Election 2006: Adventures at the Polls, Episode 2: Republican Attitudes on Display???

So back to handing out literature last night. We were outnumbered by the Republicans four to two...until my sidekick ended her shift, and then it was four to one. But I managed to get sample ballots out to more people than they did, so, again, I felt virtuous.

Now, when I relate what follows I in no way intend to suggest that such attitudes are common among Republicans...I'm just telling you what I saw and heard from one Republican.

I was chatting pleasantly with my Republican acquaintance, and the woman working with him, doing my best to keep things jokey and pleasant, and to avoid politics. But this woman just couldn't resist provoking me, first with an outburst (unrelated to what we were then discussing) about how "stupid" John Kerry was, then later about how Webb was a "pornographer." When a rather hippy-scruffy-looking fellow turned down an Allen sticker she sniffed, just out of his range of hearing "Well, we can see the quality of the people voting Democrat."

The one truly appalling episode of the night when the Republican woman and I both approached one man, offering him sample ballots. He said something--"no thank you" or something similar--in a thick hispanic accent. At this my Republican counterpart's face darkened, and she said, incredulously, her voice sounding constricted, "Are you voting?"...and all I can say is that the implication was clear. I'm not spinning things here, and I'm in no way searching for something bad to say about Republicans. But I'm telling you that if you were standing there, seeing her face and hearing her tone of voice, I believe that you'd interpret her meaning as I did: she was angry, and she was clearly implying that she was skeptical about his right to vote. She clearly communicated her skepticism, and clearly suggested that he was doing something wrong.

Furthermore, when he indicated that he was voting--by this time obviously a bit unnerved, she shoved the Republican sample ballot into his hands, and said--this is not a quote, but it's pretty close--just vote for these (now poking the ballot with her finger) just vote like this...as if he were too stupid to exercise any free will in the matter...and then she literally turned her back on him in what was apparently a huff.

I was astonished. I offered the man the Democratic sample ballot, and said (again, not a quote, but as close as I can remember): You don't have to vote like that. Would you like one of these? It shows the Democratic positions. By this time his eyes were wide and he was moving quickly toward the doors. He held up the Republican sample he had, his eyes rather wide, and said that that one was fine. I didn't want her tactics to succeed, but I didn't want to act like she had, either, forcing the ballot on him. And, heck, for all I know he could have been a Republican.

At first I thought I must be overreacting to the event, then by this morning I came to think that I had under-reacted, and should have taken her to task for what she had done. I was so surprised...she had been sweet as pie one minute, and then vaguely aggressive the next. And we were suddenly so busy that I almost forgot about the incident until she had already left.

Experiences like this are vague and impressionistic, but the more I think about it the more I think it bordered pretty close on harassment.

Thoughts?