Trolling each other

The very last house I knocked at in my canvassing over the weekend was an interesting end to my two days of efforts.  On Sunday, after three hours of knocking on doors, I spent ten minutes trying to locate the very last last address on my dedicated list of houses given to me at the democratic HQ.

My tenacity in finding the house on a windy cut-de-sac was rewarded with this amusing interaction.  The man who answered listened to my standard spiel about Jennifer Wexton, the democrat running for congress against the republican incumbent Barbara Comstock and at the end of it said, "I'm not going to vote for Wexton but since you said she is interested in what issues are of concern to voters, tell her my primary concern is putting even more great justices on the supreme court like Brett Kavanaugh!"

I could tell by how intently he was watching my face as he spoke and the rising emphasis of his tone as he said great justices and Brett Kavanaugh that he was trolling me.  I think he was hoping to get a rise out of me with his statement of adoration for an alleged sexual assailant.

I dutifully wrote down his main issue in the space by his address on my list.  "So you like beer, then?" I asked.

How Republicans used to be

On Sunday when I was reaching out to 40 households in an affluent subdivision from a dedicated list handed to me at the Jennifer Wexton campaign HQ, I knocked on the door of a spacious house in the middle of my three-plus hour stint of canvassing alone in the Tenth Congressional District where State Senator Wexton is attempting to unseat incumbent Republican Congresswoman Barbara Comstock, referred to as "Barbara Trumpstock" at more than one household I spoke with.  An elderly man came out of the garage and asked if he could help me.

I spoke with him in the driveway about Wexton as he surveyed the perspiration streaming down my face on the humid day.  When my initial spiel had run down, he said in a friendly tone, "I'm a pretty firm Republican, but I can offer you a glass of water or a cold soda."

I  was thunderstruck.  No one else at 70 households had offered me refreshment in the two days I had been canvassing.

I thanked him for his kind offer and for speaking with me and went on to the next address on my list.  That's how Republicans, and Democrats, used to be, kindly to each person they interacted with.