Some of my political views…

Writing and publishing a political view on social media is intimidating for most and that seems especially true for those of us that have a distaste for the heightened partisan rhetoric that dominates social media today. People who speak and think in absolutes seem to have it easy as their black-and-white point of view makes it faster to post and comment without the hand-wringing reluctance the rest of us have.

Like many, I have the urge to completely turn off social media, but I can’t seem to pull the trigger because 1) I feel an obligation to see what is going on with my friends’ lives 2) The spectacle of social media does have a strange draw to it (like gawking at a car accident) 3) I want to find safe openings to make some kind of contribution.

As the election nears, many are taking the time to express their views despite the risk of online vitriol and so I venture to share some of my thoughts in 3 parts.

Part 1: Understanding friends that support Trump

I’m supporting Joe Biden for President but I also support any citizen in their right to vote for the candidate of their choice. A lot has been written this year about the value of listening. I’ve tried hard to listen to my friends who support Trump and here is what I’ve heard.

1. Our country was founded upon principles of personal liberty, citizen rights and limited government. This ideal is held at a premium, certainly above any individual policy, politician, or cultural movement that threatens it.
2. Progressives’ vision for America is one that is on the pathway to a socialistic state.
3. The news media is decidedly liberal in its reporting. But this is not all, the media treats conservatives and its values as antiquated, irrelevant and even immoral which feels offensive because one of conservatism’s greatest virtues is to espouse a highly moral way of life.
4. Progressive voices in politics and academia are also guilty of #3 and their influence on the country needs to be more balanced but this feels like an impossible uphill battle at times.
5. The best vision of America is to preserve traditional values that are founded upon Judea-Christian values and the cultural values extolled by the country’s founding fathers.
6. President Trump has been a consistent defender and champion in word and deed for this point of view.
7. The media has treated President Trump in grossly misleading ways. Case in point — during the first Presidential debate, much was made of President Trump’s alleged refusal to disavow racist organizations and this dominated the headlines. However, there is clear evidence that he has indeed disavowed such groups and so the story went away, but the damage was done. There can be little trusting of the media in its portrayal of this President.
8. For all of President Trump’s undesirable traits, he represents the best bet for preserving this vision of America.

Of course, I can’t claim that I have all of these points exactly correct and each Trump supporter will have variations based on their own unique beliefs, but I think I’m in the ballpark. And I understand, respect and even agree with many of these principles.

Part 2: My two main criticisms of the Trump Presidency

I don’t care much for Trump’s tweets and how he criticizes his opponents but I haven’t found myself get as upset about Trump’s behavior as some others. I am, however, most disappointed with these two aspects of his Presidency.

1. When he was campaigning in 2016, he extolled his ability to work across the aisle and gain bi-partisan support. Because he was such a different kind of candidate, I thought maybe he could really pull that off. Yet, I’d argue that he has been the most divisive President in my lifetime. I remember a town hall that President Obama hosted where a pro-gun rights citizen took President Obama to task about gun regulation. I remember being so impressed with Obama’s response. He accurately articulated the point of view of pro-gun right supporters, demonstrating that he understood both sides of the issue. President Trump is quick to blame the left for the divisiveness but as the leader of the nation, he should own responsibility for unity or lack thereof.
2. Great leaders build great teams around them. A team loaded with talent and diverse points of view with a spirit of collaboration can make 1+1=3. I’ve been disappointed with the high turnover within the cabinet and other important high-ranking government positions around Trump. He can’t seem to keep great people around. That hurts us all.

Part 3: Why I lean left

In our country’s 244 year old history, there has always been progressives and conservatives, although they may have had different labels in the past. Without a progressive voice, the country wouldn’t have seen an end to slavery or seen equal rights for women or made life safer for our LGBTQ family members and many other important policies that have made life better for its citizens.

The checks and balances between progressives and conservatives have been and should continue to be vital to the betterment of society. I think it’s both dangerous and wrong to espouse a view that one party is always right and the other always wrong. To me, whether a policy succeeds or fails depends more on the execution of the law rather than what political lens it was drafted by. Both conservative and progressive policies have worked out well for our country.

When I look at a particular piece of legislation or policy, I naturally tend to favor policy elements that benefit either the largest swath of citizens or the most marginalized citizens. For example, I would favor a modest increase of income taxes if it meant being able to pay teachers more to attract, train and keep more skilled people to teach our children. My view is that the dividends of such investments would yield a net positive for the collective.

I realize that government programs can be clunky and inefficient. But at least I have some control of this because I can get involved as a citizen to elect better officials or even run for office if I want to fix something myself.

I take exception when Republican voices declare Democrats socialists. Sure, there are extreme views on both sides of the aisle but the vast majority of registered Democrats simply lean left.

I am an enthusiastic supporter of Joe Biden. I think he will bring a level of civility back into government. I believe he has a track record of being more politically moderate than most of the other Democratic candidates for President. I believe he will recruit a great team.

Finally, I realize I live a very privileged life. No matter who gets elected, I have the privilege of choosing to not have the result impact my day to day life. I live in this great country where I have the privilege of being able to focus on those immediately around me — my family, friends, neighbors, church congregation and work colleagues. I find that my best contribution to society is to be present wherever I may be and to make those places a little bit better because I’m there. I’m grateful to live in a country where I’m able to do that freely.