Just found out that a nice person I know is a Republican

[Anonymous]

How can I reconcile their kindness to me one on one with the Republican policies and actions that are taking away people's healthcare, making future generations pay for tax cuts for today's super rich, tainting our supreme court with partisan operatives with a history of sex assault allegations and undermining our democracy with Trump's swampy cabinet and autocratic attitude about attacking the press and obstructing justice?

My post is sincere. I think the modern GOP is basically evil so I am having a hard time understanding how someone can still be a Republican if they are a decent person.

[Anonymous]

Can’t trust this person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can I reconcile their kindness to me one on one with the Republican policies and actions that are taking away people's healthcare, making future generations pay for tax cuts for today's super rich, tainting our supreme court with partisan operatives with a history of sex assault allegations and undermining our democracy with Trump's swampy cabinet and autocratic attitude about attacking the press and obstructing justice?

My post is sincere. I think the modern GOP is basically evil so I am having a hard time understanding how someone can still be a Republican if they are a decent person.

Perhaps look inward and question whether or not your opinions are based on fact, rather than opinion. Ask your new friend what sources they read, and then actually read those sources and see if there are any facts there you can research deeper. Look for actual documents, rather than opinion.

[Anonymous]

Your friend is obviously a RINO. He or she is harmless.

[Anonymous]

Huh? The things I posted in the OP are not controversial

I'm just wondering how to understand how this person is a Republican

Maybe they don't agree with all of it

I'm pretty sure they grew up in the South and are religious, so that might be part of it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How can I reconcile their kindness to me one on one with the Republican policies and actions that are taking away people's healthcare, making future generations pay for tax cuts for today's super rich, tainting our supreme court with partisan operatives with a history of sex assault allegations and undermining our democracy with Trump's swampy cabinet and autocratic attitude about attacking the press and obstructing justice?

My post is sincere. I think the modern GOP is basically evil so I am having a hard time understanding how someone can still be a Republican if they are a decent person.

Perhaps look inward and question whether or not your opinions are based on fact, rather than opinion. Ask your new friend what sources they read, and then actually read those sources and see if there are any facts there you can research deeper. Look for actual documents, rather than opinion.

Exactly. This type of thing is happening all over, and liberals are learning that their kind, generous friends are Republicans - and can't process. I told the story of a neighbor who drove a mutual neighbor to Duke for cancer treatments, multiple times, and he voted for Trump. Liberals were in disbelief, and finally "processed" this story by saying that either a) I lied about it, or b) the kind neighbor was not a Trump voter.

What these liberals seem incapable of doing is accepting the fact that there are many kind, wonderful, giving Republicans - and that they, the liberals, have been wrong with their judgments. But it's sort of like Javert and Valjean - they have their entire existence so wrapped up in hating what they assume is a bad person that they cannot live with the truth. And the truth is: they're WRONG.

[Anonymous]

Even if you throw out the Kavanaugh allegations, everything else in the OP is true

None of it is consistent with being a decent person

[Anonymous]

OP, imagine the shoe is on the other foot. "I had a friend at work and I can't believe she is a Dem. How can she not support our police? How can she be for open borders? How can she support a confiscatory tax structure? How can she foolishly not try to keep potential terrorists out of our country? How can she tolerate government bloat and waste? Why did she support Bill Clinton but now Kavanaugh and Trump and evil? Why doesn't she see the importance and value of traditional marriage? Why does she think people should be forced to do things that go against their conscience (gay cakes, birth control). Etc. etc.

I agree with your OP; I don't agree with any of the things I just wrote. But I comprehend that what I wrote is where the minds of Repubs are. I have two Repub parents. I avoid talking politics with them. But I think what I wrote summarizes how they feel.

[Anonymous]

Like I said, my post is sincere

I don't think all Republicans are horrible people but I also think almost all Republican political actions are horrible

How can I make sense of this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Even if you throw out the Kavanaugh allegations, everything else in the OP is true

None of it is consistent with being a decent person

^^^ and another liberal who can't accept they're wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, imagine the shoe is on the other foot. "I had a friend at work and I can't believe she is a Dem. How can she not support our police? How can she be for open borders? How can she support a confiscatory tax structure? How can she foolishly not try to keep potential terrorists out of our country? How can she tolerate government bloat and waste? Why did she support Bill Clinton but now Kavanaugh and Trump and evil? Why doesn't she see the importance and value of traditional marriage? Why does she think people should be forced to do things that go against their conscience (gay cakes, birth control). Etc. etc.

I agree with your OP; I don't agree with any of the things I just wrote. But I comprehend that what I wrote is where the minds of Repubs are. I have two Repub parents. I avoid talking politics with them. But I think what I wrote summarizes how they feel.

Yes, I think this is probably true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even if you throw out the Kavanaugh allegations, everything else in the OP is true

None of it is consistent with being a decent person

^^^ and another liberal who can't accept they're wrong.

This thread is about people who are Republicans AND decent people so it doesn't apply to you. You can go

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Like I said, my post is sincere

I don't think all Republicans are horrible people but I also think almost all Republican political actions are horrible

How can I make sense of this?

Maybe just realize that good, decent people have different opinions. I personally think that almost all Democratic policies are bad for our country, but that doesn't mean I think liberals are bad, just misguided. Well-meaning, but misguided.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, imagine the shoe is on the other foot. "I had a friend at work and I can't believe she is a Dem. How can she not support our police? How can she be for open borders? How can she support a confiscatory tax structure? How can she foolishly not try to keep potential terrorists out of our country? How can she tolerate government bloat and waste? Why did she support Bill Clinton but now Kavanaugh and Trump and evil? Why doesn't she see the importance and value of traditional marriage? Why does she think people should be forced to do things that go against their conscience (gay cakes, birth control). Etc. etc.

I agree with your OP; I don't agree with any of the things I just wrote. But I comprehend that what I wrote is where the minds of Repubs are. I have two Repub parents. I avoid talking politics with them. But I think what I wrote summarizes how they feel.

That would be an incredibly stupid person saying those things about Democrats, wouldn’t it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Huh? The things I posted in the OP are not controversial

I'm just wondering how to understand how this person is a Republican

Maybe they don't agree with all of it

I'm pretty sure they grew up in the South and are religious, so that might be part of it

The things you posted in the OP are not true.
I suspect that you have many other friends who are Republican. They will never admit it to you because you have shown yourself to be judgmental based on your own beliefs. Instead of considering the ramifications of some of the liberal policy views (heavy redistribution of income, lack of desire to enforce our borders, reluctance to fund the military, viewing the SCOTUS as an extended branch of our legislative branch), you assume that all your beliefs are in the best interest of our citizens.
Branch out. Read more. Seek out varied sources of information. Do some research. Meet new people who have views different from your own. And, try to not be so judgmental about the beliefs and motives of others. You have said your friend is kind. That doesn’t surprise me. Most Republicans I know are kind and giving.