Tag: Politics

Long Road Back

I know a good deal of Trump supporters through church connections, my extended family and via social media, and despite how absolutely heartbreaking it has been to watch what’s happened to them over the past several years, I’m not at all opposed to rekindling our relationships in the event that the Biden victory acts as a cold water wake-up from their MAGA fever dream.

I’m not saying that it wouldn’t take a very long time to trust their judgment again (having seen what they’re capable of tacitly endorsing), but I do believe in fast forgiveness followed by slow trust rebuilding if and when someone demonstrates that they’re open to a) learning about different perspectives, b) having challenging conversations and c) spending the time to educate themselves (even minimally) on how to avoid misinformation.

Nobody has all all of the answers (I certainly don’t), and everyone makes mistakes (I certainly do), but moving forward requires contrition, curiosity and a commitment to keep walking the (potentially) long road back.

That’s one option. Or…

…you could follow our fearless current leader right into the abyss with one or all of the following behaviors that I’ve seen emerge over the past few days:

  • Continue to deny the reality that Trump lost this election, and keep spewing deranged conspiracy theories until the heat death of the universe

  • Complain about how mean Biden supporters are being (this is jaw-dropping coming from the “F**k Your Feelings” crowd)

  • Leave mainstream social media for Parler (so you can reinforce the walls of your MAGA information bubble and really stretch those racist legs!)

Time to choose your own adventure!

Election Reflection

Obviously (just like in the movies) he’ll be back with an ill-considered attempt to reclaim power, but after years of raging against the staggering amount of damage he has inflicted on our country, I wanted to offer a substantial reflection on today’s events:

Go Joe

In the event that you haven’t already voted early, or (while unlikely) are somehow still undecided, I implore you to vote for Joe Biden on Tuesday.

He certainly wasn’t my first choice (I was a Warren guy), nor is he perfect by any stretch, but this is arguably the most important election in our country’s history, and he’s the clear choice to keep us from a fascist future that’s honestly too bleak to truly process.

Setting aside Donald Trump’s staggering list of cruelties, collusions, corruptions and crimes, here are five clear-cut reasons to check the Biden/Harris box…

1. COVID-19: Unlike his opponent, Biden takes the threat seriously, and is willing to make the tough decisions to get us through this fiasco.

2. Climate Change: Biden understands the staggering gravity of what we face, and the important of taking decisive action.

3. Civil Rights: Whether it’s the birtherism that spawned his campaign, the eroding of LGBTQ rights or dangerous “stand back and stand by”-style comments to white supremacists, Trump has made the country a far more hostile place for far too many Americans.

4. Misinformation: As Nicholas Kristof puts so well: “He replaces accepted facts with lies, baseless accusations, support for QAnon and even a conspiracy theory that President Barack Obama had SEAL Team 6 killed instead of Osama bin Laden. In both supporters and opponents, Trump nurtures hate. He is what Proverbs 6:19 calls ‘a person who stirs up conflict in the community.'”

5. Immigration and Asylum: Trump’s ghastly track record speaks for itself, and is an absolute slap in the face to America’s noble reputation as a beacon of hope around the world.

I wish everyone well over the next few guaranteed-to-be-insane days (and don’t forget to take care of yourself). Let’s do this. Let’s save our country.