There are Donald Trump supporters who have legitimate moral, philosophical, and rational reasons for supporting him. Among them are Pro-life advocates for whom abortion is a red line they cannot cross. They’re willing to absorb any personal – and national or international – humiliation to defend that heart-held belief. If they happen to be pacifists and against capital punishment as well, they have earned and deserve respect.
There are also pragmatists with investments in extracting industries such as, say, mining and timber who view deregulation as the most exalted of presidential aspirations and will support any candidate of any party sharing those aims. If these extractors flip the “greater good” vs. the “lesser evil” coin they’ll bet on evil nine times out of ten. Most people do. As in the case of a plurality of Hillary Clinton voters.
Then there are people we used to call anarchists. They believe our government is so corrupt the whole mess – and all the people and all the political parties in it – should be burned to the ground and rebuilt (in some fashion they can’t actually define). Donald Trump represents these unhappy but often rational cynics and he certainly knows how to light a match. Building? Not so much.
I believe most Trump supporters know he’s a barking nutjob. It would be helpful for everyone if they would state that obvious fact, and then go on to describe the abiding and underlying reason(s) for still supporting him. Maybe we could talk about issues then and start working toward solutions.
It would be even more helpful if one of the nine (and counting) Democratic Party presidential candidates could move beyond indignation and explain why people should vote for a Democrat. Democrats have controlled the Executive Branch of government for 16 of the last 26 years, yet we remain in an endless war with no clearly defined objectives, 40% of Americans can’t come up with $400 in cash without borrowing, and the US has tumbled out of the top 10 rankings on all positive measures among developed nations.
These problems began festering long before Trump was sworn into office. His presidency is simply one outcome Democrats own.
Thanks, Dan. Issues bring people together to debate solutions until something gets enough support to be implemented. Sides attacking each other draw lines in the sand.