I left the Democrat party circa 2008.....although Christian (but perhaps 'more secular') and a registered Democrat at the time, I had been noting for years the hate being thrown by the Left towards Christians. I didn't get where the hate was coming from. Obama openly made fun of and showed contempt for ordinary Americans as well, the notable case being Joe-the-Plumber, ie "How much money do you need to live anyway?" said the man who now owns (4) multi-million dollar residences in Hawaii, Chicago, Wash DC and Martha's Vineyard. Like you, I couldn't stand the spewing of hate either. And one day, I just snapped. Looking back, it felt like an epiphany; it felt scary, but also relieving. I just couldn't buy into the Left's hate agenda anymore, their lack of grace and magnanimity. The brutality of the American Left today is fearsome. Like you, I just didn't want to be part of that club. So here I am, a registered Republican ( although I am rethinking this as well as the GOP drifts), an avowed Christian, with less friends, as my Democrat friends have expelled me as well...but I feel much more centered, compassionate and happier than ever. I feel bad for the people who call themselves Democrats today. Who could live with such hate in their hearts?
Well put, in terms that anyone can understand. I have been a Democrat al my life. Democrats provided me with a lifetime of professional training. Democrats taught me there is only one breed worth consideration: the underdog... the person on the street... the invisible face... the crying child... the old person sitting by themselves. And then the party became this rat-faced mongrel of hatred, shielded by the badge of reverse racism, and justified by bizarre social science. Through sheer projection they are everything they accuse their opponents of... And now the "Twitter Files" unmask a collaboration of government, industry, and media that would have amazed Joseph Goebbels. And since the "blue" party has now become a cult, none of them can look at themselves with any sense of objectivity. It is hard to see how this will play out, considering the extent of the division of fols in this country.
Sasha, if there is one column I would send to the “liberals” in Seattle who dropped me as a friend, in some cases after 30-year long friendships, this would be it. I’m hoping I will find the courage to send it to our acquaintances here in Northern Virginia, should I find the need to explain myself— most of whom are consumed by the same hatred of everyone who disagrees with them. We’re not young and we need friends and connections in our new home, but at what cost? We’ve been ducking politics so far and letting remarks go by. I can’t do this indefinitely— it does damage to one’s soul. I am upgrading to paid, which I should have done before. Thank you for your passionate writing and for your humanity.
Merry Christmas, Sasha. I pray you reach your final destination today safely. I don't know why this hasn't occurred to me before, but it seems the biggest difference between the Left and the Right is that one side attacks ideas and policies, and the other attacks people directly. You're right, this is so dangerous. I don't know how to do it, but somehow we must get them to look in the mirror before it's too late.
Just for the record, President Trump did not "make fun of a disabled reporter", as is commonly said. Here's what actually happened, (full article linked below).
"The incident in question is Trump supposedly mocking New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, whose hand and arm movement on his right side is impaired due to arthrogryposis. Video from 2015 seems to indicate that Trump was indeed cruelly imitating the man."
"The truth is, Trump has often used those same convulsive gestures to mimic the mannerisms of people, including himself, who are rattled and exasperated."
Video of Trump making this same hand gesture in earlier speeches is available here on YouTube:
Personally, I doubt Trump even knew at the time who Kovaleski is, that he was in the audience, or anything about his physical problem. I think, too, that hand waving to depict confusion is not an uncommon hand gesture.
We can thank the mainstream media for the fact that most people on the Left don't know these facts, nor even about the Twitter files yet.
The complete article on the Kovaleski story, quoted above, is available here:
Came up from Tennessee to visit my family in New Jersey and have been living this since I got here. No comment on current events is innocuous; all roads lead to Trump. This article has helped in dealing with the surreality of it all.
I’m in lower Manhattan and would like to take you out for coffee, or other hot or cold beverage, after your arctic expedition.
Your writing is such a joy to read. You have the clear perspective If a historian while writing about current events. It’s like you have the benefit of the passage of 50 years after the events you write about. Your lists of events and attacks are much longer than I recall, but when prompted I do remember every one.
