Dear Fellow Republicans,
Right now you are probably still quietly celebrating President-elect Trump's surprise victory (or maybe more accurately, Hilary's defeat) and the electoral wave that solidified our majority in Congress and in state houses around the nation. As someone who has participated in the Republican caucuses and primaries the last three cycles, knocked doors, and donated to the party, I can understand your joy; we won. And as someone who is excited for a possible future that includes a lower tax burden, safety from foreign threats, a Supreme Court Justice who will protect life in the womb, and a re-imagining of our healthcare policy, I can understand your elation. But the last couple of days I haven't been able to share with you in that joy and that's why we need to talk.
If you're reading this post, that surely means you've been on social media where things have gotten ugly the past few days. People have expressed their hurt, their fears, their anxieties and have lashed out at the world. No doubt that you've felt the sting of people leveling charges that the way you voted makes YOU a bad person. That your vote means that you're a bigot. Racist. Sexist. Xenophobic. I want to reassure you that they're probably wrong. I've seen the ways you've honored women, spent your time in soup kitchens, bought Christmas gifts for families that can't afford them, and opened your homes to foreigners. Having voted for Trump doesn't automatically make you a "deplorable" any more than voting for Hilary makes one morally enlightened. But as someone who has been deeply wary of Trump's ascension from the very beginning and did my best to try and deny his nomination, I want to implore you not to be dismissive of the concerns of liberal America.
Does wanting to curb illegal immigration racist? No. But it's estimated that as many as 40% of illegal aliens came here legally and overstayed their work or student visas. So when Donald Trump opens his campaign by vilifying illegal residents from Mexico as rapists and murders but not the illegal residents from Sweden or Australia, that's racist. Latinos both legal and illegal know the anxiety of whether they'll be safe when people tell them to "go back to their country" and shout them down with threats.
Is having trustworthy judges important? Yes. But when Donald Trump implied a judge couldn't be impartial because of his ethnicity, that's racist. People of color know how exhausting it is to have to defend their credibility at school or work because of their skin.
Is keeping our cities safe a priority? Yes. But when Donald Trump promotes "Stop And Frisk" policing despite the fact that it has been found to target minorities and violate their 4th amendment rights all without actually having a meaningful impact on public safety, that's racist. Young black men fear that any given encounter with law enforcement could be fatal and they have a right to be afraid of a president who wants to up their interactions.
When Donald Trump threw one of his own supporters out of one of his rallies because he was black and was presumed to be a protester, that's racist.
Is keeping our country safe from terrorist paramount? Of course. But when Trump said we should ban immigration from Muslim countries and deny even taking Syrian refugees who are women and children because they still might be dangerous, that's racist.
When Trump insinuated that Megyn Kelly's criticisms of him were overly harsh because she was on her period, that's sexist. Every women knows what it's like to have their emphatic opinion dismissed because people assume she's on her period.
When Trump implied a former Miss Universe's weight disqualified her from being taken seriously, that's sexist. Most all women know the struggle of society tying their self-worth up in their weight.
When Trump insinuated that Clinton was unqualified despite being a lawyer, a former first lady, a US Senator, and Secretary of State, that's sexist. Many women have felt the hurt of being passed up for a promotion in favor of a lesser qualified male colleague.
When Trump defended himself against the video in which he bragged about sexually harassing women by saying it was just "locker room talk", that's sexist. Most women deal with sexual harassment on a weekly basis and know the pain of having their experiences being dismissed as "boys being boys" or being chastised for not having thicker skin.
The list could go on, but you get the idea. My point is this, voting for Trump doesn't automatically mean you are sexist or racist, but it absolutely means you voted for a man who is. There are hundreds of thousands of people who gleefully voted for him BECAUSE of his racist and sexist rhetoric, but that's not what worries liberals. Those assholes have always existed and will continue to be assholes, Trump or not. What liberal America is worried about is that there are millions upon millions more people whose vote communicated a profound apathy or active dismissivism to his racist and bigoted ways. And the fear comes from that sinking feeling that when those sexist and racist individuals fling their vitriol and threats, that maybe good people like you and me won't stand up for them.
For the longest time I've put up with the uglier elements of our party because I still believed that the soul of our party was rooted in freedom, small government, and social/fiscal responsibility. But with the rise of President-elect Trump, I seriously question whether or not the gravitational center of our party has become white supremacy and racial resentment. If that day ever comes when the party has truly lost it's soul, I will renounce my membership in a heartbeat.
That is why we need some introspection. We need to stand against the uglier elements in our own party and denounce them more strongly than our leaders have. If we are not willing to stand up for women or people of color when our neighbors or the president threaten them, then we are forced to confront the truth that maybe liberal America is right. Maybe we are racist. Maybe we are sexist. Maybe we are the bigots we've been accused of being. So as you live your life today, tomorrow, and the day after, let's not just say they are wrong. Let's prove them wrong.
