To Trump Voters

A letter to the Trump voters.

To Whom It May Concern:

You have exposed yourself for what you are. You can no longer pretend.You cannot claim ignorance.  You can no longer support any empty fantasy that you are not a racist, or a xenophobe, or a misogynist, or a bigot at heart. You voted with your heart. You are exposed.

Some professional pundits claim that “economics” was at the core of your vote. Really? When the economy has been slowly improving after the GOP Second Great Depression of 2007-2009. When incomes are rising at the highest rate since 2008? When unemployment is at 4.9 % and the last GOP candidate for POTUS, Mitt Romney, said that HIS plans could get the rate down to  6% and that would be considered great news. When your candidate’s only “plan” for the economy is to give the wealthiest even more tax breaks. Sorry, that analysis does not hold water.

Millions of Republicans claim they are “moderates”. That myth has been destroyed by your vote. There is no moderation in the general, vague “plans” of your candidate. There is no moderation in the tone of his speeches. “Lock her up”. “Get him out of here”.  The birther comments. The daily insults directed at women, minorities, Muslim Americans and journalists. You cannot claim to be a “moderate” and vote for a man who tweets vulgarities and nonsense so often  that his own staff took away his Twitter account. The false narrative of the “moderate” Republican was put to rest on Election day. You are a radical.

Some pundits blame the press for not covering your candidate’s lies, falsehoods and crudeness. So you  may try to plead “ignorance”.  But the fact is that all of your candidate’s lies and nastiness and incompetence were were exposed over and over. By his own public speeches.  Covered by the press. By his inability to string together 3 sentences in any coherent fashion at the three debates. It was right there for all to see. A man who lied constantly and with no regard for facts or evidence. A man who called on Russia to try to destroy his political opponent . An analysis  by Politifact found that 70% of his public claims and statement were false. Only 4 % were completely true. The press did its job. You chose to ignore it. You cannot plead ignorance.

Most of you call yourselves “Christian” and condemn Islam as the religion of hate. Really? Does a good Christian vote for a man who prides himself on sexual assault and “grabbing pussy”. Is that supported by the words of Jesus? Maybe in Luke or John?  Would a good Christian support a man who calls for the torture of others and the murdering of families? Is that in Proverbs? Would a good Christian support a man who replaces wives as they age like the rest of us replace old tires? Is that in the “Christian” marriage vows?  Perhaps your Sermon on the Mount says: Blessed are the sexual abusers, the liars, those who cheat and steal, those who do violence to others…An interesting brand of “Christianity”.

You claim you want to “kick out the career politicians”. Really? And who does your candidate surround himself with ? Career politicians he intends to put in his cabinet. Rudy Giuliani whose incompetence lead to the death of the firefighters on 9/11. A man who openly admits he had access to confidential FBI information and the Comey “leak”?  Hardly a new face. Chris Christie, an old political  hack who used his office as governor to punish mayors who would not support him. A man who claims “I knew nothing” about the 3 day closing of the most highly traveled bridge in the world. (While your own candidate said” He knew”.) A new face? Newt Gingrich, the man behind the Clinton impeachment trial, which failed. A new face?  You don’t want new faces, you want a return to the past.  When smart women and hardworking blacks and the undeserving poor “knew their place”.

You have been exposed for what is really deep in your heart. It is not pretty. It is not attractive. It is hate. No matter how you try to rationalize it  and explain it. Hate for immigrants, even though so many of you are 1 or 2 or 3 generations from being immigrants yourself.

Your candidate had no positive message for the nation. And you support him. Hate for people with brown skin. Hate for “liberals” . Hate for foreigners. Hate for objective journalism.   Hate for some imaginary “welfare state” that has never existed. Hate for Obama.Hate for Clinton.  Hate for the 20,000,000 working poor who were able to get health insurance for the first time ever. Hate for successful women. Hate for those “Negroes” that get all the breaks.

So, stop pretending. Own it. The Trump voters, like yourself can no longer pretend you are about “economic policy” or the “Constitution” or “Making America Great” or about “fairness” of “opportunity”.  Rationalize all you want. Prevaricate all you want. The man you voted for speaks for your values and beliefs. You have been exposed. Own it.

The  good news is that the majority of Americans do not share your negative, hateful  vision. The majority of American citizens support a positive vision of America. A majority rejects the politics of hate and division. The majority of Americans have,  in 7 of the last 8 elections, voted for the candidate who has a positive vision of America and is not a hater. Yes, the GOP has won the popular vote only one time in the last 24 years. Only once  in the last 8 elections. ONCE.

Why are we in this place? The gerrymandering and voter suppression has worked. The outmoded, undemocratic Electoral College system has allowed the haters to win this election. That is true. Your candidate was right about one thing: The electoral system IS rigged.   But the fact remains that most Americans do not share your ideas or values. Most Americans are decent human beings.

So, don’t fool yourself. You do not represent America. We are better than that.

Yours sincerely,

A retired, always paying my share of taxes, liberal.