Behaviors, not people, are ugly. I find Trump's behavior deplorable. That does not give me, or anyone else, leave to dismiss him and his supporters as "The Deplorables".
We cannot and should not ignore that there are a lot of people in America who are desperate enough to use Trump as a weapon of mass destruction, who see Trump as their only option and sole champion. We need to offer viable alternatives to Trump's unmoored extremism and to do that we need to change tactics.
We need to listen to the fears and anger of those who feel abandoned by our political system. We need to address and heal the very real wounds of our neighbors. We need to ensure each other's access to personal dignity. We need to re-establish our hope and faith in the common good.
I was born and raised in a liberal city and call a small town in Wyoming home. From that vantage point, David Wong's assessment of Trump's appeal resonates as true. Maps of rural/urban America in the 2012 election are stunning.
I am reminded of 9/11. How it felt like we were at a crossroads. Were we going to take responsibility for the pain and suffering American policy caused abroad or use the tragedy as an excuse to wage an impossible "War on Terror"? We chose to escalate rather than de-escalate the situation.
I think we have arrived at a similar pivot point in the history of our nation. We need to choose whether to narrow or expand our definition of humanity.
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