I did not vote for Donald Trump and I am incredibly frightened by the actions of our 45th President in just the first week of his presidency. But, I continue to believe – for the moment – that most of my fellow Americans who voted for Mr. Trump do not support the racial, religious and gender-based hatred that is at the heart of a tired white supremacy, which seems to be enjoying its moment in the sun in the Trump White House, particularly among his chief propagandists. I’ve heard some Trump voters state that they don’t care about all the hateful, demeaning, sexist, untrue and preposterous things Mr. Trump has said. They voted for him to bring back jobs to the United States and to focus on helping Americans first. I can support those objectives to a point. Here’s my offer.
I will work (through my votes and my words and my actions) with anyone, regardless of where you live or the party to which you belong or whether you’re a conservative, a libertarian, a liberal or a progressive, to help support leaders who can bring about good sustainable 21st Century jobs for all Americans. I also want all Americans to have access to good education and training that helps them be prepared for these good jobs. That might mean a college degree for some people and it might mean the very latest technical training for others. But, I don’t want Americans to be saddled with a mountain of unaffordable debt in order to get this education and training.
I also will listen to any good ideas about how we can rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. Same goes for energy and climate and immigration issues. We don’t have to agree on everything to agree on some things. We can table larger, foundational issues on which we don’t agree and at least tackle some smaller, more pressing problems where we can find common solutions. For example, we don’t have to agree that there is global warming (I believe it) to be able to help residents in Miami Beach and Norfolk address the steady rise in street flooding because of rising water tables. That’s not a philosophical debate; that’s a reality check.
Here’s where my offer ends. I won’t work with, support, or count as my friend (Facebook or otherwise) anyone who supports any action that attacks people based on religion, race, gender or gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or any other discriminatory, hate-fueled and bigoted basis. I won’t stand by or just go along with this orgy of xenophobic nationalism. Those actions will not make America great again. Those actions have already greatly weakened our democracy. The world thinks less of us today than it did a month ago. You won’t be better off in this apocalyptic version of America. The soul of this nation – indeed its viability – will be permanently damaged if we head down this path and I will fight anyone who wants to take us there.