Part 1 in a series of letters to Trump voters

Congratulations on electing Donald Trump as our 47^th President. It wasn’t the outcome I wanted, and I candidly admit to being conflicted about how to respond to the loss.

I ultimately decided there is no point in being bitter or combative. Instead, for the sake of our country, I am reaching out to open a dialogue. I am hopeful we can develop a better understanding of our common goals, establish respect for our differences, and take some modest steps to unite our badly divided country. 

I realize that with Trump’s win and control of both chambers of Congress you may have little inclination to engage in this dialogue. You suffered through the Biden/Harris years, and now it’s your turn to exercise control and right all the wrongs. I’ll respect your decision if that’s what you want. 

But I believe that we, the American people, are not as far apart as our political parties, elected officials, and our left and right-biased media outlets are leading us to believe. I’m sorry that some from my party have castigated you as “deplorables” or “garbage.” At the same time, I shudder over affronts such as a “libtard,” “communist,” “socialist,” and “Marxist.”

I don’t believe we are mortal enemies with irreconcilable differences. But we’re certainly not communicating well.  A big part of the problem is that our political parties and leaders keep using inflammatory rhetoric to anger and divide us. This helps them win elections and control the political agenda, but leaves us further apart from one another. The gap gets widened when real enemies like Russia and China conduct misinformation campaigns to sew discord and weaken our democracy.

To put my cards on the table, I don’t think being divided is in the best interests of our country. For too long we have been viewing one another as enemies. Our side is right, and their side is wrong. We are trying to save the country, and they are ruining it. When we win, we thus impose our will to save the country. And when we lose, we obstruct and prevent the other side from imposing its will.

Look back at history. Trump reversed many of Obama’s policies and instituted many of his own. Then Biden reversed many of Trump’s policies and instituted many of his own. Now Trump will reverse many of Biden’s policies and enact many of his own. We end up angry at one another and divided. And the policy gains we achieve tend to be fleeting. 

I accept the results of the election. I don’t want to reflexively obstruct Trump’s policy agenda.  Nor do I want to challenge and chastise you for voting the way you did. Rather, I want to support the President-elect’s goals and policies whenever I can.  Indeed, I know I can support many of the goals. I just have differences regarding some of the solutions. And, as to those differences, I’d like to talk about them objectively and respectively. I’d like to think we can find ways to minimize or reconcile these differences. 

In the coming weeks, I plan to offer a series open letters on a variety of subjects, including: inflation, gas and grocery prices; the stock market; immigration; gun control; abortion; climate change, and other important policies.  I hope to show how there is far more common ground than we have been led to believe. And, while there are certainly major differences, I hope we can come away with more empathy and understanding regarding these differences.

I hope you’ll be willing to read these letters and engage in dialogue aimed at creating a bit more unity in the country we love. Toward that end, let me conclude by offering my promises, hoping you’ll also embrace them as guidelines for our dialogue. 

My Promises to You—Guidelines for Dialogue

1. I will strive to be respectful towards you, and I ask the same in return. We can certainly disagree strongly on policies, positions, and solutions. But we don’t need to condemn one another or engage in name calling or insults. Just because our political parties, elected officials, and media outlets engage in such behaviors doesn’t mean we have to. Treating one another with respect is essential to building communication and trust. 
2. I will strive to focus on the facts and the truth, providing evidence to back up my assertions or conclusions; and I ask that you do the same. Just as you would not want me to lie or make unfounded assertions regarding my points of view, I would not want you to do so regarding your points of view. We can and should call out lies from politicians and the media in an effort to get to the truth.  We can agree to disagree as to the facts and the truth, but not without first conducting a vigorous effort to find the facts and the truth. This includes, importantly, an effort to open up our information channels. If I rely exclusively on MSNBC and you rely exclusively on Fox News, it will be next to impossible to agree upon the facts and the truth.
3. I will strive to focus on what is causing problems rather than being preoccupied with affixing blame; and I ask you to do the same.  If we are going to try to solve problems we have to know what is causing them. Very often, problems are caused by numerous factors.  Unfortunately, we have a tendency to declare that one side or the other is entirely to blame for a problem. 
4. I will apply the results of our efforts in supporting candidates and voting in future elections; and I ask you to do the same.  We should seek out and vote for policymakers who are willing to break out of the politics of blame, anger and division.  We should support policymakers who look for common ground, and especially aspects of common ground we develop via our dialogue. 
5. I understand that our efforts to engage in dialogue will be difficult for each of us and will also be met with external resistance.  Psychologically speaking, it’s not easy to change one’s views, even when presented with compelling evidence. All I ask is that we try. We’ll also be met with external resistance.  Our political parties, most candidates, and our media outlets have vested interests in the politics of division and anger. Many of our friends and fellow party members will probably be critical of our efforts. Some will say it’s hopeless, some will say the other side can’t be trusted, and some will say looking for compromise or middle ground is a sellout. 

Conclusion

While this series of letters is specifically addressed to Trump voters, I am really writing to all Americans. I hope you will give these missives some consideration. I come to you with love for our country, a love I know you share.  I also know that the easier path is to remain engrossed in the politics of blame, division and anger. Let’s take the more difficult path. Let’s use the framework of Trump’s agenda to search for common ground, better understand our differences, and create a bit more unity in our country.  For love of country, I hope you’ll join me.