Two weeks ago I published an open letter here to a long-time, long-distance friend after I learned she had voted for Donald Trump. I stated that I realized I never really knew her, that I couldn’t fall back on the thought that she lived in the Rust Belt and experienced “economic anxiety” (she doesn’t, and surely isn’t) and that I’m just being honest when I say we can no longer be friends.
There was a lot of response on social media and elsewhere, most of it positive, much of it from people in far more difficult situations ― people who opposed Trump and were struggling with relationships they’ve had with parents, siblings, children or closer friends who voted for Trump. Many expressed how the letter articulated thoughts similar to their own, no matter how differently (or similarly) they may navigate this in their own lives.
Then there were the Trump supporters who criticized the piece. They almost universally claimed they couldn’t believe anyone was breaking off a friendship over “politics.” This, to me, was both ludicrous and disingenuous ― if very telling ― particularly since I’d addressed it right there in the open letter:
Some have said in the days since the election that they can’t believe people are ending friendships and family relationships over “politics.” They’d say that I’m being silly, petty, or overacting. But this election was and continues to be about so much more than “politics.” This is about values and respect. It’s about bigotry and hate. It’s about millions of people’s rights being threatened, including my rights as a gay man and yours as a woman. It’s about putting our entire democracy in danger of transforming into an autocracy, and legitimizing and making alliances with our worst adversaries, whose goal is to dominate us.
Many of these Trump supporters ― a lot of them traditional Republicans who went “home,” as political pundits nauseatingly put it ― are defensive about the fact that they voted for the unstable racist, misogynist and self-proclaimed sexual assaulter, and they’re fearful of admitting to themselves and certainly others that they tolerated hate and bigotry. They can’t face that they’re in bed with what appears to be a large swath of other Trump supporters who actually revel in their own racism, pushing white supremacist hate and feeling emboldened by what they view as Trump’s embrace: making Steve Bannon his chief White House strategist. So, they conjure up all kinds of rationalizations or whirl around in a sort of denial.
These are the Trump supporters that went bonkers over my open letter to my friend.
On several websites and on social media they portrayed me as the “intolerant” liberal. Of course, I’m proudly intolerant of bigotry -– but that’s not what they meant. One writer claimed I went on an “unfriending spree,” which was a complete lie, as I mentioned no other friends in my open letter. I’m happy to report, in fact, that this was the only friend of mine who voted for Trump, including among Republican and conservative friends.
Twice in two weeks, the producers of a well-known conservative TV host have invited me on-air to talk with him about the letter (take my word for it when I say his take on it is quite predictable), and I’ve received invitations from some other interviewers as well. I’ve declined all of them.
On Twitter, some Trump supporters have tried to shame me by criticizing me for not debating the issue with this or that interviewer. But there is actually nothing to debate or discuss, as the letter speaks for itself. These kinds of interviews are solely for the purpose of assuaging the interviewers’ (and followers’) guilt, or justifying their rationalizations or self-righteousness ― in this case for putting a madman in the White House, knowing that even some of their own conservative and Republican friends refused to vote for him.
One critic who described my letter as breaking off a friendship over “politics” ―despite my clearly having stated that wasn’t the case ― is a little-known pundit who is gay and who opined that Trump isn’t interested in taking away gay marriage no matter what he’s said. Now, I’ve pointed out how Mike Pence is running the transition and is already getting the anti-LGBTQ agenda set regarding domestic policy, and that Trump’s cabinet picks who will run the government departments are a who’s who of homophobia.
But even if that weren’t true, why would you give a chance (as this critic put it) to someone who pandered to those who hate you?
The rest at HuffPo
@Rich Wheeler:
Is that what you meant to say? Tell any of us, exactly which email and what did it say, that changed someone’s vote?
@RedTeam: I always say what I mean to say RT. Is it always true??
Now in actuality, Vlad hates HRC because she questioned the validity of his election. He wanted to punish her by helping his new best friend The Donald. Nothing pleases Donald more than having praise heaped on his broad shoulders—.Throw in some hacked DNC E-mails—–
Voila DT gushes—“Putin is a smart guy.” The love fest continues.
