Understanding vs. Character Assassination

I haven't blogged since 2010.  That's a six year hiatus and based mostly on this year's election, suddenly I feel compelled to come back and start writing again.  I suppose this election brings out different things in all of us, but from what I see most of those things are negative.  I think the most disappointing thing more me to see is how everyone is attacking each other...and I'm not talking about our candidates.  I'm talking about how intelligent, good, otherwise well-behaved adults are at each other's throats because of who they support or what they believe.  There is very little effort to have intellectual debates on the merits of each others views.  There is very little desire to try and understand different points of views to shape your overall opinion.  And there is zero understanding of people who have different motivations for how their vote will be cast.  We are a nation of people who live in glass houses paid for by the money we've made as professionals in the National Stone Throwing Association.

TWO THINGS CAN BE EQUALLY TRUE

An interesting thing happens any time new information comes out on either candidate.  There is a rush to social media so people can say, "See, your candidate is terrible."

The Republican narrative goes something like this: "What Trump said 11 years ago is terrible, but what he SAYS is no where near as bad as what Clinton DOES.  She's a witch and I don't mean a theoretical witch.  She's an actual witch, like Hermione but bad.  In fact, now that I think about it the entire Harry Potter series is an attempt by the liberal media to show the terrors that will befall us all if a crazy, egotistic older man with hair issues finally rises to power.  The evidence is everywhere.  You can't spell Voldemort without a T and of course Trump starts with a T.  But see, Rowling has it all wrong. Trump is more Dumbledore than Voldemort."

The Democrat narrative goes something like this: "If you have a mom, a wife, a daughter,a grandmother, a mother in law,  have ever known a female, have ever talked to a female, if you work with a woman, have a female dog (but don't call them a bitch, that's deplorable), have used the feminine gender in languages, have been near a ladies room, believe in the Virgin Mary, or used the letters S,H,E in consecutive order to spell a word then how could you possible support a man like Trump?"

You are trying to prove the quality of your choice by disproving the quality of someone else's.  I guess I understand it though.  When you have two significantly flawed candidates, it's always easiest to call out the flaws of your opposition instead of acknowledging the flaws in those your support.  But let's be clear, two things can be equally true.

When audio comes out showing the disgusting things Trump Has said, it doesn't mean Clinton is suddenly a saint.  She can still raise taxes, liberalize the Supreme Court, fail on foreign policy, be a habitual liar, and have shady business dealings.  She's the same career politician she was before the hot mic news broke.

When Wikileaks releases 1000's of emails or voice audio on the things Clinton as done, it's doesn't suddenly mean what Trump said is less important.  Trump still has no experience, will make the Supreme Court more conservative, has a history of saying inappropriate things, is not "Presidential", and could be a huge risk on foreign affairs.  He is the same career businessman and womanizer he was before the Wikileaks release.

A NATION DIVIDED

Many of us acknowledge how divided we've become as a nation on things like race, religion, beliefs, etc.  I hear many of you pleading for the country to come together, especially in times where the division is most visible.  You are SAYING  all the right things.  But in the case of this election, what you are generally DOING is the exact opposite.  People are verbally tearing into each other because they disagree on this election, and those are people who are friends with each other.  I'd love to see a study of unfollows/unfriends on Facebook directly after a political discussion on a post.

Unfortunately what I tend to see are people attacking each other instead of debating the actual issues.  I've jumped into a few "charged" discussions before and every time I've tried to insert facts and logic, the discussion abruptly ends.  When people say/post things that are not hateful rhetoric, but rather insightful information, there's almost never a discussion about it.  However, the minute you post something about Trump or Clinton themselves, then hold on for a shock and awe assault on your personal character.

WARNING.  WARNING.  WARNING.  We now interrupt this blog for a quick rant.  We'll return to the regularly scheduled rant in a moment.  
There are good and bad people who support both candidates.  Every single supporter of both candidates has sinned in their life.  Every single supporter of both candidates has done something in their life they regret.  Every single supporter of both candidates has said something offensive they'd like to take back.  And please, do not give me the line, "Yeah, but those people aren't running for President."  Well neither was Trump in 2005 and neither was Clinton when her husband was President.  I could probably just go through each of your Facebook or Twitter posts and find something offense, contradictory, or vulgar from every single one of you.

TRY TO UNDERSTAND

I think it's very important to at least try to understand the motivations behind someones support of a candidate.  I know it's easiest to just call them names and shake your head at how they could possibly support a womanizer in Trump or a liar in Clinton.  But I'd like to at least hope many of each candidate's supporters have good reasons for their vote.  I certainly know some support Trump because they are racist and want anyone who doesn't look like them to leave the country.  I know some support Clinton simply because she's a woman.

However, I'm going to hold on to the hope the vast majority of the voting public has deeper and more important reasons.  The balance of the Supreme Court is at stake with this election.  The winner of the election will essentially get to choose which direction the court swings.  This is not a 4 year decision.  The decisions of The Supreme Court last for years and years.  It's been 43 years since Roe v Wade and conservatives are still trying to get that overturned.  So when someone says they are voting for a candidate simply because of the Supreme Court nomination, that's a very valid reason.  That reason alone can trump (no pun intended) everything else the candidate has said or done.  The Supreme Court tacitly sets the laws of our very divided nation.

We have an incredible economic divide in our country.  Jobs are vanishing, either going overseas or being eliminated through automation.  Many hard working people are struggling in ways they never have before.  You Republicans, if you were in the ocean drowning, would you really care if it was Clinton who threw you the life vest?  Well many people are drowning in debt and they are looking to this next President as the person who will save them.  So if someone casts their vote for the candidate they best believes will turn around our economic divide, how can we possibly blame them for that vote?  To those people, their livelihood is far more important than the character flaws of the candidates.

And so on and so on.  Whether it's taxes, or gun control, or social rights, or health care, or foreign affairs, etc., it's very likely a voter cares far more about that one topic than they do about the person they have to vote for to represent that topic.

CONCLUSION

This is clearly a tough election.  While I have no evidence to support it, my guess is neither of these candidates would ever have been even nominated in previous years (well in the case of HRC we have the evidence).  Every candidate who has lost the General Election in the past 100 years probably would have beaten both Trump and Clinton.  And yet one of them is going to be our President.  That is a fact and no matter what amount of character assassination we lobby on their supporters, they have to vote for someone.  Don't buy into the sound bites on both sides.  Take the time to read into what they really support and the policies they intend to bring to Washington D.C.  Have real debates with your friends/family and not ones that turn into name calling and verbal abuse because of who they support.  Just because the candidates are flawed does not mean it justifies our actions to be just as flawed as them.