Something I’ve experienced traveling around the state is that there is a palpable fear of even letting your friends know you are a Democrat, or even in line with what Democratic politicians are doing. There’s vandalism that takes place here, and people are scared of that. Having your yard sign stolen or your flag taken down is one thing, but having your car keyed or trash left in your yard, that’s another. I know people who have been harassed after they are outed as a Democrat, and then people give them trouble. People hear those stories. They’re not fake. They’re not made up. I’ve seen and heard some really ugly language.
I’m not a Dem (I’m a Leftists), but this pretty much sums it up. The Right plays dirty. They aren’t bound by any sense of decency. I’d say the only way we can beat them is to respond with our own violence (which I, personally, detest). I don’t see us beating them because they don’t believe in rules of engagement. Sorry to be so demoralizing in this post.
From the conversations I’ve had with friends and family in conservative areas (along with my own experiences), people want to believe that most people around them are decent folks who can be reasoned with or perhaps have different values but are still good folks at heart. I think that’s partially because it’s easy to see the “good” in people when you live in a homogenous or segregated community because there aren’t as many opportunities for people to show their ugly sides to the “out-group”, but it’s also because it’s terrifying to acknowledge that your community is compromised of hateful, bigoted, xenophobic, ignorant, and/or selfish individuals. It’s like approaching a member of the KKK or a neo-Nazi and thinking you can have a respectful conversation: plenty of “bad” people can become “good” people (thinking of the Black dude who befriended a bunch of KKK members), but you have to go into it with a completely different mindset and strategy.
I think you may have misunderstood me. When this guys says:
I can’t help but think that this guy fundamentally does not understand how these people perceive the Democrat party and its platform. He says, “So much news is nationalized, and there is so much news that is sensationalized.” It sounds like he thinks the people who are out there running for office and talking to voters are being silly because they are trying to distance themselves from the organization at the national level.
Sorry, I used your comment as a springboard for my own tangentially-related rant on why this guy seems to be in denial. I agree with both of your statements.