I’m a Democratic voter and, as much as it pains me to admit it, you have a point.
I come from an evangelical Christian community. When most of my Republican family and friends originally threw their support behind Trump in 2016, I reminded them, “Didn’t you teach me as a child in the 90s that Bill Clinton was a disgrace to the White House…
I’m a Democratic voter and, as much as it pains me to admit it, you have a point.
I come from an evangelical Christian community. When most of my Republican family and friends originally threw their support behind Trump in 2016, I reminded them, “Didn’t you teach me as a child in the 90s that Bill Clinton was a disgrace to the White House and to America for his sexual immorality? For his lying about it? That character matters?”
Some of my family and friends were honest enough to admit that they believed character didn’t matter anymore for presidents. They said character died to them when they saw Democrats bend over backwards to defend Bill Clinton’s personal conduct that contradicted the party’s rhetoric on valuing women. And they were honest enough to say that they were now doing the same for Trump’s immoral behavior. It’s no accident that right after the “grab em by the pussy” tape came out, Trump trotted out women who accused Bill Clinton of sexually abusing them. He knew who his audience was.
I’ve come away from all this trying to remind myself that Trump and Clinton are not the only immoral leaders we’ve ever had. People are deeply flawed, and it is unhealthy to worship politicians or political parties. We as Americans are supposed to know better.
That said, it’s still jarring to see good people defend such an awful man. Not all sins are created equal, and Trump’s boastfulness about his immorality and his bigotry are things most of us wouldn’t accept from a coworker. Yet we accept it from a leader of 330 million people. Shame on us for picking him twice.
I’m a Democratic voter and, as much as it pains me to admit it, you have a point.
I come from an evangelical Christian community. When most of my Republican family and friends originally threw their support behind Trump in 2016, I reminded them, “Didn’t you teach me as a child in the 90s that Bill Clinton was a disgrace to the White House and to America for his sexual immorality? For his lying about it? That character matters?”
Some of my family and friends were honest enough to admit that they believed character didn’t matter anymore for presidents. They said character died to them when they saw Democrats bend over backwards to defend Bill Clinton’s personal conduct that contradicted the party’s rhetoric on valuing women. And they were honest enough to say that they were now doing the same for Trump’s immoral behavior. It’s no accident that right after the “grab em by the pussy” tape came out, Trump trotted out women who accused Bill Clinton of sexually abusing them. He knew who his audience was.
I’ve come away from all this trying to remind myself that Trump and Clinton are not the only immoral leaders we’ve ever had. People are deeply flawed, and it is unhealthy to worship politicians or political parties. We as Americans are supposed to know better.
That said, it’s still jarring to see good people defend such an awful man. Not all sins are created equal, and Trump’s boastfulness about his immorality and his bigotry are things most of us wouldn’t accept from a coworker. Yet we accept it from a leader of 330 million people. Shame on us for picking him twice.