Trump is in California–and Republicans are embarrassed
As you know, Trump is in the Bay Area today, on a fundraiser, and his people are keeping the itinerary strictly mum. They know that he’s loathed in Northern California, and they don’t want thousands of protesters blocking his motorcade and flying Baby Trump balloons.
The local news outlets, however, are going crazy with speculation, and yesterday, one of them was down in Palo Alto, in the heart of Silicon Valley, interviewing people on the streets, asking them what they thought. Most were happy to show their faces on camera; all of them were Democrats expressing various attitudes along the lines of “He’s really not welcome here.” Two people, however, did say they welcomed Trump, and that they were Republicans. Both declined to show their faces; they were “afraid,” the T.V. reporter said, of being harassed by their friends and neighbors.
Nobody wants to be harassed. But think about it: those Trump lovers were so embarrassed about standing by their man—a pathological liar, a serial sexual predator, a mentally ill sociopath, an egomaniacal bully, a science denier, a wannabe autocrat, an ignorant lout who pals around with dictators—that they refused to let the world see who they are.
I can’t imagine being so ashamed of my political beliefs that I’d have to keep them secret. I can hear you asking, “But if you lived in a super-red district, wouldn’t you do the same thing, and hide your Democratic beliefs?” The answer is an emphatic NO! I would not. If people had a problem with my politics, they can shun me or argue with me; either way is fine with me. If they got violent, I’d do my best to defend myself, and, if I could, I’d sic the law on them. But never would I be ashamed of being a Democrat and an ardent anti-Trumper.
I think the embarrassment of Republicans is due to a very simple thing: it’s not of being ostracized by their friends and neighbors, it’s because they know, in their heart of hearts, what an evil schmuck Trump is. They know about his chronic violation of the emoluments clause; they know he and his klepto family are enriching themselves by misusing their power; they know Trump is corrupt to his bones, and tried to obstruct the Mueller probe; and they know he’s hiding his tax returns because they contain many damaging secrets of illegal tax fraud. Yes, they know these things, and they also know they can’t defend the indefensible. Hence, they ask that their faces not be shown on T.V.
Why, then, do these people stubbornly defend their man? One can only surmise, but I believe it comes down to a few reasons. One, they’re racists, or at the very least, “mild” white supremacists; they really do think that White is the master race, and they don’t want Colored People running around their Silicon Valley gated communities (unless they’re there to clean the toilets and do the yardwork). Two, they’re rich, and they love the fact that Trump cut their taxes, and if re-elected will cut them even more. And that’s about it: there is no other possible reason to support Donald J. Trump. They know that, too, but of course they can’t come out and admit to the world that the only reason they’re Republicans is because they’re racist greedheads.
But some of their friends and family surely know their political leanings. I hope that these friends and neighbors are applying pressure to them, holding their feet to the fire, constantly reminding them that in defending Trump they defend evil. The only way we’re going to win in 2020 is by reaching the hearts and minds of enough Trump supporters. Left to themselves, these Republicans will never admit the light into their souls, which they sold long ago. But when their loved ones put it all on the line and make it personal, maybe enough of them can be shamed into doing the right thing.
