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Here’s the thing about Trump, I get it. I understand the mentality that leads someone to support a candidate that on the surface appears to be an outspoken anti-establishment trailblazer. I also understand the reasons so many that are Republicans are standing behind this guy even though he may not align with their personal ideals. I get it because a few years ago I would have been right there with you. With my red hat, khaki pants and American flag lapel pin on my polo.
I was a right-wing, die hard. There was always a campaign event, tea-party rally or convention to attend. I worked with and supported the most conservative of candidates. Those who would be more happy with a theocracy than a constitutional republic. Names like; Herman Cain, Judge Roy Moore, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, and the list goes on and on. Many of those I associated with, even on the local level, could easily make Trump look like a liberal and a lightweight.
While I would still be considered conservative on a few points, I am also called a liberal by some, and a statist by others.
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Over the past several years I have had a change of heart and position on a number of issues, including politics. While I would still be considered conservative on a few points, I am also called a liberal by some, and a statist by others. Regardless, just because my opinions have changed that doesn’t mean I don’t remember the triggers from the past, or the reasoning behind them.
Most of the reasons I have heard for supporting Trump are not necessarily new ideas. They were used for supporting Romney, McCain, and Bush. We are just seeing them repackaged and pushed to a more extreme level this year. Some, however, were never out in the open before this election cycle, but they were always there too.
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Why would I have supported Trump?
1. He’s an outsider- Trump isn’t afraid of the establishment, he isn’t beholden to any special interest. The RNC doesn’t control him, and he obviously doesn’t need their support to win the nomination. He isn’t a politician, and that is what is wrong with our country, too many of our elected officials have been part of the problem for their entire careers.
Here is why that’s wrong-While he may not have a Washington, DC zip code, Trump is as “establishment” and privileged as they come. Trump has coddled up to politicians for his entire career. And not just American ones, but Russian ones too, apparently. While the fact that one “isn’t a politician” may have some value in the right candidate, his actual proposed policy ideas would work serious harms to our economic and government systems. The reason for gridlock in Washington is as much about nastiness and refusal to compromise as it is with special-interest groups. Trump is one of the most divisive figures in modern history. His presence won’t lead to more collaboration and comity.
2. He tells it like it is- Trump isn’t politically correct, he doesn’t say things just to get elected. He speaks the truth, no matter what it costs him. He doesn’t pull any punches, and that is what this country needs. Trump doesn’t care what anybody thinks.
Here is why that’s wrong- When “telling it like it is” is simply code for saying racist, bigoted, or misogynistic things, it’s no advantage. And while PC culture can certainly be taken too far, there is nothing “un-PC” about being kind, speaking with dignity, and seeking to unify rather than divide. To do the opposite has nothing to do with “being PC.” I’ve also realized that it is in fact not true that Trump “speaks the truth.” He lies more than any other candidate. In that, he has been consistent all along. There is also a difference between being a strong leader and being downright offensive. World leaders need to collaborate; the only thing that bullying has accomplished on the world stage has been to set off wars. Anger is not a platform and ignorance is not a virtue.
3. Trump will protect our borders- Illegal aliens are coming into this country by the millions. We can’t care for our citizens because of the burden placed on our health and educational systems by non-tax paying illegals. We are paying taxes for them to come into this country to take jobs away, and to collect welfare.
Here is why that’s wrong- Immigrants, it turns out, tend to work hard, pay their taxes, and generally follow the rules. Crime often goes down in neighborhoods where immigrants live. Immigrants, especially illegal ones, have a lot to lose by getting in trouble with the law, so it stands to reason that they would stay under law enforcement’s radar. The immigration system is broken and in desperate need of reform. It doesn’t reflect the world we live in and, ironically, creates as many problems as it solves. Many people are forced to become illegal because the channels of legal immigration are contradictory and convoluted. An American president can take leadership on this issue by fixing this disastrous system. This won’t be easy, but it can happen. But Trump tells us that he’s going to build an impenetrable wall on the Southern border—like the Great Wall of China (which didn’t work, by the way). He also says he will initiate mass deportations of illegal immigrants, a solution that is so costly and impractical that it doesn’t justify a response.
4. He will bring jobs back to America- Our businesses suffer because of unfair competition from around the world. He will make China fall in line and compete on an equal playing field. Fixing the tax code, so it is not unfair, and setting tariffs on imports from countries that don’t play fair is just the beginning. We have to quit letting foreign interests direct the path of the United States, and we have to protect our own.
These are trends that no one person—even the president of the United States—can reverse.
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Here is why that’s wrong-Economists to the left and right have criticized Trump’s economic plan to raise tariffs. No politician wants to directly admit it, but America will never go back to the glory days of the 1950s and 1960s as a manufacturing capital of the world. The industry has changed too much. In years past, hundreds of thousands of American workers were able to find semi-skilled and skilled labor jobs that paid comfortable wages and offered attractive retirement packages. Those days are gone and they aren’t coming back. The world has opened up to a global workforce. Technology is replacing people. These are trends that no one person—even the president of the United States—can reverse. What a president can do to help this situation is be honest with people and introduce legislation that helps people find new skills that they need to compete in the present-day economy. Trump tells us that he will magically negotiate trade deals that make America a manufacturing powerhouse—that we’ll win again. He’s telling this group of people what they want to hear. He can’t turn the clock back and he can’t singlehandedly redirect the course of technological advancement.
