Understanding, Talking With The Other Side In The Time Of Trump

Guest post from Tim Urban

In an Op-ed in the New York Times titled “Trump Voters Are Not the Enemy,” Nicholas Kristof cites three reasons why “it’s shortsighted to direct liberal fury at the entire mass of Trump voters, a complicated (and, yes, diverse) group of 63 million people.”  First, he asks, “many are Black, Latino or Muslim. Are they all bigots?” Second, he suggests that “demonizing Trump voters feeds the dysfunction of our political system.” And finally, that “the third reason is tactical: it’s hard to win over voters whom you’re insulting.”

For many of us who continue to be appalled by the conduct of Donald Trump, it’s hard to deflect our grievances from his supporters, some of whom are people we know. We rationalize that these friends and associates will see the light at some point in time and, like us, turn against Trump and Tea Party radicals. We hope that a Republican Congress will also come to it senses and obstruct Trump from many of his attacks on our institutions and social policies. But our own ignorance and arrogance may be getting in the way.

One of the most revealing aspects of this election cycle is the slow realization that many of Trump’s messages hit home with many voters who, otherwise, would have voted for a less polarizing Democratic candidate. As I engage my Republican friends in discussion I’ve heard a few things:

1. Illegal Immigrants are still illegal residents in our communities and cannot have the legitimacy of citizenship we grant to ourselves. Because millions are our neighbors, co-workers, fellow students and employees in services we depend on, we need them. But the argument that they should be granted the privileges of citizenship without starting over as legal immigrants is not only wrong, but flaunts the rule of law. The dog whistle of fear drummed up by Trump is awful, and many Republicans know better. Businessmen, farmers and ranchers rely on immigrants for their economic survival and value them as hard-working, loyal employees. I am hopeful that the reverberations from Trump’s blind deportations will backfire among many Republicans.
2. Our message of diversity does not sit well within segregated social enclaves where most white Americans have no personal relations with immigrants or people of color. Before we cast bigotry or racism on others, we should ask ourselves how many friends of color do we have? As a society too many of us have become segregated from minorities where we live, shop, work and play. Until we do a better job of reaching out to others, we have little ground to stand on by casting bigotry against all Trump supporters, many of whom voted for Obama in 2012. Bridging across racial, ethic and economic gaps must start in our schools where the growing divide in education and residential segregation will only lead to greater racism, not diversity.
3. Trade policies have been promulgated by corporate interests that are driven by profit, not full employment. The loss of manufacturing jobs has been decimated by automation and globalization and has converted a large share of blue collar workers from loyal Democrats to skeptics whose anger and misery have been co-opted by Trump.  When his message is jobs and your wages and standard of living drop, you are going to abandon your union and the party that has let you down. Democrats have long promised to re-build the middle class and lift many Americans out of poverty, but have too little to show for it.
4. Americans have always been patriotic. Whether we treasure freedom with an open society or freedom with self-reliance, most of us share a belief that our system of government and capitalism, though flawed, is still the gold standard in a world of corruption and chaos. The message that we are no longer a “Great” Nation, but have been compromised by globalization and internationalism resonates with many Americans. Even some of us who believe our freedom requires us to test ourselves against the principles of our Constitution, take pride that we are still America, Land of the Free and Home of the Brave. We need to demonstrate that our love of country is paramount in our politics.
5. Government oversight is intrusive. Many of us believe government is the counterweight to a corrupt corporatist society, but just as many believe government does too much, intruding in our business, religious and personal freedoms. Some business and environmental regulations have become ludicrous, enforced with no common sense. Bureaucratic bungling and one-size-fits-all rules breed grievances against regulations. Worse, government has become co-opted by special interests, down to the representatives we elect. Well over 80% of Americans believe that money has corrupted our Democracy and we need to find like-minded Republicans who will join with us to free Congress and the Presidency from the highest bidder and make regulations work for the common good.
6. The Supreme Court has defined the legal basis for protecting gun rights. Guns have been an integral part of American life from frontier settlers to modern sportsman. When the NRA says it’s not guns that kill people, only people with guns they are only half right. Too many Americans die from gun accidents or gun suicide and open carry laws threaten our security. The fight against an armed society should have many Republican allies, but how we frame the message will be important.

So when your Republican friends tell you that they like what Trumps stands for — the rule of law, fair trade, patriotism, less government and the 2^nd Amendment – listen. Until we understand the forces that have allowed Republicans to control two-thirds of our state legislatures, the presidency and Congress, we will not bring back the progressive policies that are being so quickly disassembled.

Instead, challenge them on how a Trump administration will actually create more jobs in a full employment economy, how small businesses will survive without immigrant workers, how crime can be fought without lifting Americans out of poverty and reforming our courts and laws, how gun violence can be reduced without taking guns away from criminals and those who are mentally unstable, and corrupt business practices and impending climate disasters cannot be mitigated without just regulations. Remind them about the collapse of the housing market from mortgage scams and that many lenders were too big to jail.

Finally, when Republicans over-reach, proposing draconian policies that flaunt our cherished traditions and social fabric, we must fight like hell. The America we love and the traditions we cherish are worth fighting for.

by Tim Urban
Posted 3/1/17