{"id":1588,"date":"2026-08-18T10:55:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T14:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588"},"modified":"2026-08-18T10:55:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T14:55:47","slug":"a-haunting-conundrum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588","title":{"rendered":"A Haunting Conundrum"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the recent reception for Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, I talked with two Republicans who were there in support of his candidacy. During our conversations both brought up their disbelief and dismay that some of their closest friends remain adamant in their support of Trump, even after his coup d\u2019etat<\/em> attempt. Neither, in telling their experiences, could suppress their astonishment that long- time friends would continue to support a man like Trump. They and their friends always had so much in common socially and politically and shared life views. Their estrangement saddened them.<\/p>\n

This is a theme that continues to haunt me. I have lost good friends and continue to suffer weakened relationships with those who clearly think that nothing Trump has said or done would warrant their withdrawing their support. Most preface their remarks by saying there are things they don\u2019t like about Trump and offer up false comparisons. Democrats, they say, do the same things and the alternatives are worse. The conversations always seem to become word games or disingenuous arguments so as not to face the truth about Trump.<\/p>\n

When pushed, all reveal their absolute contempt for Democrats. They \u201chate\u201d Democrats so much that they are willing to fool themselves into believing that it is all right to give up moral, legal and ethical values whatever Trump and his supporters might say and do. I\u2019m astonished that it has come to this. I\u2019m appalled that some of my longtime friends fit this profile, and I\u2019m saddened to write this.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the recent reception for Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, I talked with two Republicans who were there in support of his candidacy. During our conversations both brought up their disbelief and dismay that some of their closest friends remain adamant in their support of Trump, even after his coup d\u2019etat attempt. Neither, in telling their…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-by-robert-fischer"],"yoast_head":"\nA Haunting Conundrum - Potlatch<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A Haunting Conundrum - Potlatch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"At the recent reception for Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, I talked with two Republicans who were there in support of his candidacy. During our conversations both brought up their disbelief and dismay that some of their closest friends remain adamant in their support of Trump, even after his coup d\u2019etat attempt. Neither, in telling their...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Potlatch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-18T14:55:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"George Shafer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"George Shafer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/?p=1588#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/?p=1588\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"George Shafer\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/aa4c9c1bec1eefbee281c7b4f91d91b0\"},\"headline\":\"A Haunting Conundrum\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-18T14:55:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/?p=1588\"},\"wordCount\":260,\"commentCount\":0,\"articleSection\":[\"by Robert Fischer\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/?p=1588#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/?p=1588\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/?p=1588\",\"name\":\"A Haunting Conundrum - Potlatch\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-18T14:55:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/aa4c9c1bec1eefbee281c7b4f91d91b0\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/?p=1588#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/?p=1588\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/?p=1588#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Haunting Conundrum\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Potlatch\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/aa4c9c1bec1eefbee281c7b4f91d91b0\",\"name\":\"George Shafer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/504c3f3f28fae38b2412b60d480e2acaf009ec80be15447e5fb39173ef16b03c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/504c3f3f28fae38b2412b60d480e2acaf009ec80be15447e5fb39173ef16b03c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/504c3f3f28fae38b2412b60d480e2acaf009ec80be15447e5fb39173ef16b03c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"George Shafer\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/potlatchga.com\\\/?author=6\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A Haunting Conundrum - Potlatch","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"A Haunting Conundrum - Potlatch","og_description":"At the recent reception for Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, I talked with two Republicans who were there in support of his candidacy. During our conversations both brought up their disbelief and dismay that some of their closest friends remain adamant in their support of Trump, even after his coup d\u2019etat attempt. Neither, in telling their...","og_url":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588","og_site_name":"Potlatch","article_published_time":"2026-08-18T14:55:47+00:00","author":"George Shafer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"George Shafer","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588"},"author":{"name":"George Shafer","@id":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/#\/schema\/person\/aa4c9c1bec1eefbee281c7b4f91d91b0"},"headline":"A Haunting Conundrum","datePublished":"2026-08-18T14:55:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588"},"wordCount":260,"commentCount":0,"articleSection":["by Robert Fischer"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588","url":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588","name":"A Haunting Conundrum - Potlatch","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-08-18T14:55:47+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/#\/schema\/person\/aa4c9c1bec1eefbee281c7b4f91d91b0"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?p=1588#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Haunting Conundrum"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/","name":"Potlatch","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/#\/schema\/person\/aa4c9c1bec1eefbee281c7b4f91d91b0","name":"George Shafer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/504c3f3f28fae38b2412b60d480e2acaf009ec80be15447e5fb39173ef16b03c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/504c3f3f28fae38b2412b60d480e2acaf009ec80be15447e5fb39173ef16b03c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/504c3f3f28fae38b2412b60d480e2acaf009ec80be15447e5fb39173ef16b03c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"George Shafer"},"url":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/?author=6"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1588\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/potlatchga.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}