@Rich Wheeler:
So you’re saying you meant to say that HRC won the election? Don’t tell HRC that, she might get excited.
So what in any one of the emails actually changed a vote?
@RedTeam: You’re confused by my obfuscation?.
It’s all a game RT—A riddle wrapped in an enigma–nothing is as it appears to be. Don’t try to understand what’s going on.
Your Donald will reveal the truth when he feels you are ready.
@Rich Wheeler:
I doubt that. I realize you tried to write that as tongue in cheek humor, what you failed to remember(because I know you know it) is that for that type of humor to succeed, it has to have an element of truth. Your’s had zip. There was no Russian Hacking and there was plenty of Dimocrat’s leakage.
@RedTeam: No Russian hacking you say. You’re in with the traitor/rapist Assange rather than the FBI and CIA?
@Rich Wheeler: I missed where you laid out how the “hacking” affected the election. Could you provide that again, please?
I guess, while you are at it, explain the details of Putin and Trump being “best friends”. Do you think Putin is smart?
Poor Liberals, Vlad isnt the only bunch that our election has given hope. While Soros mourns the damage that will be done to the globalists agenda, citizens of Europe over run and overwhelmed by African and middle eastern men trashing the joint are looking forward to outsting their destructive leaders as well. Italy is getting it, they will begin to deport illegals. Lets remember the topic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX6YR9nBSws
@Bill… Deplorable Me:RT AND KITT “hacking” Cannot be determined how many voters may have changed their minds based on release of hacked e-mails
HRC deserved to lose—lousy candidate
Will be interesting to see how purported Russian hacking plays out. Assange and Trump and RT say Russians didn’t do it. CIA , FBI, and many more say they did.
No question that Putin and Trump have a friendly relationship. No question that Putin is smart—he’s also a butcher.
@Rich Wheeler:
So, I guess that makes YOU and Putin best friends then… right? After all, you just “heaped praise” upon him.
By the way, Trump says he wants to see the evidence before he jumps to a conclusion… not that Russia didn’t do it.
I say the effect of the emails was negligible because the media refused to thoroughly cover them (only that Putin was supporting Trump) and Hillary sycophants would not believe anything bad (i.e., “facts”) about her, anyway.
@Bill- Deplorable Me: Trump should see the evidence ASAP–He’s been stalling. He doesn’t want to believe what the CIA and FBI have been saying. He’d rather believe Assange.
Do you have any doubt that Putin was supporting Trump over HRC? Do you doubt that Russians hacked us? How bout Assange–do you believe him?
Do you care or should we just “move on” as Trump suggests?.
@Rich Wheeler: Why would Putin support Trump? Trump is going to pull out all the stops in energy production which will cut deeply into Russian profits. Mattis is not going to molly-coddle the Russians. And Hillary makes a much softer target for espionage.
So, how IS your good, close friend Putin, whom you regard as brilliant?
@Rich Wheeler: It was the government that delayed the briefing, not Trump. I believe Assange, Wikileaks in over 10 years has not been proven to be inaccurate. I am sorry you hate being shown the truth. Bernie should have been the candidate, the primary was fixed and Bernie took a payoff. Hillary, Obama and all their minions couldnt, as hard as they tried ,convince people she was anything else but last weeks smelly politics. Seems its them that cant move on looking at phantoms and boogiemen as their antics with arming and training terrorists leaving the men in diplomatic outposts defenseless. Causing the entire middle east to be destabilized, telling the People of the USA that decline was the new normal, forget about those full time jobs with benefits.
Just because Barry says it doesnt make it true, just because CNN tells you so (like the polls)doesnt make it true. I told you about popularity on social media before the election, but that was just an observation a small indicator. Did the Hackers do that too?Did the hackers load all those emails on the pervs laptop? Would you have preferred her being sworn in Jan 20th, cause shes a butcher an Obama too? Dont believe me ask Ambassador Stevens.
