It’s easy to assume that America is a divided nation. Democrats v Republicans, taxis v pick-up trucks, service v manufacturing workers, or those who live within 20 kilometres of a large body of water v those who do not.
Many feel a healing process is needed to bridge the chasm that seems to separate the two tribes — as embodied by poet Amanda Gorman’s stunning performance at today’s inauguration. But thankfully the country is a lot less riven than that.
Trump ruled by division. He championed neglected Americans from the rust belt, whose manufacturing jobs had been exported for years.
He contrasted them with Washington politicians, obsessed with identity politics, gun control, climate change and micro-aggressions, while barely acknowledging real workaday issues.
Trump said he would Drain the Swamp and Make America Great Again by Putting America First. He would build his wall to keep out drug-importing job-discounting Mexicans. He called out city elites, and their fake news machine, forcing binary them-and-us-ism.
And it worked, not necessarily because voters bought the hyperbole, but certainly as a message of protest. The narrative resonated with worried middle-income voters too. They got Trump, Trump got them.
In a population of 331 million, 74 million Americans voted Republican. Only a tiny, tiny fraction of these attended the haphazard protest at the Capitol two weeks ago.
Within this statistically insignificant subset, actual rioters were a smaller group, and QAnon-esque conspiracists an even smaller one.
Yet they retain the capacity to do great harm if they put their collective mind to it.
If there’s healing to be done, it’s important to understand that the societal rift is probably not as broad as oft characterised. It’s vital not to conflate a Republican vote with support for insurrection. Lots of people voted GOP for all sorts of different reasons, just as they do in every election.
For example, many people would have fretted about regional decay and job loss and voted for the man who acknowledged the problem and promised to act. Some voters would have agreed with Republican values, plans and ideals more than those of the Democrats.
Concerns about gun control and abortion steered the decision of some. Others voted because they had always been rusted-on Republicans, disliked the soft socialism of Democrats, were part of the religious right, saw themselves as pro-freedom and free enterprise, opposed the perceived political correctness of the observer class, or saluted Trump’s actions — like calling out China and building a robust economy before the pandemic — while simultaneously despairing of his boorish behaviour. Voters had motives.
Ultimately the Democrats won. But that means that some of the millions that felt they should not have may need to be persuaded to play nicely together again.
Successful persuasion is built on head nods. It’s easy to get people to accept things framed to align with their beliefs. This is why political parties target soft and swinging voters, not loyalists.
Targeting the great mass of moderate persuadables rather than the tiny cohort of extremist unpersuadables is simple.
The starting point is to look through their eyes and recognise they have a valid viewpoint. Their opinion should be heard and respected. Don’t call them deplorables. Don’t gloat or mock them in their post-electoral trauma. Don’t lecture about what and how they should think. Don’t bang on about issues that interest you, but not them.
Rather, listen to and respect their point of view and then do something tangible to address their concerns.
It will be vital not to allow Trump to be seen as a martyr. A perceived witch-hunt would fuel the fire. Investigations must examine his actions at a glacial pace, surgically and dispassionately, involving credible assumed supporters, letting persuadables slowly discover the former president’s failings that seem so evident to others.
Doing these things successfully will build greater understanding and tolerance, and this, in turn, will placate the less extreme extremists. There will be a rump left, but you get a bit of that.
Most Americans are decent, hard-working, considerate people. If Joe Biden listens to their real concerns and responds respectfully, the wound will heal.
And all that will remain of Mr Trump will be an ugly scar: a wannabe dictator who only managed the first syllable.
“How to unite America – the way Howard united Oz” – from the ‘Schiller’ that did so much to sell “Honest John” to just enough Oz voters to get him across the line (including the ‘GST referendum election’ when Beazley Labor polled more primary and 2PP votes), for 4 elections and almost 12 years?
Look at how “united” we are – under a Stage II Rorting Coalition government.
How many atomized unique individuals does it take to make a collective ?..How many disparate collectives does it take to make a movement ? How many movements does it take to make a social political economic statement ?..The answer my friend is blowin in the ephemeral transient winds of focus poll groups…
“Non-core promises”? “Children Overboard”? The knifing of their own Speaker, Bob Halverson? The GST (“Unchain My Heart” unauthorised)? Following a trail of BS to invade Iraq?
