How to Talk to Republicans -- Part 2

Seven tips for turning Red to Blue

The idea of talking to Republicans about politics causes lots of Dems to have feelings of dread, insecurity, fear or hopelessness. In last week’s Grassroots Connector, my article “Why Talk to Republicans” discussed the importance of reaching out to Republicans (“Reds”), and how Trump’s candidacy has created a unique opportunity to move Reds to vote Democratic.  

Before I went to Southeast Ohio last fall to talk to Republicans, I had spent time talking to Reds while canvassing in North Carolina, Arizona and Georgia. I also read books about the political beliefs prevalent in the rural U.S., and others analyzing the scientific principles of persuasion (see list below). I then spent 24 days and 50+ hours talking to eight Republicans, practicing what I had learned, and learning from the practice.

Here are seven principles to guide your conversations with Reds. 

Principle One: Be Respectful

The idea that most Reds are difficult or impossible to talk to is a myth.  The vast majority of Reds are decent people who will listen if treated with respect.  And that means real respect for a fellow human, not a feigned respect to achieve your purposes. Respecting the humanity of Reds will help create the foundation for honest and open communication.  

Principle Two: Listen First

A critical element to changing someone’s mind is establishing trust. You can expect an initial high level of suspicion when talking to Reds about politics. The first step to building trust is to listen, to find out their values and why they believe what they do. It’s also valuable to find out what they think about Trump and why.

Learning about Reds’ values in your first talk can be a key to changing their minds later.  They will often say their most important values are family, charity, honesty, and hard work. Often you can talk with them later about how Republican actions and policies are inconsistent with these core values.

It is also helpful to learn where Reds grew up, what their parents did, and some personal history. Two Ohio Reds I talked to, Edgar and Fred (not their real names), grew up poor in Appalachia. Their fathers worked in coal mines. Edgar’s family depended on hunting to put food on the table when his father was out of work. Their attitudes about guns and energy issues were a result of those histories.  When you understand people’s life experiences, it is easier to talk with them about their beliefs.

Principle Three:   Emotional Language Is More Important Than the Words You Speak.

It is much, much easier to change a mind if you have a warm relationship with the person. Negative emotional language will likely foreclose all possibility of persuasion. Be kind, and be careful not to argue. As soon as you start to argue, you have lost the argument. Arguing creates opposition. Present your viewpoints calmly, even if you are upset. Remember you are talking to potential allies. Always assume they have common sense and good faith (if misguided) reasons for voting for Republicans.  

You will stay more positive if you regard your first conversation as political research. Initially, all you want to do is to discover the person’s values and beliefs, withholding judgment. Take the persuasion goal out of your opening discussion and you will likely find it much easier to keep the conversation friendly and flowing.  

Principle Four: Don’t Expect Change on the Spot.

Most people, in most contexts, will not alter long-held perspectives immediately. They need time to think about what you tell them. It’s also helpful to take time to ponder a Red’s values and beliefs before you respond. So plan on having at least two, or more likely three to five conversations. If you won’t see the Red in person soon, try to set up a Zoom meeting or phone call to continue the dialogue in a week or so, then another a week or so later, until the Red turns Blue or won’t talk to you anymore about politics. 

Principle Five: Let the Red Get to Know Some Things About You.

It’s much easier to build trust with someone you know. So it’s important in that first meeting not only to listen but to open up about your own life. Finding shared experiences or viewpoints is essential. One Ohio Red I talked to was a 79-year-old devout Christian election denier, a former Tea Party activist and Trump fan. We found common ground in our shared belief that people in this country are generally too materialistic, and that it is healthy to eat food that has fallen on the floor. (This is a point of controversy in my own family, so I was happy to find an unexpected ally.) However, avoid talking much about your own politics in that first meeting, because doing so is likely to lead to premature disagreements.  

If you are talking to a Red who is a family member or friend, you can still open up about yourself in a way that will create a bond of trust.  

Principle Six: Find Out Reds’ Information Sources.

This is a key part of any ongoing exchange. Once I find out the information sources the person trusts, I begin to plant seeds of doubt.  Many or most Reds get their information from Fox News or other right-wing media. It is important to find out from Reds where they get their political information and why they trust that source. If they rely on Fox, which has the biggest audience of Republicans, then there is loads of documentation on how Fox broadcasters, including Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, Maria Bartiromo, and others presented information they knew was false to support Trump’s claim that he had won the 2020 election. 

That documentation is contained in court filings from the Dominion Voting Machines lawsuit against Fox.  Slides the Dominion lawyers used in Court, which are here, (click on "Dominion Summary Judgment Hearing Slides") are especially useful. They provide succinct summaries of some of the most damning testimony of Fox witnesses showing how they deliberately misled their viewers. You can print out some slides and use them to begin to shake Republicans’ faith in Fox News. You can also use this excellent article about how famous Fox personalities lied.

This isn’t a “gotcha” moment. You are simply helping Reds understand that they have been provided unreliable information. I spent a lot of time between meetings researching "facts" my Republicans believed that were simply wrong. Often a basic Google search will show that Republicans are relying on misinformation. I printed out the evidence, shared it, and we talked about it.  My Reds joked about how many trees died for my cause, but those articles established my credibility when I challenged their "facts."  And at least three told me I had made them realize that their information sources were not reliable. If you can undermine Republicans' faith in their information sources, you can open their minds to new information and new ways of looking at the world. 

Principle Seven: Zero In on the Reds’ Most Important Issues. 

When talking to individuals there is no single “best message.”  Reds have a variety of different concerns and different reasons for voting Republican. After you learn their most important issues, your follow up conversation should discuss those issues, preferably with evidence supporting your position. For example, on immigration, you can point out that the U.S. currently has a labor shortage. There are nine million job openings and less than seven million unemployed and looking for work. Print your data and use it to combat common fears that immigration is bad for the economy and that immigrants are taking jobs from U.S. workers.  

As often as possible, I present my own perspective as a question. For example, “How many people do you think would lose health insurance if Trump was successful in repealing Obamacare?”  (29.8 million, according to the Economic Policy Institute.) And then, “How do you feel about that?”

It’s also important to advance positive reasons to support the Dems. You may want to bring up the number of jobs created by Biden, or the low unemployment rate, abortion, or the MAGA threat to democracy.  Again, having evidence helps.  Noting that MAGA wants to use the government to limit how many kids we have, what books we read, and our right to vote can be powerful. Most Reds believe that the government is overreaching and intrusive, and that fear can be used against Trump and MAGA.  

Enjoy Yourself! 

You don’t have to do standup comedy, but it’s essential to maintain a sense of humor and keeping the conversation friendly. Many Reds believe most Blues are elite, self-absorbed, self-righteous assholes. Not taking yourself too seriously will make you more persuasive. If your conversations with Reds are light and entertaining, you help change the stereotype of Blues and build the trust you need to be convincing. Like it or not, Trump is often quite funny and entertaining in his speeches. That is a large part of his appeal. People generally trust people who are funny, because that makes them likable. And we usually trust people we like.  

Keeping it light will also make it fun for you, another reason why it is an essential part of the process. None of us wants to participate in repeated difficult and negative interactions. Since it usually takes quite a bit of time to show Reds why they should be Blue, making the conversations enjoyable will keep both you and the Red engaged.

Life is full of paradoxes. One is that we can help prevent Trump and MAGA from taking over the U.S. government by having friendly conversations with Reds. Give it a shot.

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Stephen Schear is a free-lance activist and organizer from Oakland, CA. He started working with the Grassroots Collaboration Project last year, to help pro-democracy grassroots organizations to work better with each other and the Democratic party.