You know who you are, but you may not realize how many of you there are. It doesn’t really feel safe to announce that you’re not happy about voting for Donald Trump.
The MAGA people, though fewer in number than their loudness would suggest, can be an intimidating bunch. Their rhetorical style is copied from their leader and relies on tall tales and outrage, which can quickly immobilize the most reasonable discussions.
But they tend not to read a lot, so I think it’s safe for us to talk here.
Do you remember the old days, when liberals and conservatives could have conversations that actually included policy and the pros and cons of political decisions? It seems ages ago, though I think it has been only eight years since our nation’s dialogue about the future became polarizing and scary.
Do you remember conservatism, with its quaint belief that the government should be only minimally involved in people’s lives? But where people still cared about those less fortunate and agreed as a community to help others, rather than relying on the federal government? And where national defense was robust, and strong alliances were key elements of a safe world? And businesses were trusted to do what was right with minimal regulation and government control?
The two political parties were the tools with which citizens constructed the world they believed in. The parties were not controlling machines that spouted dogma their members had to adopt. Remember?
Unfortunately, as reflected in the example of the candidates Republicans now seem stuck with, the days of civil discourse and seeing the value in other points of view are over. You know it, and you miss those days, but you’re still a Republican, so what can you do?
I would suggest that you be ruthlessly honest, with yourself if not also with a couple of trusted friends. Donald Trump, especially lately, is a loose cannon who could destroy anyone, whether they were in his way or an innocent bystander.
Let’s consider some of his “plans” for his second term: He’s going to put a 10% tariff on all imports, and an even bigger one on imports from China, but will not explain how this is not going to revive inflation (he also denies that inflation is almost back to normal levels because that would mean the Fed, aka Joe Biden, gets credit).
He’s going to solve our immigration problem by rounding up everyone who doesn’t have citizenship papers, putting them in holding camps, and deporting them. (A much more informed and workable plan was hammered out by some very conservative members of Congress, but Trump told his Republican minions to dump it because it would mean Joe Biden gets credit).
He’s going to continue his assault on the Affordable Care Act, which has helped millions obtain health insurance, even though he has no alternative idea and does not seem concerned about the impact on those millions of Americans. (Plus, Obama got credit for that, which annoys him greatly.).
He’s going to talk tough to his friends Putin and Netanyahu and end the wars their nations are involved in, with one beautiful phone call. (Just try to imagine Trump and his mini-me, JD Vance, facilitating the delicate and complex hostage negotiations that recently brought home many unfairly imprisoned people. I dare you to imagine it.)
I could go on, but I think I may be preaching to the choir. Not only is he a walking disaster for our nation, but he’s also not even a true conservative. Limited government? They want to be in the doctor’s office with you; they want to hang out at the school library, if there even is one anymore, and peek over your kids’ shoulders to tell them what to read. They want to outlaw personal healthcare decisions that should be private.
I won’t mention the moral issue, that’s for you to decide, but I will bring up that numerous courts, including 59 of 60 that heard lawsuits claiming the 2020 election was stolen, have ruled that there is no evidence to suggest that the election was not free and fair.
Trump gets mad when he is told “No,” or even asked “Why?” and has ugly, nasty, vindictive tantrums. You know he would be a terrible and destructive President. He’s worse than he was during his first term. You have an obligation to our country not to support his candidacy.
This time, when he is decisively turned back by the voters, I think it’s realistic to hope that he will shrivel up and blow away. The followers, both inside and outside the government, will gradually return (one hopes) to being the people they were before the weird virus got a hold of them.
Election cycles will then bounce back and forth between conservative and liberal approaches to governing, as we continue our grand experiment in democracy that has held up a beacon to the rest of the world for almost two and a half centuries.
If you really want to help eradicate the Trump virus that has infected your Republican Party, I urge you to vote for Kamala Harris, so that the message will be loud and clear. Choose Republicans for the Senate and the House who are not totally weakened by the MAGA virus.
If you can’t bring yourself to vote for a Democrat, at least don’t cast your vote for Trump. The sooner we beat this virus, the sooner we can get back to work, together, on our magnificent country.
Susan Hull is a retired clinical psychologist and an Independent voter who loves the freedom of voting for a candidate, not a Party. She will not tell anyone we had this little talk.
