I'm sure to get ridiculed for this by the usual suspects, but this really hit me.
I've done my share of mocking of Trump supporters, some here, mostly at TOS. And it ashames me to admit it, but I think some of that was some latent elitism. I'm well-educated, etc., and it is extremely seductive to slip into a tone of mocking condescension for those who aren't as educated, or aren't as good as many others in either written or verbal expression. It's so easy to dismiss someone else's concerns just because you can make them look foolish in an argument, and it can be a bit of an ego boost as well. "See how badly I defeated you in this discussion? See how much better I am than you?"
I had a bit of that assholery in me when I first got commissioned. It took spending a lot of time among enlisted Marines for me to pull my head out of my ass and realize I wasn't a better person, or a better man, simply because I was more educated or intelligent in an academic sense. Other people can be good, decent, very capable individuals ever though politics, etc., is not their forte, and even though they haven't honed their rhetorical and linguistic skills.
I think the nomination of Trump was a terrible mistake that will cost our country dearly. But I don't think it means that those who supported him are bad people, bad Americans, or somehow lesser for it. Many of them are "salt of the earth" types whom we might admire and respect if politics didn't enter into it. Rougher language, etc, may be more common, but it doesn't make them bad. They're pissed off at some things at which they had good caused to be pissed, and just misjudged the best avenue for channeling that anger.
Anyway, I'm not participating in any more of the election stuff, but I do want to apologise here to anyone if I acted the condescending bleep.
The odd part in all this is that if the discussion was just on the issues, we'd all likely agree, and not just on what is a problem, but on a lot of the solutions, too. It wasn't Trump's originally claimed political stance at the start of the Primary season that was so terribly different from the next Conservative over, it was his behaviour once the ball got rolling that caused a breach of faith, of trust, and finally, the Party. Some followed the man, others stayed with principles. Burying principles to support a person some see as the one to repair what will take all of us working hard to fix this Republic is where we will disagree.
It isn't the problem, so much as the proposed solution.
Perhaps when this disaster is over those of us who want to restore the Republic can craft a plan to do so.
