Some of you have heard my story of being one of the first former Trump supporters to denounce Trump after a life-changing dialogue. It took changing my worldview on liberal values, Democratic officials, and marginalized people before seeing the con of Trump. I am going to explain some of the lies that the Republican Party, Trump, and right-wing pundits tell their supporters.
My entire life as a Republican, I believed that Dems were the enemy of our country because they “want to take our rights away and destroy us from within” by making us weak in front of our enemies. I believed that many Dems hated America and were not patriotic. I believed that Dems were anti-Semitic because some criticize Israel.
The claim that Dems are unpatriotic is a lie. Dems may or may not worship a piece of cloth that is our flag, but they value the people of the country and our Constitution that gives us the rights that we cherish. They are patriotic in that they care about the well-being of our soldiers in Afghanistan, especially since Russia has a bounty on them. Dems want the leadership to abide by the Constitution. They support everyone’s right to free speech, and kneeling to the flag is a form of free speech. Standing up for the rights of others is the most patriotic thing any American could do, and Dems do that every day.
Right-wing politicians and pundits claiming that liberals want to hurt God is also a lie. Many Dems are very faithful and actually follow religion through works rather than quoting scripture or putting up idols. They welcome the stranger, including immigrants — documented or undocumented — because they believe in human rights. Life doesn’t stop at pregnancy but continues on after birth. Dems are against the death penalty. They value all forms of life and believe that all human beings have the right to equality: whether white or Black, LGBTQ or straight, they follow the golden rule of love your neighbor as yourself.
Being pro-Israel is also a talking point that Republicans believe they own. They feel any criticism towards the Jewish State is anti-Semitic. That’s also a lie. Dems criticize the Israeli government because of the way they treat Palestinians. It has nothing to do with being the Jewish homeland, and for many years, Israel considered itself to be a democracy. By oppressing a people it’s not fulfilling its role as a democratic country, so they are subject to criticism just like any other government who oppresses people in their land. Dems also fight anti-Semitism, just like any form of bigotry and racism.
Defunding the police is another term that is often misconstrued by right-wing pundits and politicians. Dems fully support public safety; however, they acknowledge that the system needs fixing. Systemic racism doesn’t belong in an organization that’s supposed to protect and serve.
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Written by David Weissman. Cross-posted from DemCast USA.
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