5. He will keep us safe from terror- Trump won’t be messing around with those who wish to do us harm. He will void the Iran deal and destroy ISIS. We aren’t going to play pattycake with these scumbags; he will kill them and eliminate the threat to the United States. With his border control policy, he will also be keeping us safe at home in the meantime as well.
Here is why that’s wrong- If there were an easy solution to stopping ISIS, we would’ve deployed it by now. Radical ideological extremism is resilient. Even invading, occupying, and installing new governments—in the case of Afghanistan—doesn’t make it go away. Trump is simply voicing the frustration and helplessness that people feel about a lurking threat to safety and security. Security is a collective effort among allies—and Trump is sure to sour our relationships with them.
6. Trump is making it ok to be a white male again- It is no longer ok to be a white guy in America. We receive the blame for all the ills of the world. We are the only segment of society that isn’t allowed to be proud of who we are. If we say anything in defense of ourselves, they accuse us of being racist, or sexist. If we don’t agree 100% with the liberal agenda, they call us bigots. I’ve never hated anyone, but I am tired of being accused of it, Trump is too.
Here is why that’s wrong- Even if the culture has “over-steered” on this issue, the way to address it is not the use privilege as a platform for resentment and hostility. Venting doesn’t solve problems. If white people are tired of seeing people of color play the “victim card” too much, then the way forward is not to play the victim card back at them.
7. He has always been a success- Trump doesn’t lose at anything. He is the epitome of a winner. He has made a fortune running his businesses and an empire. The Trump name is synonymous with winning. He has used bankruptcy laws to his advantage, and who can blame him for being smart and shrewd. He has also made a lot of other people rich, and successful, it’s time we had someone as President who can do that for more of us.
Here is why that’s wrong-Trump loses plenty. He is the epitome of the guy born on third base that thinks he hit a triple. He was born into money and power and used money and lawyers – much like the bully at the poker table with the big stack – to push people around. His bankruptcies ravaged countless small businesses. He single-handedly destroyed Atlantic City, and The USFL.
Other examples include: While saying his corporation couldn’t pay back taxes, and not paying vendors, it continued to lease Trump a $390,000 a year helicopter. Also while not paying taxes during a four-year timeframe, Trump continued to reap millions of dollars in fees and bonuses while his casino business was getting destroyed by competitors and stockholders were losing fortunes.
The examples go on and on. This is not an effective modus operandi for a President who must build consensus around policy changes to improve America’s lives. Trump has consistently been about Trump, and not anyone else. He isn’t interested in making American’s lives better. He’s interested in making Trump’s life better and his brand bigger. And that is not a success for America.
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Many of the things, like these, which I used to believe in have turned out to not only be short-sighted but just plain wrong. I let my prejudices and a small cultural circle direct these ideas. It was only after I expanded my thinking and my research did I begin to understand things differently.
Most never leave the comfort zones that they have known their entire lives. They never challenged popular thinking, especially when it is held by those in your own tribe.
I was scared of all opposing opinions, so I scoffed at them. I lived life in a shell and refused to poke my head out for years. It was safe in there, and anyone who tried to stick their nose in my zone was a threat. Even if these ideas I held were detrimental to my personal well being, I refused to relinquish them. Mainly because I had built in targets of blame for anything that didn’t go my way.
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These are opinions devoid of self-responsibility. Trump’s entire campaign is based around blaming others for your personal problems. While as a white man, I was constantly saying things like “people need to get off their ass and work,” or “minorities need to quit blaming everything on the white man.” I never recognized the hypocrisy in my own arguments.
I allowed fear, both self-imposed and learned, direct me in the public policy I pursued.
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I allowed fear, both self-imposed and learned, direct me in the public policy I pursued. I only cared about those things which I thought would not only benefit me but, in all reality, would be harmful to those who weren’t like me.
So yes, this fight is personal for me. Not just to keep a demagogue like Trump from achieving the presidency. It is also to beat back the demons of my past, one that was full of misguided mistakes. The past that in all reality, directly and indirectly, caused harm and hardship for my fellow man.
Defeating Trump is as much about redeeming myself as it is about saving this nation.
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Photo: Getty Images
Special thanks to Michael Kasdan and David Shechtman for their contributions to this article.
“If white people are tired of seeing people of color play the “victim card” too much, then the way forward is not to play the victim card back at them.”
I think this is the first time I’ve EVER seen someone notice their own engagement in that dynamic and take personal responsibility for it. It’s so refreshing to hear the perspective of an individual who is able to appreciate multiple points of view and to call himself out on his own hypocrisy. You have obviously evolved hugely as a result and are a splendid example to the rest of us.
Great read! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and the story of your changing political views. I think so many of our generation shift politically, but this election cycle, it doesn’t make sense for me to vote for someone who is what you state in your article. And this is coming from a guy who once voted for George W. Bush and Gary Johnson.
This is the best line of your story: He is the epitome of the guy born on third base that thinks he hit a triple.
That explains it all!
Thank you!
Taylor Garcia