Have you ever thought of pulling all your writing into a book? I’ve got space on my bookshelf for any title you publish.
Sadly, you are experiencing what those of us who were, are, and remain, as you wrote, "[not] inside the bubble and didn’t want to be." for the better part of the millenium, thus far. Trump supporter or not (I am, to the extent it matters), you, along with the rest of us, have been "otherized."
This excerpt from Biden's speech, "...not as members of 'Team Red' or 'Team Blue,' but as who we really are: fellow Americans. Fellow human beings worthy of being treated with dignity and respect." smacks far too much of the plea for covid amnesty from the authoritarianism so gleefully exercised by those in positions of power to do so, and they did it with such self-righteous zeal that such amnesty will never be granted by me to those responsible. Similarly, I reject this "plea" from the Elder Abuse Victim in Chief currently occupying the office of POTUS.
My recommendation is that you embrace being considered a Trump supporter, in spite of your own misgivings. Why? Because whatever may be your reservations, no matter how significant the distinctions, your former compadrés won't acknowledge or recognize them, they won't accept them. In their eyes, you ARE a Trump supporter.
I, myself, am a middle-aged, white male with a bachelor's degree, gainfully employed, libertarian-leaning Christian conservative. In the eyes of the woke left, I am a racist bigot and White Supremacist, and there is absolutely nothing I can do to demonstrate otherwise and escape such judgement. Hence, I embrace it – it isn't true, but the truth was among – if not THE first – casualties of the War on All Things Trump that began in earnest the night in 2016 he was elected instead of that shrieking haridan.
Thank you for writing this. I am an Independent precisely because of the many things you write of. It used to be that politicians left the family out of this. Trump brought on much of the criticism by installing his daughter and son-in-law as advisors. Remember how Hillary got criticized when she interjected herself into health care policy making as First Lady? However, Melania Trump did what First Ladies are supposed to do and did it with grace. The media refused to compliment her on her exquisite fashion taste in clothing, decor and did so with a skeletal White House Staff compared to her predecessor. At the same time, Hillary Clinton was gushed over by the same press wearing literally a cloth bag in an increasing bizarre alternate reality. Then I knew for me, to ignore it all. Thank you, again.
"Fighting him has destroyed who they used to be..."
Fighting Trump may have unleashed or exposed various psychotic behaviors in these pretty little hate machines, but I believe that those tendencies were always there. TDS was just a readily available excuse to bring their true elitist selves to the forefront and realize their dreams.
Sashia - I cannot thank you enough for your column. I have been utterly horrified by my oldest and dearest friends takiing up the hate all things Trump mantra. What horrifies ME is that I fell right into the trap of establishing my own cred by prefacing before defending any of his policies with "well I didn't vote for Trump" you know.
I no longer offer that caveat when they accuse me of turning into a MAGA hat wearer. I tell them that my hard working religious neighbors in the small town where I grew up were the sort that the Left has spent years deriding as racists, sexist, low information if not just plain stupid people. These were the ..people who did and do the hard and necessary work that keeps the town, the county and eventually the country working , Their reward is that people like Colbert and Kimmel make fun of them every night. And since they AREN"T stupid, they know they bear the brunt of the jokes. I think I am going to buy that hat come to think of it.
It’s Christmas night. This morning I read your piece and it literally has been working its way around in the back of my head all day long. I subscribe to a number of Substack writers, but hadn’t heard of you until one of them (or maybe Substack itself) recommended your piece. I intended to follow you for a while (free) to see if your writing piqued my interest, but as I said, I couldn’t shake the feeling I’d gotten from your piece, so I decided to subscribe just so I could tell you how it affected me.
Your piece gave me hope. It made me realize that the good people in my life--my family, my friends--who have succumbed to the “I hate Trump and anyone who voted for him is a racist, bigot, homophobe, sexist, Nazi, etc.” syndrome may someday come to realize what burden the hatred they’ve been living with has placed on them.
Sadly, that hatred has been fomented and nurtured by big tech, social media, the Democratic Party, a number of government agencies, and not a few Never Trumpers! And unfortunately, that won’t change until good people begin to understand what is being done to them.
