13 days to go.

Today I've been thinking that behind every liberal-thinking, blue-state living pal I know, there's at least one rabidly conservative relation. In my case, it's my father, who sadly lives in the swing-state of Florida where his vote actually make a difference. This man–who raised me and makes up half my genetic makeup–honestly believes that Obama is a Muslim terrorist and thinks Palin is "the next Margaret Thatcher" (he means this as a compliment).

If I think about it, it frustrates me that no rational argument can budge him from his racist, FOX-News-deluded views.

Perhaps that's why this article by Eric Hirshberg really struck a chord of envy and hope. Called Republicans Voting for Obama: In Their Own Words, the article chronicles how most of Hirshberg's conservative friends have decided to break with their party this election and vote for Obama. In his own words:

Sadly, politics have become sort of a new sports league in modern culture. We don't really listen to each other's points of view so much as we pick a side and root for it. And just as with our favorite sports teams, our faith in our parties can become blind. I have had about as much success convincing my Republican father-in-law of my liberal points of view as I have had convincing my father, an Ohio State alumnus, to root for Michigan.

But over the last few months, something unprecedented has happened. Almost all these folks have told me that, for the first time ever, they are voting for the same candidate I am: Barack Obama.

….

I started asking around and found a number of my liberal friends were having a similar experience. So we asked these folks if they would appear on camera and share with the world why they changed. It seemed to me that the most convincing argument a conservative on the fence could hear might not come from a liberal, or even from Obama himself, but instead, from one of their own; a conservative who had crossed over. So we turned on the camera, and they did the rest.

The video gave me goosebumps:

How about you? Are your crazy Republican relations still sending you wacked out AOL email forwards about Obama's Muslim-Terrorist background? Or have your people honestly reacted to the crisis our country is in and reached across party lines to vote for the best candidate? I'd love to hear your stories.