Is Donald Trump Our Teacher?

Let him point the way toward political transformation.

Most likely you’ve never thought of Trump as a teacher because of the negativity that he stirs up. This is especially true if you are concerned about the environment, human rights, income inequality, good government…., i.e. what are being called “progressive values.” However, I ask this question in the spirit that one would ask about a life-threatening illness like AIDS, or an addiction such as alcoholism. How do we turn this situation around into a life changing transformation?

This question is what psychologists would call a “re-frame.” It is saying: “get out of the rut and look at the problem from a new angle, or with a new lens.” And in this case, it shifts attention from the suffering and the accompanying self-pity that accompany an illness to what we can learn and the power that we do have. Phrases with a similar intent are: “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” “everything happens for a reason….,” and “see the silver lining.”

So, in that spirit, let’s look at some lessons from Trump and how we could shift our thinking in the way Einstein suggests, by not trying to “solve problems with the same kind of thinking we used when we created them” but into the possibilities of a political transformation.

I’ve had a lot of training in the “same kind of thinking,” having spent five decades of work in the major media covering elections and surveys. But in 1969–79 I was one of the founders of the gay liberation movement, so I’ve experienced first hand how a new way of thinking comes into being in oneself, spreads to other kindred spirits who develop it, and eventually spreads throughout the country. With that experience, I see possibilities today for a new way of thinking arising from the damages inflicted by our current president. I’m starting with the following three lessons.

Three Lessons from the Donald

1. Polarization Weakens Us.

The polarization in the country has been growing over the years, but Trump has taken it to new levels, showing how it can cover over his massive lies and incompetence and justify his policies that create needless fear and pain. A fitting analogy is that he brings steel wool to the divisions and wounds of the country.

There will be push back this November and the rallying cry will be anti-Trump. Hopefully it will be enough to stop his momentum, but will it change the long term trends? Pursuing progressive values requires a government that works, not a polarized one. While the years before Trump may look good in comparison, let’s not forget the trend in income inequality, destruction of the environment, high cost of education….

2. Our Votes are Powerful

In the span of one voting day in November,2016, we have instigated untold damage to the environment, our democratic institutions, and to the health and lives of the vast majority of Americans and their children. We can only imagine what kind of government we could elect if our votes were more aligned in our best interests and those of the next generation.

The United States as a whole sure doesn’t get the power in voting. In 2014, the last midterm election, 63% of those eligible did not vote. And to put the polarization of 2016 into perspective, 29.2% of those eligible voted for Clinton and 27.9% voted for Trump. Many people weren’t counted in this great divide, over 40% to be exact. It could be much more fruitful to focus energies on expanding the electorate rather than in heightening the tribal warfare.

3. We Care A Lot

The daily persistence of pain from a life-threatening illness can be a constant reminder to stop looking the other way and to do something. Since you are reading this, you have likely felt anger, fear, and sadness from the last election that is still re-ignited at times when you read the news. These feelings are showing us just how important government is to us, and they could be a call to become more active in our political life.

Many people have heard this call. Organizations independent of the political parties have sprung up after the election to fight Trump, the most notable being Indivisible, which is patterned after the Tea Party and, of course, the large turnout for the protest marches, especially the Women’s marches, such as the new movements: #metoo and #neveragain. This certainly could be called the “silver lining.”

The Personal — Political Perspective of Voting

The growing spirit of resistance reminds me of my life in the ‘70’s at the start of what was then called the gay liberation movement. It arose on the backs of the movements for Civil Rights and then Women’s Liberation. We looked at the intersection of the personal and political, how our passivity and acceptance of guilt and shame around our sexuality supported our oppression. This led to taking risky individual steps, like Coming Out, which could only make sense with the support of others and in the context of a movement for change.

A key phrase that inspired this change was “the personal is political” which we borrowed from Women’s Liberation. I see this process continuing in the #metoo movement, with victims shifting the blame from themselves to the perpetrators and social conventions that foster abuse.

It is this same personal-political perspective that I want to bring to voting. Instead of feeling powerless and blaming the politicians or the “system,” let’s look at our own attitudes toward voting and our behaviors toward each other and see how they support the status quo. Let’s also consider new attitudes and behaviors around voting in ourselves, develop them, and find ways of spreading them to others to increase turnout and informed votes that improve our lives together .

Here are future pieces I envision from this personal-political perspective:

— How do we portray the power of voting so that more people consistently show up to vote for improving our lives? “Civic duty” is the reason most given for voting, but it works best for people who most enjoy the status quo.

— Would you believe that many of your friends don’t vote regularly? I’ll present survey research to back that up. The good news is that this knowledge gives you the opportunity to mobilize the vote through your own networks.

— Can we bring the spirit of a political demonstration into voting? Politicians evaluate protest demonstrations in terms of whether they will translate into votes that affect them. Let’s make the connection really clear for them and motivate ourselves as we do it. One possibility: encourage taking pictures of ourselves in the act, put a caption on what motivates us, and post it on the candidate’s feeds, and save it for future complaints?

— How can we be most effective in the November election? It will sure be about Trump, but rather than contributing to the tribal warfare, can we use it as a time to pursue a positive vision that will encourage regular voting in primaries and local elections?

— What technology can help us bring out our vote? How about an app for reaching friends in key states and House districts for November? We could also share talking points with each other to use in personal conversations to lift the tribal dialogue to a larger vision, and to encourage voting among the more alienated.

Speaking of technology, there are tools in Medium to make this writing more collaborative. If you highlight a phrase, you will see options to: highlight it for others, make it part of your public comment, tweet it, or attach a private comment just to me. You can also share your public comments below or join an existing conversation. And clicking on the clapping icon will encourage Medium to share this piece with others.

If this piece resonates with you in some way, please use these tools to connect with me. It will go a long way. I’m putting out some big ideas in this piece that need development. I still have some of the fire of that young activist in me, but I also have the analytic mind and cynicism of my 50 years as an elections analyst. And frankly, writing has always difficult for me.

However, I feel supported by the many others who are pushed out of their comfort zone by the need for political change right now. And I do believe this personal — political perspective, if developed by kindred spirits, could lead to more leverage on politicians to improve our lives through the most direct way we have, through our votes. Getting this started is the first step.

I keep remembering that every time there is something in the news to make me cringe.

Thanks to Chris Sowers.