Fighting with Conservative Angry White Guys

So, I'm at a bar and this young white guy comes up to me to start a conversation. He's a regular at this bar and knows me. Let's call him Conservative Young Angry White Guy or CYAWG. He says to me, "Bernie, I've talked to many liberals and they can't say one thing that Obama has done for the country." I take his challenge and here's how the conversation basically went.

I said, "Killed Bin Laden."

CYAWG says, "Any President would have done that."

"Not correct. Obama made it a priority. Stopped Great Depression, Part Two."

"But look at the unemployment numbers."

"Shut up and listen. You asked me if I could name a thing that Obama did for the country. Whether you agree or disagree is not the basis for your question. And what about saving the U.S. auto industry?""

"You liberals get the facts wrong."

At this point, I lose it. So I run out to the car and grab my laptop.

With laptop, I say this, "It's you conservatives that get things wrong. Let's look at something minor. Rush Limbaugh says that the bad guy in the new Batman movie is a liberal plot. It's to demonize Romney's old company."

CYAWG, "Yeah, I heard that."

"Well look at this."

I point to the Wikipedia page on the Batman villain, which shows Bane was created way before Romney was running for president.

"Well, I didn't know that."

I then point out the harm that Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has been doing by accusing Secretary of State Clinton's aide Huma Abedin of being linked to the Muslim Brotherhod. She has no relation to that organization.

"It's just McCarthyism."

"What's that?

Incredulous, I say, "You know, Senator Joe McCarthy.

"Never heard of him. It's okay to investigate people."

"What? You never heard of Senator Joe McCarthy from the fifties?"

"Not really."

Now, I'm about to blow a gasket. I show CYAWG an article about Texas Republicans not wanting to teach critical thinking. He seems surprised but not impressed. And then he really throws gasoline on the fire. A fire which CYAWG started.

"Well, Glenn Beck says this about Obama... "

"You're a fan of Glenn Beck?"

"Yeah."

"Let's talk about global warming."

I punch up the Wikipedia's article on it. At this point, a bald, older guy comes up. We'll call him, Conservative Old Angry White Guy. (COAWG)

COAWG, says, "You liberals. It's a religion to you guys. It's Al Gore's religion."

Folks, you know Al Gore is going to figure in this somewhere. I mean I can mention global warming and some angry conservative will bring up Al Gore even if I didn't say his name. And by the way Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on global warming. Sigh.

COAWG, "You should shut up."

"Dude, you jumped in this conversation. Don't tell me to shut up when you came into the conversation."

I then show him the article and the fact that an overwhelming number of scientists agree that global warming exists.

COAWG, "You should shut up."

"Don't tell me to shut up, buddy. Don't ever tell me to shut up. You got into this conversation."

Sigh. I realize these guys are going to worship ignorance. So I stop and play some jazz on the jukebox. This is what drives me nuts about conservatives. They ignore facts. They let their fears, and beliefs guide them. It's all knee jerk.