@kitt: You’ve gone off the deep end–not to mention you’ve become a Trumpist.
I have no problem with the truth—As you know I didn’t support HRC or Trump.
You are saying you believe a traitor/rapist over the CIA and FBI.
That’s extremism I want NO part of.
BTW Just because Hannity and Fox reactionaries say it’s true doesn’t make it so.
Good for Megyn getting the hell out of there.
“BARRY” I honestly thought you had more class than that.Kitt
@Bill- Deplorable Me: Certainly never said Putin was brilliant.
I said he was a smart BUTCHER. Can’t stand him. Can you?.
He helped Trump to hurt HRC—She claimed Russian elections were rigged. Like Trump, he doesn’t deal well with criticism.
We don’t know what Trump”s connections and business dealings are in Russia. It would appear transparency is not one of his strong points.
@Rich Wheeler: Oh, sorry, I thought the practice was to take statements out of context, exaggerate them and create new meaning, as you have been doing regarding Trump. By your standard, when you admitted the guy was smart, you became a worshipful follower, praising your good friend.
That’s not the case?
@Rich Wheeler: Barry is the name his mother gave him at birth, anything after that is a damn fabrication. Where in that post that so triggered you was Praise for the PE? which one of us has gone off the deep end here? The charges of rape for assange were proven fabrications, like Hillary and her press turning a hello kiss from Trump into rape.
I Am willing to give the guy a chance if that makes me a Trumpette ok thats me.
@Bill- Deplorable Me: You’re making stuff up.
I say Putin’s a smart Butcher–a former KGB Thug—what say you?
I believe the CIA FBI over Julian Assange–what say you?
I believe Trump is lying when he says he’ll release tax returns after audit is completed–what say you?.
I believe 54% of the voters rejected Trump–what say you?
I believe the election was fair. What say you?
Kitt Barack Hussein Obama is name on his birth certificate–if you believe he has a B.C.
The rape charges against Assange have not been “proven” either way–he fled.
@Rich Wheeler:
It looks different from a different perspective, doesn’t it?
@Bill- Deplorable Me: You run from real questions–the five simply asked in #68–Why?
@Richard Wheeler: Yes, Obama has cast a cloud of doubt upon those organizations, the evidence must be seen, no, no and yes.
Why would you say nasty things about your close, personal friend, Vlad? After all, you praised his genius and culinary skills?
@Bill- Deplorable Me:Other than our agreement on the gimme #5 your responses are predictably Stoopid Bill.
Lets see what your clown prince has to say after Friday’s meet with intelligence professionals. You say Obama has cast a cloud of doubt over the CIA and the FBI. Sorry but that statement is beyond moronic and puts you in bed with the traitorous Assange.
I
You’re sounding more and more like RT–soon you’ll be sounding like your fellow reactionary Spewing Bile lol
@Rich Wheeler:
You got a problem with traitor’s? I haven’t noticed you being down with John Kerry. Tell me when Assange was convicted of any crime? Date and crime and where would be sufficient.
@Rich Wheeler:
No they didn’t. They used lawyerese to make the impression that they were saying it, but they ‘did not’ say it. only implied.
@Rich Wheeler:
He’s been stalling? chuckle. The agencies delayed their briefing of him until Friday. Trying to get their stories to agree.
@Rich Wheeler: 61
why would he? He knew he had HRC and Bozo in the palm of his hand. why would he want to trade that for an unknown. He knew he could walk all over Clinton, suspect he is a little more fearful of the Don.
@Rich Wheeler: 64
you admire someone for shooting themselves in the foot? Megan’s career is over. Going over to MSNBC is just the death knoll for news people. Look at Katie couric. She couldn’t take the heat, she’s getting out of the kitchen.
@RedTeam: I can certainly understand why you, Bill and Hannity believe Assange–fact is you believe everything out of Trump’s mouth—you’re sad lemmings following a dangerous pied piper
Megyn made a smart decision to get away from Fox. Do you still claim she’s gay? Funniest thing you ever suggested.
BTW Learn to spell her name..