Your piece is exactly the sort of experience sharing that can provide the catalyst they need. What a great Christmas gift! Thank you.
Merry Christmas! Watching Shia LeBouf stomp around barking at the ground in 2016 told a story...
I am politically homeless as well. I caucus with republicans because I have zero in common with the democrat fascists and communists or the multinationally funded republicans. I became a very strong Trump supporter because he did pretty much what he said he was going to do which helped all Americans, not favored groups. And, he is a consummate professional... until he is fired upon. He fires back and we love it. And he is usually right in his commentary and judgement. When he publicly ripped John McCain(who fired first) I jumped for joy as McCain is the consummate a$$hole.
“These people crawled out of a sewer Mr. Ward, now maybe the gutter is where we should be.”
Oh, and he didn't make fun of a disabled reporter. This is the true Trump:
Read "Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland" or watch video's by the author Christopher Browning. That is 'democracy' in action. We are a republic, not a democracy.
My "transition" began 35 years ago when my girlfriend told me she was pregnant. It has been an interesting journey - I have a wonderful, beautiful, daughter and I'm still trying to figure out how we tribally bifurcated as we have. I'm getting good information from writers such as you as well as your thoughtful commenters. There seems to be an emerging group of voices that are saying, "Hey, hold on a minute, I'm not liking where we're headed." I'm focused now on the nature of authoritarianism and finding that this is the context in which this is all happening. I'd like to recommend (I've done this before) Mattias Desmet's, "The Psychology of Authoritarianism." This a a great read and not nearly as dense as the title might suggest. If you want to go deeper, check out Hannah Arendt's, "The Origins of Totalitarianism." Eric Hoffer's, "The True Believer," is a short, easy reading classic. And, of course, damn near everything George Orwell wrote.
I left the Democrat party circa 2008.....although Christian (but perhaps 'more secular') and a registered Democrat at the time, I had been noting for years the hate being thrown by the Left towards Christians. I didn't get where the hate was coming from. Obama openly made fun of and showed contempt for ordinary Americans as well, the notable case being Joe-the-Plumber, ie "How much money do you need to live anyway?" said the man who now owns (4) multi-million dollar residences in Hawaii, Chicago, Wash DC and Martha's Vineyard. Like you, I couldn't stand the spewing of hate either. And one day, I just snapped. Looking back, it felt like an epiphany; it felt scary, but also relieving. I just couldn't buy into the Left's hate agenda anymore, their lack of grace and magnanimity. The brutality of the American Left today is fearsome. Like you, I just didn't want to be part of that club. So here I am, a registered Republican ( although I am rethinking this as well as the GOP drifts), an avowed Christian, with less friends, as my Democrat friends have expelled me as well...but I feel much more centered, compassionate and happier than ever. I feel bad for the people who call themselves Democrats today. Who could live with such hate in their hearts?
Well put, in terms that anyone can understand. I have been a Democrat al my life. Democrats provided me with a lifetime of professional training. Democrats taught me there is only one breed worth consideration: the underdog... the person on the street... the invisible face... the crying child... the old person sitting by themselves. And then the party became this rat-faced mongrel of hatred, shielded by the badge of reverse racism, and justified by bizarre social science. Through sheer projection they are everything they accuse their opponents of... And now the "Twitter Files" unmask a collaboration of government, industry, and media that would have amazed Joseph Goebbels. And since the "blue" party has now become a cult, none of them can look at themselves with any sense of objectivity. It is hard to see how this will play out, considering the extent of the division of fols in this country.
At a basic level I will choose President Trump's commitment to world peace and American prosperity over the soft fascism of the Democrats.
Sasha, if there is one column I would send to the “liberals” in Seattle who dropped me as a friend, in some cases after 30-year long friendships, this would be it. I’m hoping I will find the courage to send it to our acquaintances here in Northern Virginia, should I find the need to explain myself— most of whom are consumed by the same hatred of everyone who disagrees with them. We’re not young and we need friends and connections in our new home, but at what cost? We’ve been ducking politics so far and letting remarks go by. I can’t do this indefinitely— it does damage to one’s soul. I am upgrading to paid, which I should have done before. Thank you for your passionate writing and for your humanity.
