We’ve seen who Trump is but what really concerns me is the 30% or more of Americans who support him? Why? Well, I think, at least for me, I have found the answer and it is scary. This comes from a study published by the National Academy of Science. The author, Larry Bartels, surveyed 1,151 Republicans in January 2020. One set of questions asked the extent they agreed with antidemocratic statements. He found that:
- 50.7% agreed that, “The traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast that we may have to use force to save it.”
- 41.3% agreed that, “A time will come when patriotic Americans have to take the law into their own hands.”
- 47.3% agreed that, “Strong leaders sometimes have to bend the rules in order to get things done.”
- 73.9% agreed that, “It is hard to trust the results of elections when so many people will vote for anyone who offers a handout.”
Like I said -- scary!
Second, he looked at the basis for these Republican’s antidemocratic responses. Were their responses associated with their education level, political interest, locale, Trump support, cultural conservatism, economic conservatism, political cynicism or ethnic antagonism? The only significant factor that correlated with Republican’s antidemocratic attitudes was ethnic antagonism! Here are some of the key beliefs that had the highest correlation with their antidemocratic responses.
- Discrimination against whites is as big a problem today as discrimination against blacks and other minorities.
- Things have changed so much that I often feel like a stranger in my own country,
- Immigrants get more than their fair share of government resources.
- People on welfare often have it better than those who work for a living.
- Speaking English is essential for being a true American.
- African-Americans need to stop using racism as an excuse.
So, what we are seeing with Trump’s willful violation of the law and the right-wing gun-toting caravans at BLM protests is just the manifestation of Republican’s fear of whites becoming a minority in this country. Before Trump it was under the surface. Now it has been exposed. Republicans will not make the above statements in public, but many do share them in private with their like-minded friends.
America has evolved -- except for these people who want to “Make America Great Again”. I guess they told us right up front what they wanted -- to live in the 1950’s. We just didn’t realize they meant it!
After the 2016 election I wondered if too many of us had ignored “flyover” country. That we did not show respect to those Hillary called “deplorables”. Maybe we needed to be more inclusive. Be more understanding. Many of them had been Democrats.
I’ve gotten over that.
As in any situation where change occurs there will be people who resist the change. MAGA is that resistance. They are trying to stop the country from evolving. They want to live in the past. They do not want to change and probably will not change. At the same time, the rest of us need to keep driving the change we are living. If they do not want to get on board, there is really nothing we can do. We need to stand our ground, exercise our democratic principles, protest PEACEFULLY and stay the course. As Joe Biden, the next President of the United States, said, “now that it is all out in the open, it is an opportunity for real change.”
https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/08/26/2007747117
