How many times have you heard this during the last four years? If you are like me, you have heard this repeatedly, suggesting that the American people are better than their president and those Republicans who have supported his antics and policies. We wouldn’t say the horrible things that have become Trump’s trademark about other people; we would have empathy for the less fortunate, for immigrants, and for those of different ethnicity and racial backgrounds.
We would not pay lip service or send dog whistles to support white supremacists or give credence to cockamamie conspiracy theories. We wouldn’t insult people for how they look, make fun of their handicaps, and call our political opponents criminals.
So why do roughly 40% of all Americans continue to support the president? Perhaps more importantly, why do the polls show Trump averaging about 47% for the election?
Yesterday, I read the Dahlonega Nugget, which is published every Wednesday, to check the local pulse. While most people here are Republicans and staunch supporters of the president, there were a couple of letters from his critics, including one decrying his calling soldiers “suckers and losers.” Of course, there was the usual railing against the media and the 1973 Roe decision.
Reading the local news and keeping up with some of the campaigns in Georgia reveal the fact that people here continue to believe in Trump and his point of view on just about everything. And I am confident that these attitudes are repeated across the country.
Maybe, just maybe, however disquieting, the answer to the oft-mentioned disclaimer is simply “it is who we are.” I hope not, but I guess we will find out on November 3rd.