I read so many posts here and elsewhere on social media by well meaning progressives that say we should just reach out and try to understand Trump supporters.
That is a lofty goal.
And that might sometimes work with logical, rational people.
But these people are not that.
Here’s who they are.
Here’s who I grew up with and around in the South. (I’m sure it’s true elsewhere also).
They have been taught that being different is bad.
Being black, brown, gay, Jewish, Catholic, Muslim, etc. is bad.
No, not just bad, evil.
They are raised in churches just as much as they are by parents.
And, in these churches, is always a strong, loud, man of authority that they will not question.
They live in fear of what is taught to be a fearful and vengeful God.
They fear this God more than anything else.
They fear Hell and missing out on Heaven more than anything else.
And, in these churches, they are taught not to question but only obey their religious teachings.
That teaching means a bleached son of a God that looks white like them.
But, the teachings of Jesus to care for the meek (who shall inherit the earth and walked with the poor and diseased) are suppressed and they cherry pick biblical passages (generally Old Testament) to promote the views that an all Powerful white male “Christian” Authoritarian society is the only one worth having, living, and promoting.
So, how does that extend to politics?
Because they have successfully defined the Democrat’s as the “other”.
The bad, no, the evil people that must be avoided at all costs.
That’s why so many stay in rural areas and/or avoid colleges where they will meet diversity.
Why? Because they might actually like some of these new people or, worse yet, their evil communistic views might rub off on them.
Of course, these people have been USED by corporate America.
The greedy have no use for these people that they consider to be uneducated rubes.
Except they do have ONE use for them.
Their votes.
Feed their love for authoritarianism by saying how greed is good. (The prosperity gospel philosophy).
Don’t you want to be rich too?
Just follow the rules and, if you continue to vote Republican, you might get there someday.
Of course, they’d have a much better chance to get rich by playing the lottery every day.
So, can we beat them?
Yes. There are still more of us than them.
But, we don’t need to waste our time trying to move their minds full of mush that keeps getting fueled in their churches and by right wing hate radio and Fox News.
Instead, We must find and register and motivate more of our people to vote and get politically involved.
We have no more mulligans.
We can’t lose another election.
This ONE is the whole ball game for Our democracy to survive.
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