Merry Christmas, Sasha. I pray you reach your final destination today safely. I don't know why this hasn't occurred to me before, but it seems the biggest difference between the Left and the Right is that one side attacks ideas and policies, and the other attacks people directly. You're right, this is so dangerous. I don't know how to do it, but somehow we must get them to look in the mirror before it's too late.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
Just for the record, President Trump did not "make fun of a disabled reporter", as is commonly said. Here's what actually happened, (full article linked below).
"The incident in question is Trump supposedly mocking New York Times reporter Serge Kovaleski, whose hand and arm movement on his right side is impaired due to arthrogryposis. Video from 2015 seems to indicate that Trump was indeed cruelly imitating the man."
"The truth is, Trump has often used those same convulsive gestures to mimic the mannerisms of people, including himself, who are rattled and exasperated."
Video of Trump making this same hand gesture in earlier speeches is available here on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsaB3ynIZH4
Personally, I doubt Trump even knew at the time who Kovaleski is, that he was in the audience, or anything about his physical problem. I think, too, that hand waving to depict confusion is not an uncommon hand gesture.
We can thank the mainstream media for the fact that most people on the Left don't know these facts, nor even about the Twitter files yet.
The complete article on the Kovaleski story, quoted above, is available here:
https://www.investors.com/politics/commentary/fake-news-trump-did-not-mock-disabled-reporter-and-other-lies-from-the-left/
Came up from Tennessee to visit my family in New Jersey and have been living this since I got here. No comment on current events is innocuous; all roads lead to Trump. This article has helped in dealing with the surreality of it all.
Sasha, Merry Christmas and safe driving.
I’m in lower Manhattan and would like to take you out for coffee, or other hot or cold beverage, after your arctic expedition.
Your writing is such a joy to read. You have the clear perspective If a historian while writing about current events. It’s like you have the benefit of the passage of 50 years after the events you write about. Your lists of events and attacks are much longer than I recall, but when prompted I do remember every one.
Have you ever thought of pulling all your writing into a book? I’ve got space on my bookshelf for any title you publish.
Merry Christmas, Sasha!
Sadly, you are experiencing what those of us who were, are, and remain, as you wrote, "[not] inside the bubble and didn’t want to be." for the better part of the millenium, thus far. Trump supporter or not (I am, to the extent it matters), you, along with the rest of us, have been "otherized."
This excerpt from Biden's speech, "...not as members of 'Team Red' or 'Team Blue,' but as who we really are: fellow Americans. Fellow human beings worthy of being treated with dignity and respect." smacks far too much of the plea for covid amnesty from the authoritarianism so gleefully exercised by those in positions of power to do so, and they did it with such self-righteous zeal that such amnesty will never be granted by me to those responsible. Similarly, I reject this "plea" from the Elder Abuse Victim in Chief currently occupying the office of POTUS.
My recommendation is that you embrace being considered a Trump supporter, in spite of your own misgivings. Why? Because whatever may be your reservations, no matter how significant the distinctions, your former compadrés won't acknowledge or recognize them, they won't accept them. In their eyes, you ARE a Trump supporter.
I, myself, am a middle-aged, white male with a bachelor's degree, gainfully employed, libertarian-leaning Christian conservative. In the eyes of the woke left, I am a racist bigot and White Supremacist, and there is absolutely nothing I can do to demonstrate otherwise and escape such judgement. Hence, I embrace it – it isn't true, but the truth was among – if not THE first – casualties of the War on All Things Trump that began in earnest the night in 2016 he was elected instead of that shrieking haridan.
Thank you for writing this. I am an Independent precisely because of the many things you write of. It used to be that politicians left the family out of this. Trump brought on much of the criticism by installing his daughter and son-in-law as advisors. Remember how Hillary got criticized when she interjected herself into health care policy making as First Lady? However, Melania Trump did what First Ladies are supposed to do and did it with grace. The media refused to compliment her on her exquisite fashion taste in clothing, decor and did so with a skeletal White House Staff compared to her predecessor. At the same time, Hillary Clinton was gushed over by the same press wearing literally a cloth bag in an increasing bizarre alternate reality. Then I knew for me, to ignore it all. Thank you, again.
