Thursday, March 24, 2016

Why talk to Trump supporters?

To a poster who said don't bother to talk with "these people" because "you can't fix stupid":

I talk with "these people" every chance I get. They may be acting stupid but they aren't stupid. If you dig enough to get it out of them, they see many the same things we do.  

Back in June (2015) almost anyone with calluses on their hands, anyone who had to work for a living, was ready to listen about Bernie. Six months later many are Trump supporters and others are too disgusted with politics to even think about it. That didn't happen because they're stupid. They didn't suddenly become stupid since June. 

And the thing of it is, almost every single Trump supporter I've talked with for 15 minutes or more has come around to admitting their reasons for supporting him make no sense. Then one after another they say, defiantly, "But I'm voting for him anyway!"  

No, there's something else going on. I believe it's that folks are angry and afraid, and totally fed up with a system which is manipulating us, lying to us and ignoring our interests and views. Those of us who see the possibility of successfully joining with others to overcome the resistance of the billionaire class and advance our own best interests are gravitating to Bernie and Warren. Those who feel hopeless about that, because for whatever reason they don't understand the power we could have if we all get together, are gathering behind Trump to vent their anger and bitterness. 

But their anger is our anger, and we have a right to it. Most of them belong with us. Bernie's question to us is "are you ready for a fight?" They too are answering yes, only they're letting Trump convince them their fight is with the rest of us!  

Our real fight is not with Trump's followers, and we must not get suckered into one sooner than absolutely necessary. Our fight is with Trump and his billionaire buddies.

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