Sep
24

Dear Trump Supporters

2 Comments

Now that we’ve all survived the Sept. 23rd “apocalypse” (or whatever it was supposed to be), I would like to share a post I saw yesterday from a very sharp young man that I “follow” on Facebook, Tim Dukeman. He is quite prolific with his posts/comments on political, socio-cultural, and theological matters. On those occasions when I understand what he’s talking about, I mostly agree. Case in point would be the following, which he kindly said I could share with my readers:

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Dear Trump supporters,

Yes, the media spends literally 90% of their time running anti-Trump propaganda. Yes, the Democrats are literal mass murderers. Yes, Trump gets attacked unfairly all the time. Yes, yes, yes.

None of these things make it ok for you to be tribal. None of these things make Trump’s crude, crass manner acceptable. None of the above can erase the bad things Trump has done before and after taking office.

It’s obviously unfair to say that Trump supporters are all cult members or unthinking drones who blindly follow the Dear Leader. That isn’t true, and people should stop saying it.

But come on, guys. Don’t make it easy for them. When Trump says something dumb, don’t act like a wounded animal. When Trump makes a bad call, just admit it. When Trump degrades our discourse with vulgar personal attacks, don’t pretend that it’s good for our country for the President to act that way.

You don’t have to stop supporting Trump. You don’t have to apologize for voting for him. You don’t have to support impeaching him, or anything else. You can just say “that was wrong.” You can just concede the point and move on. You can say that Trump messed up today, but you’re confident he’ll do better tomorrow.

If you’re not a cult member, don’t act like one.

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That is all.

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Posted in Politics
2 Comments Posted by sirrahc

2 Responses to "Dear Trump Supporters"

  • Ajqtrz says:
    September 28, 2017 at 2:18 pm
    Reply

    Most of the people I know who support Trump do, in fact, spend a lot of time saying thinks like, “I wish he’d be more diplomatic….” but his style is his style. As a real estate tycoon in New York he learned early that a position of strength (real or imagined) is always better from which to negotiate than a “I’m your buddy and let’s just be pals” approach. Trump treats the world as world of conflict and doesn’t trust anyone …which is not to say he’s right, but it’s his style, like it or not.

    As for what’s appropriate and what’s not, most politicians have long stood in the line supporting “civility and confusion” where you speak civilly but nobody is quite sure what you are saying. Trump may be uncivil but at least we clearly know from where he come. Sadly, in some ways crass clarity is to be preferred over diplomatic drivel. So let’s see how it works out and even if we don’t like it, recognize that the alternative might be even worse.

    • sirrahc says:
      September 28, 2017 at 8:33 pm
      Reply

      I (and, I think, Tim D.) would be among those, AJ, who are generally supportive of Trump and say things like “I wish he’d be more diplomatic….” We cringe at his sometimes crude, crass, vindictive, or just plain foolish remarks. (Of course, the post was not just referring to his speech but to his actions, as well.) We knew this going in and chose/choose to support him for the good he could (and still can) do, knowing that he would likely disappoint us many times. Doesn’t mean we can’t still encourage, if not demand, more professional behavior.

      That said, the focus of Tim’s post was directed not so much at reluctant supporters of Trump like us but at the dyed-in-the-wool Trumpophiles. They need to put down the kool-aid, make more objective assessments, and admit that their hero has feet of clay (like the rest of us).

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