I’ve been reading about the genius of Abraham Lincoln* and in particular his political style which included a great deal of empathy, a great deal of understanding of diverse viewpoints from which he would make arguments which were based upon the moral-ethical values of our nation, while grounded in the realities of the times. He used homespun stories, and analogies to help people understand his points of views, but never denigrated or demeaned others, knowing that “In order to win a man to your cause” Lincoln explained you must first reach his heart “the great high road to reason” … even in the political fight against slavery, he knew slavery was evil and horrible injustices were being done, but he would not assign evilness to slave holders, as abolishment was challenging their way of life and income… he proposed to meet them where they are and help to move them with reason and compassion, but do so with relentless persuasion, and eventually war for this purpose and to maintain the American experiment and ideals of the Declaration of Independence, that all are created equal.
We today, face challenging times, with threats to our nation not dissimilar to those of the 1850s… for a “house divided against itself cannot stand” as Lincoln said. Today we are divided. Today we denigrate and demean instead of understand and communicate. We must understand that for many of our fellow Americans don’t care if democratic institutions were to be replaced by autocracy or an oligarchy for they have lost faith in our institutions. Our form of government just doesn’t seem to work for them. Furthermore the entertainment news and social media is laced with misinformation masquerading as news. Their fears and mistrust are being used to push them down a path of compliance to powers which would in turn exploit them. I warned of this coming storm with a book I published 4 years ago this month called Trump, Power & the Lessons of Orwell’s 1984: Democracy is Being Threatened … and my message remains true. Disinformation, distrust of institutions and fears are still being used to move people toward the darkness of power and autocracy, and this is not a problem which is going away any time soon.
I believe Trump will be defeated in November, largely because he will lose the women vote as, reproductive rights will be front and center for many, and the damage done by the dark tome of Project 2025 seems to be sticking to Trump. Therefore democracy will survive, but the seeds of this Trumpian-darkness are planted deep and the distrust by his followers will not recover without healing. Dangerously these seeds will be harvested by another, possibly more cunning than Trump in the future. We as a nation must address and treat the underlying issues and concerns in order to reach the heart of the matter through the hearts and minds of the disillusioned.
We must address the underlying issues with compassion and understanding, never using denigrating terms like “basket of deplorables”, as was once done, as this will only harden their resolve. We must understand their fears and distrust are born of experience… and we must relate. We all know the frustration with institutions, after all, who hasn’t fought with insurance companies? We all know of family or friends and heard stories of the devastation of drugs, of homelessness, of despair, and who cannot relate to the cumulative effect of inflation? Also, it is not a Christian conspiracy or some failure in reason to seek power through a leader like Trump, but rather a break in the faith of compromise and democracy that leads Evangelical Christians to side with someone who clearly doesn’t know the Bible and doesn’t live Christian values. The source of these problems are not rooted in the liberal democracy which they are turning away from, these problems are pervasive and are due to human frailties and crime and corruption… and they exists in autocracies as well, the press there is just not free to report on the problems. The problems can be fought only with understanding and the raising-up of everyone. Especially those who have felt abandoned as liberal elites have written them off… government is not of the people for the people if it is not for all the people.
Reason and historical perspective and sourcing of information to those living in the desert-echo-chamber of MAGA requires meeting them where they are… understanding why they think the way they do? Asking why is the only way. Refuting the “they all do it, all politicians are corrupt and criminal” cannot be accomplished with a wave of the hand, or saying that’s stupid. Rather, asking where would you rather live? Asking, isn’t it good to have a free press and open sources of information to challenge and expose corruption? Isn’t it good to have a justice system who will prosecute the Menendez’s as well as the Trump’s of this world equally? Where in the world does this happen, except in countries with an open democracy with institutions like the DoJ and importantly the free press. Sure our government can be improved, all can… but it is up to us to support it and to vote. Encourage the widening of the information horizon, encourage questioning and build bridges through reason and understanding… for a “house divided against itself cannot stand”.
I know, I have not always lived by these words, I’ve been quick to dismiss those I believed would not understand, those who had been seduced by the idea that there is a way toward (or back) to a way of life where all problems were solved by force of authority and enforced conformity. But I am still learning, as we all should; and for me Abraham Lincoln is a remarkable teacher through his actions and words so very many years ago.
* Team of Rivals, The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin…. Thank you Tracy for the gift of this marvelous book.
