I would agree with you until Trump came on the scene. To me, support for him does not just indicate policy differences - it symbolizes holding a totally different set of values and a rejection of almost everything I value about this country. His supporters are complicit in the destruction of our political system - the replacement of reasoned consensus with domination, ethical mores with every man for himself corruption, kindness with cruelty, democracy with authoritarianism, respectful disagreement with utter subservience to the leader and hatred of those who hold different opinions, scientific curiosity with dogmatic anti-intellectualism. He is leading our country on a path to ruin and I cannot just pretend that anyone who supports him deserves to be treated as a moral equal.
The problem here is you're doing exactly what I said. Let's say for a moment that someone voted for Trump because of inflation and illegal immigration. How does that make them "complicit" in anything else he is doing? Trump did it, not the person who voted for him. And the idea of seeing someone as a "moral equal" is entirely subjective and part of the problem. When you start mixing politics with "morality," that is the destructive path. "I'm morally superior to you" is not a compelling argument. I didn't vote for Trump. Did you vote for Harris? I could make the same argument that I stayed away from two candidates, one of whom is not fit for office and the other who is not qualified. Does my non-vote for either put me in a morally superior position than you?
They’re complicit in the sense that they knew what they were getting this time around. He telegraphed his authoritarianism and revenge agenda for all to see. Even people who don’t follow politics should have known better. Then again, maybe I’m giving people too much credit, and many people were just voting on vibes.
I understand your point, and I agree that claiming moral superiority isn’t going to change minds, but I think the vast majority of his supporters are beyond convincing. And it is really hard for me to not judge people who voted for him. I find him so despicable and harmful that it is just a visceral reaction.
I agree with a lot of this and 1992 was the first election I was eligible to vote in and I was a precinct manager in the SC GOP Primary for President that year back when the state parties ran their own primaries.
Thanks for this. I was in the reporting/opining biz for 30+ years, and back in my day (yikes) aside from the needed discussions about policies and coalitions, most politics talk was more like sports discussions. The stakes didn’t seem so personal. To be sure, the impacts of today’s political and policy decisions seem to have a larger impact on our daily lives than they did then. That’s wrong. It’s not how a liberal society operates well. The way to repair that damage isn’t by TALKING LOUDER. It’s by watching those goofy YouTube videos and unplugging and … living.
I would agree with you until Trump came on the scene. To me, support for him does not just indicate policy differences - it symbolizes holding a totally different set of values and a rejection of almost everything I value about this country. His supporters are complicit in the destruction of our political system - the replacement of reasoned consensus with domination, ethical mores with every man for himself corruption, kindness with cruelty, democracy with authoritarianism, respectful disagreement with utter subservience to the leader and hatred of those who hold different opinions, scientific curiosity with dogmatic anti-intellectualism. He is leading our country on a path to ruin and I cannot just pretend that anyone who supports him deserves to be treated as a moral equal.
The problem here is you're doing exactly what I said. Let's say for a moment that someone voted for Trump because of inflation and illegal immigration. How does that make them "complicit" in anything else he is doing? Trump did it, not the person who voted for him. And the idea of seeing someone as a "moral equal" is entirely subjective and part of the problem. When you start mixing politics with "morality," that is the destructive path. "I'm morally superior to you" is not a compelling argument. I didn't vote for Trump. Did you vote for Harris? I could make the same argument that I stayed away from two candidates, one of whom is not fit for office and the other who is not qualified. Does my non-vote for either put me in a morally superior position than you?
They’re complicit in the sense that they knew what they were getting this time around. He telegraphed his authoritarianism and revenge agenda for all to see. Even people who don’t follow politics should have known better. Then again, maybe I’m giving people too much credit, and many people were just voting on vibes.
I understand your point, and I agree that claiming moral superiority isn’t going to change minds, but I think the vast majority of his supporters are beyond convincing. And it is really hard for me to not judge people who voted for him. I find him so despicable and harmful that it is just a visceral reaction.
I agree with a lot of this and 1992 was the first election I was eligible to vote in and I was a precinct manager in the SC GOP Primary for President that year back when the state parties ran their own primaries.
Thanks for this. I was in the reporting/opining biz for 30+ years, and back in my day (yikes) aside from the needed discussions about policies and coalitions, most politics talk was more like sports discussions. The stakes didn’t seem so personal. To be sure, the impacts of today’s political and policy decisions seem to have a larger impact on our daily lives than they did then. That’s wrong. It’s not how a liberal society operates well. The way to repair that damage isn’t by TALKING LOUDER. It’s by watching those goofy YouTube videos and unplugging and … living.