How does one reach across the aisle on this?
The other day, I posted the following comment to a friend from High School who had posted “BIDEN is NOT My President”:
I Hear what you are saying and I am listening to your pain about it. I do think that some of the media in your circles may have spun things a certain way. Really, I know lots of people and Lots of Liberals in the Theater World and various Communities to which I belong. I don’t know ANYONE — I mean, ANYONE — who supports Looting or Socialism or any of the things that I understand that you fear. For most of us, BIDEN would not have been our choice of Candidate, mostly because he seems way too Centrist — almost more toward Republican. In fact, his views are so moderate that most of us think of him as what we perceived Republicans to be before tRUMP. So, in a way, I feel like he is an ideal Candidate for this transition. I know that you supported tRUMP and obviously you saw some good in his policies and what he did. But that may have caused you to turn a blind eye to the indignities many Americans were suffering — People with Disabilities, People of Color, Gay People, Middle Class People… and his handling of the Coronavirus speaks for itself. So maybe consider, instead of pre-paving how awful it will all be, what good can come of a more Centrist Democrat in this transition. I understand that because tRUMP was so extremist, it may feel like a great personal loss, and it may seem that BIDEN is a far flung Leftist by comparison. But maybe some of tRUMP’s extremes were a bit too far. Perhaps — just perhaps — we could begin now to build less walls and more bridges, and maybe that will yield some Good things, as well. I am not trying to convince you or change your mind — just introducing the possibility that a lot of the extreme leftist policies that seem so terrifying to you may not be what this is. It may seem that way, because tRUMP was so far in the other direction, but maybe there will be some good that comes of it. The restoring of dignity to the office of President and having someone who speaks respectfully to others I will consider a great step forward for us all, and especially for your children’s future! XXOO
His response was basically that Liberals have been so mean that they cannot be forgiven – there was a “Not You!” included in the middle of that which I appreciated, although I can be pretty mean when I feel people’s rights are being threatened, as this retiring administration has repeatedly done since Day One. So I am not so sure it’s not me!