Most of my liberal friends are frustrated, and most of my conservative friends are frustrated too.
My liberal friends seem frustrated because they know people who have voted for Trump in the past, and some of those people say they plan to vote for him again in 2024. They just don’t get why someone would vote for Trump.
My conservative friends seem frustrated because the liberal people they know just don’t seem to get it. It appears to them that “Liberals” have spent the last eight years speaking at them instead of with them. The volume increases, but many are not as open-minded as they claim to be, and others are downright mean. They just don’t understand what “Liberals” are so afraid to hear, and they’re tired of listening to angry “lectures”.
I have opinions of my own, and don’t claim that I’m always a great listener, but I do believe that it’s time that we all take a deep breath and start listening more. If you’ve never voted for Trump, and you can’t understand why somebody else would, chances are high that you’re just not listening, or maybe you’re simply not listening to varied perspectives. The good news is that you can start listening now, and if you believe the polls, it’s not very hard to find people planning to vote for Trump this Fall. They’re everywhere and often willing to talk if they believe that the listener’s intentions are good.
If you’re planning to vote for Trump and don’t understand why this concerns others, chances are that you’re not listening either. Those who believe that Trump is a threat to democracy are also “everywhere” and they label themselves Republicans, Democrats and Independents. Many of them have already joined The Union. If you’d like to listen more and learn from others who may not think exactly the same way you do, you can join The Union too. We’d love to have you, and we’ll respectfully listen to what you have to say.
Post submitted by Kathy Haselmaier, a volunteer with The Union from Fort Collins, Colorado.
Note: The views and opinions expressed by volunteer contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Union, a single-issue organization that welcomes all and is dedicated to protecting democracy.
If you’d like to help defend democracy in the US, we invite you to join The Union.