For the past few months I have been engaging MAGA with my best attempts at empathy and understanding. I ask questions like “help me understand how you got there” with issues such as more IRS agents, tariffs, DOGE, etc. I, truly, approach it with an open mind. I am willing to admit I may be the one who is gaslit by TYT (basically my only trusted source). I say, “walk me through it, cuz I dont understand”. Now, I will say, this approach does prolong the nasty and rude replies for a little bit, but eventually the conversation devolves into a full on attack of my intellect, etc. You get the picture. I asked one person if she could show me how she sourced her conclusions. She just, literally, said watch Newsmax. Not joking at all. Then I asked her to tell me in her own words and I got “watch Newsmax”. Anyone have any ideas on how to reach them? One person, after much back and forth, asked me if I try and “break all my MAGA friends”? Hand to God, I ask them to help ME, by explaining how I have it all wrong. I am truly open to changing my mind if new information presents itself. Now, the upside is many get almost schizophrenic when they hear the truth for the first time. They immediaely reject, but I think they then reseaarch the idea to prove me wrong and find out the enitre, credible universe is saying the same thing. I simply reiterate it to them. IDK, maybe its a hopeless endeavor, but maybe some light gets in. I am looking for constructive criticism and helpful tips. One thing I do know, we have to peel off a good percentage of them, if we want to effect real, lasting, populist change for the better. Thanks…
I live in KY; so I talk to a LOT of tRump voters. When I am talking politics with them I make sure to leave out ANYTHING that has to do with political parties or Left/Right. I just explain the issue and how I see things. 75% of the time they actually agree with me. But once I even mention Democrats or Bernie or AOC or any other politician on the Left they immidiately go full on MAGA. But I know I have sown the seeds of doubt in them and that eventually they will throw Trump and MAGA away.
<joke>“Quaint”</joke> grocery prices and housing costs going up will force them to reassess. The argument Repubs and Fox have retreated to -“you have to suffer to win, like was done in WWII”- will NOT resonate with them when they see the people pushing that narrative are living the high life.
Voting for Trump (or Harris…) was a bad choice; but we have to be understanding of the desperation of MAGAs who work -they were buying a Chaos Lottery ticket.
To Dem cultists who scoff at the idea that Harris would have been a different type of bad: maybe many government programs would have remained intact; but for people who work, her refusal to offer any NEW programs for workers was looking like a ticket to homelessness. Add to that: it’s quite dubious she would have tamped down on NUTanyahoo, nor engineered a resolution to the Ukrainian/Russian conflict. Having a World War also leads to insolvency. The Dem Party is NOW engineered for the benefit of corporations; Period, Full Stop. If you doubt that, ask why Schumer didn’t go to the mat on the budget passage, making preservation of medicare and SSI non-negotiable…
What you wrote is honest, deeply felt, and reflective of something a lot of people never slow down enough to hear. You’re not just defending a candidate; you’re defending your sense of being seen, heard, and respected in a system that often feels like it has already written you off. And you’re right, a lot of these conversations aren’t really conversations. They’re ambushes dressed up as curiosity. People come in armed with articles, fact-checks, and smirks, ready to “debunk” instead of understand. That dynamic poisons the well before a real connection can happen.This isn’t just about Trump. It’s about something bigger, feeling like you finally had someone who didn’t flinch when the media attacked, who didn’t bow to political correctness, who actually acknowledged the pain in places that get ignored unless there’s a tragedy or a photo op. It’s not that you think he’s flawless; it’s that you saw someone who, for once, was on your side and didn’t fold under pressure.There’s real power in that. And it’s not crazy, or backward, or hateful to feel it. It’s human.If we could bottle that part of this, not the shouting, not the headlines, but the raw truth of why people believe what they believe, we’d have a chance at bridging this massive divide. Not by changing minds through force, but by understanding hearts through humility.
Unfortunately the trillion dollar propaganda machine seems to be worth the investment. I will keep trying and will remain open to having my mind changed. I trust what I hear from Cenk, and I like to think I have the critical thinking skills necessary to discern between fantasy and reality. If Cenk said something way off the hook, I’m confident Id notice. I hear you on what MAGA sees in tRump. The issue, for me, has ALWAYS been, he is an obvious con man and clearly not fit to be POTUS. With that said, I occasionally watch FOX or listen to Hannity, maybe Mark Levine, etc. If you are just a casual listener and its your only source of nooz (Its not news so I go with nooz, dollar store news?) I see how a person could get an entirely different view of tRump and his administration. I do my best to remember that and approach the opportunity with that in mind. It isnt fun nor is it satisfying to belittle, demean and mock those who are captured by the gaslighting beam. It was at first, but it hasnt been for awhile now. It is horrifying to say those 2 were our best options for the office. People should be mad. Thanks for weighing in…
Yup, people should be thinking harder about how we got here and how to break the cycle. Appreciate your thoughtfulness in all this, it’s the kind of mindset that might actually help bridge the gap.