I’ve been struggling with some newly learned information today from a close friend. It’s put me in a funk while I search my brain trying to understand her reasoning. Understanding and reconciling are different from acceptance. I accept what she’s doing but my system is out of sorts with it. To say the least. I’ve been consumed by her decision all day.
My close female friend is voting for Donald Trump. I hyperventilate typing that sentence. She’s an intelligent, kind, talented, lovely person with high emotional intelligence I’d say. I often gain a different perspective of things when we talk. But not today. Today I’m flummoxed, deflated and depressed.
She’s a devout Christian, one who participates in Bible study each week. And she believes that Jesus chooses broken people when he wants his work to be done. And that belief allows her to vote for Donald Trump to be President of the United States. Yup.
I’ve tried to counter that argument, haven’t and won’t succeed. After everything she knows about what kind of person he really is – how he cheats, scams, avoids taxes, demeans women, forces himself on women, cheats on his wives – not to mention his temperament, bullying, lying viciously, multiple bankruptcies, lawsuits, knowing absolutely nothing about economic and foreign affairs and not having the patience, or interest to learn – she’s voting for him.
So now it’s my problem to handle. I’m a person fiercely driven by principles. While I’m not sure I could ever have an abortion, I absolutely believe that others should have the right to make that choice themselves. I’m not gay or a transsexual, but that doesn’t pre-empt my feeling that those gender identity people have the same inherent rights I do. I think that’s what Jesus taught – love, compassion and forgiveness. I know she feels differently. She’s a bible literalist I think, though I’ve never been to her bible study group. And it’s those issues and other “family values” that’s driving her vote. Never mind that Trump is not Christian and that he’s the antithesis of Jesus Christ. There’s nothing noble about that man. And yet he will get her vote.
This election season has agitated my constitution. Other than Trump’s cult members I can’t understand why anyone would think he’s fit for the highest post in the world. Donald Trump? Are you kidding me? Would the same people vote for Charles Manson if he ran on the Republican ticket? Or Hitler? Even the Republican brass is renouncing him as their choice. Where have we gone as a country?
Alas, this is my problem, the need for people to look at the facts, objectively. Maybe if we had a less divisive opponent, someone other than Hillary, maybe it wouldn’t be so hard for people to take their heads out of the sand. I won’t go into why there’s such hatred and distrust directed at Hillary – just suffice it to say that the smear campaign lasting years and years has been effective. Forget all her years of family and children activism, and her successful track record. The haters hate.
I put this out to the universe from the depths of my soul….
Please let the vast majority of people and delegates elect Hillary. The planet is in peril otherwise and the rest of the world knows it.
actthreedotnet 
Very frustrating! The only argument that has convinced some of my more conservative friends not to vote for Trump is the idea of his finger on the nuclear trigger. For others, we’ll drop it for now and see how things shake out after the election.
I have dropped it. Don’t know if she’ll read this – we’re also Facebook friends. She’ll recognize herself but I’ve kept her incognito. It’s soooo hard for me.
I am similarly conflicted–and it divides me from others who gamely profess their allegiance to this nasty man. It has caused my entire universe to tilt. I’ve lost my barometer that I thought was pretty accurate. Years ago I saw the emergence of the Kardashians and rued what was happening but I understood it as aberration –the world of celebrity. This is different–42% of the country backs this man for leader of the Free World–a man who espouses none of the freedoms. I now feel I am the minority…I am out of sync. For I am simply appalled this conversation is even going on. I feel your pain because I share it.
I’ve actually needed some commiseration because I’m utterly thrown for a loop. Thank you.
The Drumpf phenomenon is definitely the most mind-boggling thing I have ever encountered. It has to say something about our planetary consciousness; I hope it means we are getting ready to hit bottom with our greed, which the Buddha teaches is at the bottom of all other imbalances. If it’s any help, I heard on SiriusXM NPR today that most polls show Hillary ahead in the electoral college by a pretty safe margin. But nothing so far has gone reasonably or as predicted, so maybe they’re just blowing more smoke. At least his running mate and the pretty crazy Speaker of the House said today that DT is wrong to claim that the voting will be rigged. He can only be saying that at this point because he is afraid he is going to lose, and since he could never admit that he would lose on his own, he’s already blaming it on others. Forgetting, of course, that he himself is one who invited the Russians to interfere with our electoral process. All you can do is meditate, Joyce; find your own center, cause you have no control over anyone else’s.
