It’s going to be a tough year but there are some positive signs
I am entering this year with great trepidation and I’m sure I’m not alone in that. The prospect of the upcoming ugly campaign has me wanting to pull the covers over my head and the perilous lack of rational foreign policy has my anxiety spiking. I feel as if anything could happen.
But mostly, I think I’m just worn out with the day-to-day challenge of dealing with the fact that a monstrous imbecile is president and he’s exposed something horrible about the people I share this country with.
I honestly thought that the type of people who would support the cruelty and hate of someone like Donald Trump could not exceed 20% of the human race. That he maintains 40% approval and may be able to sneak back into office with that minority of intense support fills me with despair. That’s it’s happening while the world is literally on fire is horrifying.
HOWEVER, it’s far too easy to forget that they are loud but there are many more of us than there are of them. And there are cracks appearing in his vaunted coalition. The polls are showing that many white women who once supported Republicans are jumping ship, even the non-college educated. He’s also losing support among some of the white, conservative, evangelicals who form the core of his support.
I don’t know how many may revolt but he cannot afford to lose any votes and expect to run the table through the rust belt again.
So I’m hopeful that he will not be able to pull it off this time. And when I read interviews with people like this woman, a white, pro-life, evangelical Christian, I am reassured that we might be able to at least re-establish a common reality once again.
This is from a series at 538 in which they follow up with some of their commenters:
This week we talked with Jennifer, a 38 year old white woman from North Carolina who wrote in to say, “I am an evangelical Christian but I think Trumpism is actually, truly a religious cult.” She feels “horrified to watch most of my friends and family believe Trump is God’s chosen one … I feel like I’m living inside of the story “The Emperor Has No Clothes.” Am I the crazy one?! Why can no one in church see he’s naked!!!!!”
Clare Malone: When did you come to this opinion and how?
Jennifer: It was leading up to the 2016 election. And it really was hearing the sound bites of the actual words coming out of Donald Trump. Now, it wasn’t certain talking heads or certain news programs. It was literally the quotes or the video clips of him speaking that were so offensive to me. I couldn’t imagine voting for him even though I’ve always been a Republican. I would probably consider myself a little bit of a centrist at this point. I mean, I’m pro-life — like, babies being born but also refugee children being cared for. I think it’s hypocritical to be here for one and not the other. And I care about women in crisis too, I just don’t think that these issues need to be so dehumanizing for certain people to win power.
She goes on to describe the weird feeling she has when she is among people who can’t or won’t see the obvious about him. That’s one thing we have in common.
Basically she thinks it’s about justifying their vote and staying consistent among those who might have underlying discomfort with what he’s turned out to be. I hope she’s right because people like that can retreat from the worst of Trumpism once he’s gone. It’s the ones who really truly love him that have me worried.
Republicans should be worried about this:
The funny thing is, I felt like I wasn’t that political of a person before 2016. But then I just felt so deeply offended by the attitudes towards women, towards minorities, the horrible things happening at the border. And I mean, to be honest, I just expect more of Christians. Because I am a Christian.
This is a non-college educated, white, Christian woman who had her consciousness raised. I suspect there are a few who voted for him in 2016, or didn’t vote at all, and didn’t see how bad it would be. They know now.
Let’s hope there are enough of them in those swing states who will come out and vote next November and send this barbarian back to Mar-a-lago permanently.
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And thank you so much for reading and supporting my work all these years. I am truly grateful. — d
