CxD #137
I had a special issue planned for y’all in which I was going to analyze a recent long essay about why some people claim they will be voting for Trump, including those who voted for Obama in the past and some who say they don’t like Trump, not even one bit… but will still be voting for him.
I thought I had saved the essay somewhere in my files, but after spending the last five+ hours looking all over for it, and searching the interweb archives for any remote matches, I can’t find it. All I have is my pitiful memory of what the essay said.
But so but instead of trying to rehash from memory some of the essay’s arguments and their rebuttals, what we have here is an opportunity for us to focus our task quickly and precisely:
Trump is a man without integrity and with a character that has not undergone much deliberate design or upgrade. Even many (most?) of his stalwart voters themselves do not deny these assessments, but nonetheless vow to vote for him regardless.
Why? What’s your understanding of people’s motivations in supporting someone who they openly acknowledge has sad-sack donkey shit for character? There are some obvious answers and some complex answers and all kinds of answers in between. I hope you will take a few minutes to reply in the comments section below:
Why does a person’s character not matter to some people when they cast their vote for the most powerful and influential person on the planet? What inner algorithm are they using where there’s no slot for character? Are those who do care about character in the political arena somehow benighted and foolish for doing so? What do you do with the argument “Well, all politicians lie, at least Trump doesn’t pretend.” Feel free to riff on this question as you see fit. To get started with your reply, click this button here👇
I’ll leave this experimental CxD edition at this, not wanting to dilute your thoughts or energies. This question—Does Character matter?— is deeply important for us to spend some time cogitating together. I hope y’all can take a few minutes to donate your answer.
It's safer to be feared than to be loved, might be one anti-character strategy.
Like Kim, I also have a friend, a very character-driven man (seriously one of the highest character-driven people I know who's CONSTANTLY trying to polish his character) who thinks the Democratic Party would run the country into the ground, financially-speaking. Turning the good ole US of A into a land of Socialist mediocrity.
I appreciate you asking the question because I was able to have a wonderful discussion with my mom today (who historically has voted Republican) about this very thing. Especially given a large portion of Trump support are middle-America Christians voting for a man who so obviously could give two shits about the bible and Christianity, other than it will get him elected.
I do believe Trump, despite being so anti-politician, is a good at crafting the narrative and latching onto anything that riles up support for him in order to re-direct the national attention from what (I think) to be an abysmal running of the country.
Just today I tried "putting myself in the other position" and wonder if I would vote for a much higher character Republican if he were to run on the idea of "opening up all National Parks to Oil & gas exploitation, err... exploration." I don't think I would because I care too much about that issue.
Might be something similar. Maybe it's an "issue" thing.
I also think, for some people, Trump's antics and mannerisms appeal to them - they want someone who's "tough" and "doesn't back down" and "holds to his guns (no pun intended)" - these can be very American, i.e. individualistic, qualities.