Yes. Since I wrote this piece I’ve been able to start letting go. Something cathartic about it. Will certainly be meditating more. Thanks Chaz.
I think most of us are flummoxed. Let’s hope anyway. I spoke to an intelligent woman last week who said that women for Trump are doing what their husbands or male superiors want them to do. These women still see their roles as support system leader to their alpha male. They stand united in his decision. That makes more sense to me than Jesus bringing lost souls to him. It is a changing world, and this is just the last hurrah for White men in charge. They see themselves circling the drain and they’re scared. With kindness and consciousness we can turn this world around. Like Chaz says above, we are ready to hit bottom; and we can only rise from there.
My guess is that there’s an element of that with my friend, but also think she’s very anti-abortion & lgbt rights & is voting for conservative Septrne Court justices.
You’re not a very good friend for talking about her like that!
She remains anonymous here as she should be. My friendship with her does not preclude discussion about my struggle with her decision.
Saying you have accepted her decision is obviously not true. It boggles my mind that you call her a close friend. I don’t understand how you can say all of those hate filled things about her, post it behind her back, and call her a close friend. I feel bad for her. This election is really bringing out the worst in people. It’s obviously affecting friendships, and that’s a sad thing! Everyone should be allowed their opinion, and shouldn’t be talked about behind backs if it’s an opposing view of a friend. You said, “I think that’s what Jesus taught – love, compassion and forgiveness.” Then forgive your friend because she doesn’t share your views. Why do you feel the need to handle “the problem”? It shouldn’t even be considered a problem that she has a different opinion than you. Just get over it and move on.
You need to re-read this post because I admitted from the get go that this is my problem not hers. And I’ve said absolutely no “hateful” things about my friend. In fact the adjectives I attributed to her were glowing. Might this be a case of reading what you want to read?
Your poor friend……would certainly hate to be disliked by you! Shocked that you could even think to write anything about her differing belief system behind her back. This election is bring out the ugliness in people and your actions have displayed an example of such. Where is your respect and kindness for your friend? All I can say is this truly is a problem and you should take a good hard look at yourself and the type of friend that you are….wonder how she would feel to learn she was the subject of your rant!!
I made her anonymous to protect her privacy and I don’t believe I criticized her in any way, in fact mentioned her many positive attributes. I’ve said nothing unkind to her or about her. I have questioned her rationale to her privately and here on my blog without invading her privacy. I believe I’m allowed to do that. Books are often written about characters in an author’s life with the names and locations changed to protect their privacy. This is no different. Who knows, maybe she’s even read it. I don’t know.
No doubt if she did read it she would be deeply hurt. I have many friends that will vote for Trump. I wish I could change their vote as much as they wish they could change mine. But our friendship comes first. However, you are not being a friend. You are angry with her because she doesn’t think like you. What a shame.
You’re probably right. Under normal circumstances it has no affect on me when others think differently or have varying opinions. I often find it stimulating. But this is an historic election with potentially diee consequences & it’s near impossible for me to understand why any intelligent, thinking person would actually think he should hold that office. It makes me hyperventilate thinking about it. His groupies I get. God forbid he actually wins. This isn’t Republican vs Democrat in this election. Maybe you’re not as scared as I am – but to me it’s tantamount to voting for a Hitler KNOWING he’s a Hitler. He may not overtly murder people — yet — but he threatens to throw adversaries in prison. And God knows what he’s likely to do with the nuclear codes at his finger tips. Tweets set him into a rampage! He’s unstable, narcissistic &; dangerous. And knowing that an intelligent person will vote for him makes my head spin.
BTW – my friend would likely not be surprised that I wrote about it in my blog. We’ve known each other for years & she’s well aware of my passion & my feelings. Our discussion happened on her FB page after all.
I do hope we can get past it. Thanks for your feedback & insight. I understand your sentiments but feel a little differently in this specific case. I’m well aware that it’s my problem, not hers.