I think struggle the is right word.
That’s how I feel right now. Donald Trump is our presidential elect. I understand and support the outcome of the election, just as much as the right of people to protest this election. It was divisive and the popular vote shows that. I don’t agree with any of the violence or property destruction at the protests. That’s not called for.
I hope Donald Trump is a good president. I hope what I thought when he entered the crowed republican field over a year ago is what comes to pass. My initial thoughts were that I’d rather have a business man who knows that with any bill, law or legislation there has to be give and take, just like in dealings in the business world than any of the other hard line evangelical religious who don’t seem to understand that a government is not a religious institution, and who think their religion based values should be imposed on everyone, even those who are completely abstain from religion.
Of course that was crushed by all of the hard line rhetoric that came out of Trump on the campaign trail. Also maybe the racist, xenophobic and sexist comments made.
I’ve seen a lot of Facebook posts from Trump supporters saying things similar to this blog post here (some even just post a link to that blog). Essentially saying I’m a Republican, not racist or sexist, but then never acknowledging that the candidate they voted for has made those racist, xenophobic or sexist comments. In Cassie’s blog linked above she never acknowledges why a Trump presidency scares some people. Why his comments, not words twisted but actual comments he has made lead people to think they will be belittled, shunned, marginalized or attacked because of their looks. If you can’t acknowledge another’s point of view, and acknowledge that your candidate has said many repulsive things then you will never be able to have any sort of frank and honest discussion.
The easiest way to get around this for Trump supporters would be “I support some of Trump’s policies such as this and this and this. But I absolutely don’t agree with his racist, xenophobic and sexist comments. That said, I think that Trump is a better candidate for these reasons and hope he backs off or even denounces some of his earlier statements.”
Look, I didn’t agree with every about Hillary Clinton’s campaign. Having an e-mail server at home that she used for government business was idiotic. But I also read some of the leaked e-mails. She not very technology literate. She clearly didn’t think that through nor understood what later implications would fall out from it. It doesn’t excuse it, but it happened. There will be books written about that mistake I’m sure. The FBI investigated. Twice now. And found nothing to be prosecuted aside from poor judgement. I think that the Clinton Foundation should have been run by other hands than the Clinton’s during her tenure as Secretary of State. But again, there was nothing in the e-mails that actually show collusion or pay for play. Just smoke with no fire per say.
We haven’t seen any of Trump’s e-mails. We haven’t seen his taxes. We don’t know about foreign entanglements in his businesses. But what we do know about him and what we do know about Clinton led me to vote for her in this last election. All of her flaws included. Which I acknowledged and called out when speaking with friends.
If you are a Trump supporter and feel like you are still feel like you are being shunned and can’t talk about it around your peers or friends, go ahead and acknowledge his racist and sexist comments, and then denounce them. From there you can move the conversation onto why despite those comments Trump was the better candidate in your view. If you can denounce those comments, and empathize with people feeling attacked and concerned by them, and maybe, even, say if time comes where your rights are infringed by my candidate, by our president, I will stand along side you – you will come looking a lot better than Cassie does above, who essentially says “I grew up near the city – I’m not racist!” That statement does nothing to alleviate or acknowledge others fears or concerns.
There were reasons to vote for Trump. Even reasons I disagree with wholehearted that I can accept other may find worth voting for.
I am disappointed with the outcome of the election. I didn’t vote for Trump. His words used to describe women, ethnic Americans and Muslims disgusted me. Those words, can’t be separated from the candidate himself, and while I’m not immediately called out by any of those statements, people I know and associate with are affected by those statements.
I sincerely hope that anyone who reads this blog supported Trump despite his racist, xenophobic and sexist comments, not because of them, and is not afraid to say so.
I’m not saying this will allow you to ‘win’ discussions with peers, with Hillary supporters, with anyone. But it will allow you to be part of the discussion – not on the outside of it – and that’s how we move forward past this divisive election.
In other news – remember that time Trump ran on the slogan “Drain the Swamp” and then went ahead and had lobbyists, political insiders, and administration from previous candidates in his transition team and as potential cabinet members?
Draining the swamp indeed.
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