According to
an article in The Washington Post, liberals' disrespect of Trump's supporters is making those supporters back his presidency even more, despite the fact that they are, as a group, more likely to suffer as a result of his policies, his incompetence, and his lack of fitness for the office he holds.
I
have a difficult time respecting people whom I perceive as abandoning
everything this country is supposed to stand for, who refuse to
acknowledge blatant lies that the people they support feed them on a
daily basis. tRump has a near-flawless record of appointing people who
are either wholly ignorant and unsuited for their jobs, or are committed
to destroying the departments they are supposed to lead. He clearly
admires fascist dictators, yet spits in the faces of our once-devoted
allies, and his supporters accept this.I want very
much to respect my fellow citizens of every political stripe, but
respect has to be earned. tRump's supporters don't earn respect by being
complicit in the destruction of our society; they demand it and get
their feelings hurt when we cannot justify giving it to them. It seems
to me that they are willing to hurt their own interests and those of
their children and grandchildren, rather than acknowledge the reality of
what they are supporting and the very real damage that is being done. And beyond that, it is absurd for tRump's supporters to expect liberals to show them the respect they typically refuse to show their more progressive co9unterparts.
This
is the quandary that progressives face; if we don't give tRump and his
supporters the respect they demand, their collective will is hardened
and their allegiance to tRump is strengthened. But in order to give them
the respect they demand, progressive voters must abandon their own
sense of right and wrong, and give legitimacy to a president who
repeatedly demonstrates a willingness to ignore the law and commit acts
of treason for his and his genuinely wealthy supposed peers' enrichment
and benefit. We are expected to lie, and to give legitimacy to lies, and
if we fail to do so, tRump's base will push even harder for a party
that is bent upon the destruction of our democracy. I cannot help but
wonder; how do THEY define "enemies, both foreign and domestic?"
