General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Many Trump voters are NOT a lost cause... [View all]Whiskeytide
(4,459 posts)... ask you to reach across the aisle. That should not stop you from doing it if it's the right thing to do.
They agree with most of what Clinton stood for. That has always surprised me. After we talk politics, I usually accuse them of being closet democrats. But they did not like Clinton, and it was a genuine dislike (even if they couldn't explain it).
I distinguish between them and republican politicians. They don't hate the country or want to see it destroyed. They don't believe tax cuts are the answer to all our problems. They believe D.C. Is broken and out of touch, and they hate political game playing and the influence of special interests. Most of them just don't believe big government is the answer either (and when I point out that republicans are more "pro big govt" for special interests, they agree, are critical of it ... but still think democrats are worse). They are disconnected, and I'm trying to hook them up.
Many are what I now call Kasich republicans. In fact, two of them wrote Kasich in because they detested trump so much. (I don't like Kasich at all, but he is more mainstream, I suppose). Dislike of trump is our common ground. They will certainly vote for a republican in 2024, but I think it's unlikely many will vote for trump in 2020 if he is on the ticket. I consider that a win, and I'll continue to stoke that disgust as much as possible.
And maybe the fact that there has been a redundancy of posts calling for a more strategic approach instead of hurling insults means that there is some merit to the idea.
Look. I'm not advocating that we water down our platform or shift right to reach these people. Most cannot be reached now. Maybe their kids or grandkids, but they are all 40 + and are not going to "see the light" any time soon. GOTV and message clarity are much better short term strategies. But personally I don't see the benefit of being rude and condescending. That might make you feel better, but it does not advance the progressive agenda.