The following is presented as part of The Columbian’s Opinion content, which offers a point of view in order to provoke thought and debate of civic issues. Opinions represent the viewpoint of the author. Unsigned editorials represent the consensus opinion of The Columbian’s editorial board, which operates independently of the news department.
What does it mean that Iowa Republicans braved freezing cold weather to go out and caucus for a man who is facing 91 criminal counts, not to mention another defamation trial from a woman who a jury already found he sexually assaulted and defamed?
It means he could win the presidency and endanger the future of our democracy.
There is a divide in American politics the likes of which I have never seen before, between those who support the former president and those who can’t imagine why anyone would.
Anti-Trumpers view him with shock and awe. How can someone who is facing indictments in four separate cases, who has promised that he will weaponize the Justice Department and rob it of its independence possibly be the front-runner for the nation’s highest office?
He has told us what he will do, and he will.
It’s easy for those who oppose Trump to assume that his reascent cannot be real, that a majority of Iowans cannot possibly represent a majority of Americans, that we can still sit around whining about how old Joe Biden is as if that is the biggest problem out there. It isn’t.
Tens of millions of Americans cannot be dismissed as “deplorable.” They aren’t going away. They aren’t put off by behavior that the rest of us do find deplorable. They see things from an entirely different perspective, one that we somehow need to bridge to save our democracy.
They are angry, frustrated and attracted to a man who is willing to say aloud things that would, in conventional times, be political poison.
These are not conventional times.
I don’t pretend to understand entirely. But we who are on the other side must do at least three things.
The first, which cannot be said enough, is not to dismiss Trump’s supporters as deplorable. That can only feed the polarization that has infected our politics, leaving tens of millions of Americans feeling that they are under attack and must fight back.
The second is to stop whining about Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Are they a perfect team? Compared to whom? Biden has accomplished more as president than I imagined he would. He has actually done something about climate change, passed landmark infrastructure legislation and stood firmly with Israel.
The third is to get involved. This is not an election to sit out. Those who oppose Trump must act now, not later. The existential threat that he poses for our democracy must be met with positive engagement in politics, not with disgust.
Someone else is not going to stop the enthusiasm motivating the MAGA movement. We must stand up, positively and with equal vigor. It is not enough to sit on the sidelines, assuming someone else will stand up or that the threat will go away. Donald Trump is coming.
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