israel citizenship, but do (I've never heard that). Josh connected this to meeting his wife online who's pure Dutch. He claimed Europeans can be real into the pure races, where as he called himself a mongreal. When he asked me my heritage I said English, French and Native American, the latter he questioned; I told him my grandmother looked very much like an Indian. He then brought up how Native Americans have long arms and legs, standing up to show. I followed him to be agreeable, for which he could the length. He gave me a paper called the
American Free Press that on the front has a conspiracy buzz section that asks: "Was Osama Bin Laden killed because he was a budding 9-11 conspiracy theorist?" He had called the paper and spoken to the editor once. To his credit he did not think I would agree with everything written but believed it was worth reading; I haven't done so yet.
At the end he said he would vote for Bernie. When Josh said he had things to do I could finally politely leave. As I walked out he said I could swing by any time.