Re Labor/the left/opposition : did Howard and his boosters (including paid) “look through their eyes and recognise they have a valid viewpoint”?
Or were they all about “Whatever it takes, to win”?
From someone who did so much damage to this country making the Rodent palatable to persuadables.
If there is a more reprehensible activity than advertising it can only be political advertising.
I did not know who he was. go find me a tumbrel and a guillotine please.
I have my knitting needles ready to click, pp Tricoteuse.
The basic premise of this is complete bullshit. The day that Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act the south turned Republican and has largely remained that way, except for a shyster from Arkansas. The Republican Party has been pushing a divisive agenda well before Trump and like the author’s former boss, dismantling social structures, cutting taxes to the wealthy and then saying they dould not afford a social program. America is extremely divided and Australia has become the same due to self interested mongrels masquerading as leaders, whose every opinion is for sale, and the spivs who have heed them do it.
After the CRA was signed. LBJ said “We’ve lost the South for at least two generations.”
True but is losing something of little value important?
He also had the self awareness to tell the Dems. “I will not seek the presidency. If nominated I will not accept. If elected I will not serve.”
If only there were politicians of such forthright, upfront clarity today.
In a country where you can drive into a “suburb” and eventually notice that all the homes are caravans or trailers/demountables?
A country held by the jatz crackers by corporate America – where so many people have to travel between jobs, just to keep afloat, on the sort of subsistence wages employers can get away with?
Where the chasm between the haves and have nots/working poor/un/deremployed is increasing?
Where it took “judges” ages to declare the winner (after poring over the “developed print” for days), between Biden and Trump who had all that lead in his saddle-bag (a “40(?)”% approval rating), but still managed the greatest historical vote for a GOP candidate? Though by an emphatic final margin – it took all that time to bring to focus. Where “turn-coat” Republicans probably proved the difference : while so many still cling to the GOP elephant, Trump and all?
Gun owners, white supremacists …. are just itchin’ for an excuse to give up their “hobbies”?
That USA is “a lot less riven than that”/”the societal rift is probably not as broad as oft characterised”?
Throw in a block of flats, plus Tasmania, and I’ll take two….
After having the whip-hand, and doing what they did with that, the right is down now – now some of them want to talk turkey over a “peace deal” – but when the wheel turns and they’re on the rise again, you can bet your virginity they (including those that are spouting the platitudes now, but were silent during the on top years) will be joining in, trying to ground out opposition again.
“But thankfully the country is a lot less riven than that.”
By gum, that is a hopeful piece of rubbish.
Try “closing one eye and ignoring the plight of Native Americans, African-Americans, Hispanics, the poor (both working and not) etc”?
Just the one?
Who knows?
Maybe tax cuts for the rich are more important : than having enough government revenue for funding education, infrastructure, maintenance and such?
Maybe government subsidised health care is wasted on the less productive in society (such as the unemployed,, chronically ill, old etc)?
Maybe having to rely on tips because your employer (living in a better part of town, or in another, more up-market, desirable location – getting those tax cuts, so they can continue to carry on living in a custom to which they aspire) won’t pay you a living wage, is the way to go in such an egalitarian, almost unrifted society?
Maybe having to resort to petty criminality just to get by (and risk those strikes in such a “black and white, lawn order” driven society), because welfare is so restricted, is aspirational?
Maybe they’re right? In more ways than one….
One of the funniest/most revealing episodes of The Dum this year happened toward the end of the year when the outbreak of the Sydney cluster happened :-
“Razz” here (on the last of his several guest appearances for the year) doing a promo for “Shredderjiklian’s Adult/Grown-ups government” (as opposed to “Brand X – Andrews/Palaszczuk/McGowan/Labor/lock-up state governments”) and how good that was : then a minute or two later going on about “the fibs” told when breaking Covid quarantine (with the inherent possibility of spread that poses).
Illustrating “what usually happens when grown-ups are treated as grown-ups and allowed to carry on unfettered by regulation”.
In effect why those Labor states were right in doing what they did – but “Razz” didn’t acknowledge that.