I was reading an article from USA Today, written by an offended Republican who took exception to the rhetoric of the left and the “elites” who constantly badmouth Trump voters for being, basically, stupid and short-sighted. This person was truly merciless in their critique, unleashing a cathartic tongue lashing and pretty much saying that 75 million people can’t be wrong, or can’t all be stupid, and we liberal crybabies need to come to terms with the fact that Republicans have control of all three branches of government for a reason, that reason being that good ol’ conservatism—fiscal, moral, religious—is the only way to go.
The trouble with that argument, besides being presumptuous and unduly cocky, is that he or she targets the many millions who voted for Harris as all liberal elitists who make it their mission in life to look down their noses at anyone who voted for Trump and holds conservative views. Agreed, the critique from Democratic officials and late-night TV hosts and MSNBC pundits could be perceived as insensitive and demeaning, but there’s enough of those things to go around, and it’s too fruitless to try and discern who started it… as if we don’t have a pretty good idea.
Anyway, I read most of the article and became cognizant of a growing pit in my stomach because this person’s language and reasoning were beginning to grate on me. The argument started sounding familiar, and I began wondering why it bothered me so much.
While I consider myself to be closely aligned to the late-night hosts and MSNBC pundits and Democratic officials, I don’t necessarily find their cheap shots and what might be perceived as an air of superiority to be a helpful strategy when it comes to countering the looming nightmare of Trumpism. But I also find the thin-skinned indignance of this USA Today contributor to be exactly why I never put much stock in his or her or anyone else’s similar arguments.
It’s a shallow argument at best, because conservative pundits, this one included, seem incapable of ever moving beyond their own tendency to make assumptions and label people, along with a stubborn defensiveness and unwavering opinion that the Trump brand of conservatism—or whatever he’s peddling—is the only way to go, the only way to think and operate in the world.
One person’s “elitism” and far left liberalism is another’s understanding that humans and human societies are complex beings and entities.
Not only that, but when it comes to legislation and Supreme Court rulings, the Bible cannot hold as prominent a place as conservatives believe it should. This, to me, seems what’s always humming in the background—conservatism inseparable from religious conservatism, which is permeating our culture and unduly influencing the decision-making process for Republicans, or whatever the party of Trump has become.
3 Cents' 