Loving and Fighting

Lincoln Project is in the process of producing another one of my commercials. I can't call myself an important force in the anti-Trump pro democracy movement, but I'm at least in the mix, and giving it my best shot.

I keep meeting Americans who boast of cutting off their Republican friends and family. I can't hear that and let it stand. I always tell them half my friends vote Republican, and I love them even though I totally disagree with them on politics, and that's what being a grown-up full human being entails. That's what democracy entails.

Some instantly disown me for proposing such heresy. They'll literally turn on their heels and walk away. In their minds, they're fighting the good fight by telling me to go fuck myself...while I'm fighting the good fight by actually fighting the good fight (and, yup, recognizing the humanity of those with whom I disagree). What a sick country.

Trumpism is a clear and present danger, but hardly anyone is rising to the occasion. It's hard to love people you disagree with, or to fight effectively, but it's real easy to tell people to go fuck themselves. So guess what everyone's doing?

If my views hold any sway with you, please consider showing some humanity, and love thy neighbor (not every Republican voter is a racist spittle-spewing Trump rally goon; they're not all well-informed; they don't all listen to the people you and I listen to; and FOX, which they think is real, has them legit terrified), and show some resourcefulness in finding small opportunities to work for improvement. But telling people to go fuck themselves is infantile self-indulgence at a moment that demands our best, clearest selves. It hastens the destruction of the American experiment. It's dancing with the devil.

Remember, I smelled Civil War way back in 2009, when the notion seemed hysterical. Hope we can avoid it. Dehumanizing those you disagree with is the best way to make it happen. But, hey, greetings from sunny Portugal...