@Rich Wheeler:
Why do you have a problem with using a man’s name to refer to him. Surely you know who Barry Soetoro is. It’s the ‘legal name’ of the person inhabiting the oval office. His mother changed his name when he became a citizen of Indonesia and it has never been legally changed back. I don’t see how you can consistently remain so uninformed on such subjects. I personally prefer Obozo. Fits much better. Don’t bring up the ‘respect’ for the office of the president. When you have an ineligible person inhabiting an office, he’s disrespecting it much more than I ever can.
@Richard Wheeler:
are you confused? Assange or Trump? I’d assumed you were not dumb enough to believe Obozo, but now I’m not so sure.
why are ‘lemmings’ sad? Why aren’t they happy? How is the Don a pied piper? Have you seen him blowing a horn?
absolutely, only dykes wear their hair like she does, just like Madcow. Megan is the way she spelled it back when she first entered the business. She changed it to the more familiar gay spelling later. Geez RW, get your head in the game.
@Rich Wheeler:
Geez, RW, how many times do you have to be told something. No one voted for or against Trump. The election was to select electors. the one that got the most electors won. I’d say that 306 vs 232 is more than 56% forTrump electors. The Chicago cubs won the world series. They did not score the most runs, but they won a greater per centage of what counted toward the championship, just as Trump won most of what counted toward what he was running for. He wasn’t campaigning for votes, he was campaigning for electors. He got 306 of them. That makes him the winner. I’ll get into 1st grade civics next week.
@Rich Wheeler: 65
when did HRC care about rigged elections? Didn’t she have the DNC rig the elections against Sanders? Didn’t they get caught at it? Haven’t you already forgotten about that?
@Rich Wheeler:
Why would you say that? You’ve certainly never seen his birth certificate, one has never been published. and NO, fake ones don’t count.
It has been proven that the women involved have sworn that they were not raped, other than that……. He’s certainly never been tried or convicted of any crime. Therefore he is not a criminal.
@RedTeam: You keep repeating your tiresome argument. Fact is 54% of the electorate voted against Donald Trump. He is the singular most unpopular candidate to ever win The Presidency,
lemmings aren’t always sad–the one’s following Trump the pied piper blowing smoke up the —of his followers are rightfully sad.
I’d venture you are the only straight male in America who thinks Megyn is a “dyke.” Because she has short hair?? What planet are you living on RT.
This is fun—look forward to Trump’s assessment of Friday’s intelligence meeting–
@RedTeam: He may or mat not be a criminal—-but Trump has said he should be locked up for the damage he’s done to America–I agree don’t you?
Hell, he should be locked up for being so damn creepy–you seen him?
@Richard Wheeler:
I’m quite sure Obozo has committed more traitorous acts than Assange, tho I’ve not heard of either of them being convicted of a crime.
Using terms such as moronic does not do you a favor, RW.
@Richard Wheeler:
Seems as if you still don’t understand the American electoral system. When playing games, they have rules. The rules for this game were. Get the most electoral voters to vote for you. Of all the electoral votes that were available, Trump got 57% of them. That means that 57% voted against Hilllary. Do you think that Cleveland getting 57% of the runs in the World series is significant? Was that the objective? Actually, Chicago got 57% of the wins in the series. So which one achieved their objective? You don’t seem to understand that the objective was to get electoral votes, not popular votes. Was it more important to get popular votes or electoral votes? which one accomplished their objective? I don’t think you could get Hillary to claim that she won. When she’s at the inaug watching The Don get sworn in, she’s going to feel like ‘maybe he achieved his objective and I did not’. Oh, I get it. You don’t really feel like you’re a loser if you can claim Hillary won. Hmmm….
@RedTeam: It is truly a moronic.statement—you of all people–well other than Spewing Bile—worried about the use of a descriptive like moronic?? Give me a break RT lol
BTW Do you agree with Trump that Assange should be in jail?
@Richard Wheeler:
I challenge you to provide a link to a statement by Trump made within the last 2 years stating that he believes Assange is a traitor.
