Letters to the Editor: November 12 – 18, 2020
Turnout For Trump Should Make Us Question Our Beliefs
Editor,
I fear the Little City has already gone “the direction of a gated community,” as evidenced by U.S. Representative Beyer’s response to Tuesday’s election. Rep. Beyer noted he could not fathom how someone, anyone, could vote for an “obvious racist” like President Trump who “treats women so terribly,” nor could he admire him as a role model. Could it be that those who voted for him also do not see him as someone to emulate, but see his policies as preferable to the alternatives? Interestingly, over a quarter of those who chose Trump in this election were nonwhite, the highest percentage for a GOP presidential candidate since 1960. The only demographic in which he lost support was among white males. Could it be that there is more diversity of opinion among these groups than you realize? Or perhaps they have access to more disparate news sources than you. Maybe they run in very different social, economic, or religious circles. If we truly want to heal the deep division in this country, could we not start by recognizing our preconceived notions of how certain segments of the population “should” vote, and instead try to understand the “why” behind each. We each bring a different story to our understanding of the world, don’t we?
I wish Rep. Beyer well in his search for “new Trump friends that [he] can engage deeply.” When you are surrounded by folks who “voted almost 100 percent for Biden,” that might be difficult. Perhaps he and others in this community could start by asking those with whom they disagree politically why indeed they could not cast their vote for the Biden/Harris ticket. One out of five of your fellow citizens did not. Why not grab a coffee with a conservative or libertarian sometime. You might learn something.
Adrienne Varner
Falls Church
Letters to the Editor may be submitted to letters@fcnp.com or via our online form here. Letters should be limited to 350 words and may be edited for content, clarity and length. To view the FCNP’s letter and submission policy, please click here.
