Many of the supporters of President Donald Trump who I talk with, through email or in person, express less passion for the man than fear of the alternative: A vote for Democrats is a vote for socialism or, even worse, communism.
But this fear is imaginary, and it should not in itself serve as a rationale for casting a vote for Trump. The stakes are high. Trump’s continuance in office is dangerous for a republic that — at our best — is characterized by the separation of powers, the rule of law and easy and universal access to voting. And then there’s the matter of the dignity and decency in our national leadership.
Many of Trump’s supporters concede that he has neither dignity nor decency — he’s just Trump being Trump — but he’s still better than the alternative, socialism, which will be the result if Biden is elected. Or so they argue.
We hear a lot about the far left these days. Iconic leftist Bernie Sanders has made two credible runs for the Democratic nomination, and he was awarded a speaking part at the convention. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the reputed young leaders of the radical left, was tucked into a 96-second slot.
But even if Sanders were elected president in November and he appointed AOC as his secretary of state, the nation is an enormous distance from implementing the kinds of “radical” policies that the right associates with the two of them and the far left.
Certainly, some on the farthest reaches of the left talk about Medicare for All and the complete elimination of private health insurance. Some dream of abolishing the police and eliminating immediately the use of hydrocarbons.
But the ship of state sails slowly, and its momentum is enormous. It takes forever to change course. Further, the aspirations of the far left are not embraced by the majority of the Democratic Party, by any means. Besides, as I try to reassure my skeptical Trump-supporting acquaintances, none of these radical ideas is going to be implemented as long as the power in Washington is balanced by a Republican Senate.
What if the Democrats win control of the Senate? Then, they respond, the slippery slope toward socialism is slathered with another coat of grease.
But here’s the part that worries me: If the Democrats win the White House and Senate in November and retain their majority in the House, many of the Trump supporters that I communicate with appear to be unwilling to accept this shift of our national political equilibrium toward the left. Which is another way of saying that they no longer believe in democracy.
The fact is, our country is more accurately described as center-left than right-wing. Most Americans want the things that Democrats stand for. We like the idea of a decent social safety net, especially once we have to fall into it. We love Social Security; if you don’t now, you will once you begin to receive it.
Americans as a whole believe that everyone should be equal before the law and that friends of the rich and powerful should not get special treatment. Most Americans believe in the right to own weapons, but the great majority accepts the idea of reasonable restraints on gun ownership.
Most Americans want, for themselves and for others, good healthcare and good education.
Most Americans believe that it’s wrong for the wealthy to not pay their share of taxes. Most want everyone to be able to vote easily and for every vote to count. And we really love the post office.
Trump voters, vote for Trump if you must, if you think our country can endure four more years of chaos, incompetence and corruption. But don’t be beguiled by the straw man argument that the day following a Democratic victory the nation will fall into a socialistic apocalypse.