"Fighting him has destroyed who they used to be..."
Fighting Trump may have unleashed or exposed various psychotic behaviors in these pretty little hate machines, but I believe that those tendencies were always there. TDS was just a readily available excuse to bring their true elitist selves to the forefront and realize their dreams.
Merry Christmas, Sasha. You’re a very good person.
Sashia - I cannot thank you enough for your column. I have been utterly horrified by my oldest and dearest friends takiing up the hate all things Trump mantra. What horrifies ME is that I fell right into the trap of establishing my own cred by prefacing before defending any of his policies with "well I didn't vote for Trump" you know.
I no longer offer that caveat when they accuse me of turning into a MAGA hat wearer. I tell them that my hard working religious neighbors in the small town where I grew up were the sort that the Left has spent years deriding as racists, sexist, low information if not just plain stupid people. These were the ..people who did and do the hard and necessary work that keeps the town, the county and eventually the country working , Their reward is that people like Colbert and Kimmel make fun of them every night. And since they AREN"T stupid, they know they bear the brunt of the jokes. I think I am going to buy that hat come to think of it.
Ms Stone,
It’s Christmas night. This morning I read your piece and it literally has been working its way around in the back of my head all day long. I subscribe to a number of Substack writers, but hadn’t heard of you until one of them (or maybe Substack itself) recommended your piece. I intended to follow you for a while (free) to see if your writing piqued my interest, but as I said, I couldn’t shake the feeling I’d gotten from your piece, so I decided to subscribe just so I could tell you how it affected me.
Your piece gave me hope. It made me realize that the good people in my life--my family, my friends--who have succumbed to the “I hate Trump and anyone who voted for him is a racist, bigot, homophobe, sexist, Nazi, etc.” syndrome may someday come to realize what burden the hatred they’ve been living with has placed on them.
Sadly, that hatred has been fomented and nurtured by big tech, social media, the Democratic Party, a number of government agencies, and not a few Never Trumpers! And unfortunately, that won’t change until good people begin to understand what is being done to them.
Your piece is exactly the sort of experience sharing that can provide the catalyst they need. What a great Christmas gift! Thank you.
Merry Christmas! Watching Shia LeBouf stomp around barking at the ground in 2016 told a story...
I am politically homeless as well. I caucus with republicans because I have zero in common with the democrat fascists and communists or the multinationally funded republicans. I became a very strong Trump supporter because he did pretty much what he said he was going to do which helped all Americans, not favored groups. And, he is a consummate professional... until he is fired upon. He fires back and we love it. And he is usually right in his commentary and judgement. When he publicly ripped John McCain(who fired first) I jumped for joy as McCain is the consummate a$$hole.
“These people crawled out of a sewer Mr. Ward, now maybe the gutter is where we should be.”
Oh, and he didn't make fun of a disabled reporter. This is the true Trump:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2016/08/19/the-day-i-went-head-to-head-with-donald-trump/#624a2a035570
Read "Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland" or watch video's by the author Christopher Browning. That is 'democracy' in action. We are a republic, not a democracy.
My "transition" began 35 years ago when my girlfriend told me she was pregnant. It has been an interesting journey - I have a wonderful, beautiful, daughter and I'm still trying to figure out how we tribally bifurcated as we have. I'm getting good information from writers such as you as well as your thoughtful commenters. There seems to be an emerging group of voices that are saying, "Hey, hold on a minute, I'm not liking where we're headed." I'm focused now on the nature of authoritarianism and finding that this is the context in which this is all happening. I'd like to recommend (I've done this before) Mattias Desmet's, "The Psychology of Authoritarianism." This a a great read and not nearly as dense as the title might suggest. If you want to go deeper, check out Hannah Arendt's, "The Origins of Totalitarianism." Eric Hoffer's, "The True Believer," is a short, easy reading classic. And, of course, damn near everything George Orwell wrote.