@RedTeam</I guarantee you Trump said Assange should be in jail. I agree
Ryan today “Assange is a sycophant for Russia–he leaks ,steals and compromises National Security.” Ryan says he hopes Trump “Will get up to speed on this.” We all hope so Paul. Trump got it right the first time when he called for the jailing of Assange.
Please please stop with the World Series runs scored vs wins analogy when comparing popular vote to Electoral College.
@Richard Wheeler: Within the last two years? Since he’s been running for Pres? I’ll bet that’s NOT true.
@Richard Wheeler: However:
I will agree with that statement by Bill-Deplorable Me.
@RedTeam: Well he did change his mind about jailing HRC so I guess it’s O.K for him to change his mind about jailing Assange—gonna call him whip lash Repeal of Obama Care flip flop next? Releasing his taxes after audit. What else
@Richard Wheeler:
what is the big deal about ‘releasing his taxes’? I’ve never seen any presidents tax return and it has not affected my life in any way. Give me an example of something you expect to see on it that would be a deal breaker. I could see where his business taxes might be interesting, but I can’t imagine his personal taxes showing anything that would give you a climax or something.
I fully expect that by the time his returns are all audited, there won’t be anything on them that will surprise anyone. I would like to see a record of all the money that has flowed into Hillary’s coffers, but I wouldn’t care about seeing her tax returns. I expect at least 98% of her income has never shown up on any tax forms anywhere. Would that be a deal breaker?
There won’t be a flip flop on Obozocare or on the wall.
@RedTeam: May or may not be a big deal.
My point—He said he’d release em–I don’t think he will unless he’s got nothing to hide.
Clintons release showed they had huge tax bill DT -probably paid $0.
Global warming– he’s flipped from “hoax” created by The Chinese to erect walls at my seaside golf courses to combat man made global warming which he believes is cause of rising water levels
JULY Obama MOST IGNORANT PREZ
OCT I HAVE GREAT RESPECT FOR OBAMA
He needs a chiropractor
@Richard Wheeler:
and has not said he would not. remember he said after the audit was completed.
Anyone that believes in ‘global warming’ just can’t read a temperature chart. I know NOAA has put out some fake numbers, but they can’t even get them to show any global warming.
and global warming would ‘lower’ sea levels, not increase them. the more ice melts, the lower the water level gets. Try an experiment. Fill a glass with ice, then fill it to the brim, then set it aside and let the ice melt and tell me if the water level goes down, or if the glass overflows. I already know the answer. or take a metal cup, fill it to the brim and set it in a freezer and tell me if all the water and ice stays within the cup. What does your experience tell you?
I have a science background, Trump a business background. I know how to read temp charts.
@Richard Wheeler: What would Trump arrest Assange for?
Why would any conservative release their taxes? Only the left wants to see them in order to try and find something to use in an attack. Meanwhile, when liberals, such as Bill and Hillary or the Clinton Foundation, release their taxes, then get caught not reporting millions of dollars of income, they take no notice. Trump releasing his taxes serves no practical purpose.
@Bill… Deplorable Me: Trump arrest Assange? More likely to give him a medal.
Tax returns released? He said he would. You’re right=he won’t.
Intelligence chiefs are laying out Russian interference with election—-what’s next?
@Richard Wheeler: I didn’t say he wouldn’t; I said he shouldnt. As I explained, the left will simply ignore a liberal paying little or no taxes, claim “charitable donations” to themselves, and simply “forget” to claim millions of dollars of income but the go nuts (fake outrage) if a conservative shows economic success (wealth) or claims a financial loss (when liberals do the same). So, the only thing someone like Trump releasing g his taxes does is provide liberals another excuse to display their hypocrisy. If liberals will not hold their own to the same standard, it is pointless for any conservative to release their returns.
Hopefully, it is a question to the FBI as to how are they so certain the Russians did this when they themselves never examined the DNC server.
@Bill- Deplorable Me: Trump a Conservative?? In who’s World?
Me thinks you spend too much time worrying about those dastardly liberals.