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Nicholas Kristof: “We Shouldn’t Demean Trump Voters.” — Ha! Says GWM. Part 1
{GWM, who has been working on this column for several weeks, watched the September 10 ABC moderated debate between Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris and the MAGA Maggot Donald Trump (who’s been found guilty of 34 felonies, is awaiting sentencing and believes that Hatian immigrants kidnap and eat pet animals — gerbels, rabbits, dogs, cats, mice and the like of residents in Springfield, Ohio). Click here for Springfield.}
Excerpts from from Kristoff’s column Originally published at https://www.nytimes.com on August 31, 2024.
Some of the best advice Democrats have received recently came from Bill Clinton in his speech at the Democratic National Convention. {Gregg W. Morris: I recall Clinton’s action regarding Ricky Ray Rector, a mentally ill man on death row. So, whenever Clinton comes up in conversation, I’ve been known to bristle.}
First, he warned against hubris: “We’ve seen more than one election slip away from us when we thought it couldn’t happen, when people got distracted by phony issues or overconfident.” That’s something that any Clinton understands in his — or her — gut.
Second, related and even more important, he cautioned against demeaning voters who don’t share liberal values. {GWM: For me, it’s not about sharing liberal values. If they’re out there engaging in or supporting hostility and violence against People of Color, Women, LGBTQ+, they are to be despised!}
“I urge you to meet people where they are,” said Clinton, who knows something about winning votes outside of solid blue states. “I urge you not to demean them, but not to pretend you don’t disagree with them if you do. Treat them with respect — just the way you’d like them to treat you.” {GWM: I don’t respect people engaged in racism, sexism, homophobia and the rest. No way! And people who don’t respect me should know there can be risks.} That’s critical counsel because too often since 2016, the liberal impulse has been to demonize anyone at all sympathetic to Donald Trump as a…