Notes From The Road: NJ Restaurant Cashier Calls Obama "The Anti-Christ"

There I was, on an overcast but warm Saturday afternoon, waiting in line at Panera Bread to get some lunch.

As I stepped up to the cashier to place an order for broccoli & cheese soup and some multi grain bread. I heard, "who are you voting for?" from the young brunette pony-tailed cashier, who was looking right at my Obama-Biden button -- my big, color, with photos, OBAMA-BIDEN button.

I replied, "Barack Obama and Joe Biden," glancing down at the button on my jacket.

She looked at me quizzingly, and with a little tilt of her head, she leaned in toward me and asked, "why?"

I told her I used to volunteer for Joe Biden's presidential campaign, that he wrote the landmark bill helping women who were victims of violence, and he put funding into a bill that provides thousands of police officers on the street, and that his five point plan for Iraq passed in the Senate, even included votes from Republicans. I pointed to the photo of Obama, saying I had never met him in person but he is the most exciting candidate in my recent memory.

She paused for a minute, rang up the order, and then responded, "you know, they're calling him the anti-Christ."

If I had had the soup in my mouth already I would have spit it out in disgust. She said it matter-of-factly, in an uppity tone ike it was "common knowledge," in front of an entire room full of restaurant patrons, and the people in line behind me were aghast.

"Well, they just might be a little bit racist," I replied. "I'm no judge or jury, but someone who is a practicing Christian, and goes to services with his family, doesn't sound anti-anything to me."

Several people nodded and came to speak with me when I took my seat at one of the tables.

This conversation didn't take place in Alabama or Mississipi. And it didn't happen near Crawford, Texas, either.

It was spoken in the state of New Jersey, in the county of Bergen, in the town of Edgewater -- a place right next to my town of Fort Lee. A place with a Democratic mayor, several Democratic Congresspeople, two Democratic U.S. Senators, and a Democratic governor.

So I sat down and tried to eat my lunch, and all I kept asking myself was, "what the hell is going on around here?"

And then I was reminded of that line in the movie, "Alien" -- "Be afraid. Be very afraid."

It looks like we have a lot of work to do between now and November 4!!!

Comments

[Maraudermick]

Interesting that she said "they're calling him the anti-Christ", rather than owning the statement herself! I thought your reply, directed to 'them'...."they just might be", was perfect. Who knows, you may have swayed her vote!

Regarding NJ; though we are the most diverse State in the US, we still had a cross burning on the lawn of an Indian immigrant in Warren Co. this week, with a handmade Obama banner wrapped around the cross.

My County, Monmouth Co., was listed as voting Republican, along with our neighboring county, Ocean. Interesting, in that there has been an explosion of Old and Elderly people moving into these two counties (Ocean Co. has the 2nd largest elderly population in the US!). And we all know the elderly VOTE!

The young waitress I saw on Sun. morning said she didn't vote, because she was at Brookdale College from 8am until 9pm. How sad is that?

[pkscottx]

I've heard it here too.

Ron White said it best:

"You can't fix stupid."

[oldfreedomdude]

In Southbury, CT, a very wealthy town in south central CT, an elderly lady tried to tell a group of Cappiello - McCain - Palin supporters about her cousin from an old Navy Family who knew the McCain Family very well, but was going to vote for Obama, anyway. They started yelling at her that she was a Communist and that she should go home and put on a burkha. Nice people!?

[motherforpeace]

My husband and I were in New Jersey scheduled to look at a couple of houses on the market. To get the feel of the town we drove around to look at local shops and the nearby schools and such.

We saw so many McCain/Palin yard signs. We didn't exactly know if that was anything we should be concerned about. ;)

[jmpurser]

Yep. It really is nuts out there.

[mommadona]

"She said it matter-of-factly, in an uppity tone like it was "common knowledge," in front of an entire room full of restaurant patrons, and the people in line behind me were aghast."

#1 - the counter person should have been asked the following:

"Are you a Christian?"

- If the answer was YES, the followup should be: "Thou shall not bear false witness"....

-If NO, the followup should be: "What do YOU think?" Let them stand there and defend the utterances.

Put it BACK ON THE ACCUSER.

Then, the manager of the place should have been informed that such an exchange made for a very unpleasant lunch experience, and that you would not return to the establishment again.

There needs to be CONSEQUENCES for spreading such crap.

[Slackjaw1]

Right on Momma! The days of ignoring the ignorant are gone for me. When a rightwing neo-con spews that crap to me they get ten fold in return! Be heard people! Don't let anyone get away with such vile words.