I wasn’t much involved in political discussions on social media until Donald Trump emerged as a serious candidate for President in 2016. Like many others, I was baffled by the surge of support he received, and resolved to point out the serious and dangerous character defects he was manifesting, and how this bode poorly for the future of the U.S. and the world. Since his election, I have continued doing the same, and am now more convinced than ever that Trump’s compulsive lying, disregard for science, incompetency, corruption and cruelty render him unfit to lead this great country. His atrocious leadership during the pandemic alone should be the final deal-breaker for Americans, but, alas, his support base remains committed. Furthermore, Trump’s grip on the Republican Party has strengthened, thanks to his enormous Twitter following. No Republican politician wants to suffer the ire of Trump’s Twitter thumbs!

Through dialogues on FB and other social media, I have learned a lot about these hard-core Trump supporters. Many are anti-abortionists who will just vote R no matter what; others are convinced that Democrats are commie leftists, thanks to Fox News and right-wing media. A few acknowledge Trump’s flaws, but they don’t care: he’s not a Democrat and they agree with him on many issues. They just turn a blind eye to his faults.

A large contingency of Trumpworld, however, are allied with him through shared racist convictions. These are the people who would vote for him even if he shot someone for no reason in plain sight, as he once bragged. They “get” Trump, and he “gets” them, and they whoop it up at the rallies, with no face masks or distancing, as this would upset him. It’s difficult to know for sure how many such people there are, but he will never, ever say or do anything to alienate them, for he cannot win without them. That is why he will not condone banning civil war flags, or condemning white supremacist groups, and why he will disparage Black Lives Matter at every opportunity. Through ongoing dog-whistles on all sorts of issues, Trump reassures his WhiteyWorld followers that he hasn’t forgotten them — just give him four more years (or terms, even!) and he will reverse everything that the awful (illegitimate) Black President, Obama, accomplished, and America will be great again, like in the 1950s, when “suburban housewives” had nice, white neighborhoods to live in, with “colored” people living in their own sections of town, “minding” their place.

I’ve discovered that a good number of my family and friends are most likely WhiteyWorld Trump supporters, and that is extremely disappointing! I’ll love them anyway, and hope a Biden victory will begin to move us back toward the recognition that being American is not a matter of skin color, but respect for our Constitution and the laws that flow from it. These laws and their enforcement need to be color-blind, and our elections need to be freed from Republican, Whiteyworld district gerrymandering. In fact, a Biden victory will actually enable Republicans to become the voice for science, reason and conservative values that they once were (and I voted for them then), rather than enablers of an authoritarian narcissist who demands their constant adulation and obedience.

Fwiw, I don’t think Joe Biden is the sharpest tool in the box, and I don’t agree with him on abortion and a few other issues. But, on the whole, I think he’s a good man whose decades of service to this country point to an authentic patriotism and respect for our Constitutional governance. When I ask myself whether I’d rather be living in an America after four more years of Trump or four years of Biden, the choice is easy. I’m not so sure there’d be much of America left after four more years of Trump, as he’s already damaged core institutions like the FBI, Justice Dept., Inspector General oversight, and, of course, our free press. He’s also singularly responsible for the breakdown in civility in government and society, in general.

Additionally, Trump disparages our allies and plays up to dictators, seemingly envying their power and control over their countries. Worst of all, Trump can be cruel — to immigrants, minorities, and anyone who disagrees with him, and there’s something diabolical about that which deeply distresses this old spiritual director. I’ve seen no signs of cruelty in Biden; quite the contrary, which is one reason so many former Trump staff members are backing him
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This article (link below) expresses more of what I’m trying to say here about Trump’s racism. Check it out.

https://www.courant.com/opinio...lcwzpwu7a-story.html