I would really like to sit down with white women who voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 election so that they could help me to understand why the majority of them voted for him. I realize that this would be extremely hard – if not impossible – to do because, due in no small part to Mr. Trump’s “us against them” rhetoric, I am likely viewed as the enemy because I am a person of color. In Mr. Trump’s America, it is American white people against the world!
Many of the headlines after the election reflect the fact that many women, and not just women of color, were dumbfounded and confused when they discovered that the majority of white women voted for Mr. Trump. Following are a few of those headlines:
New York Times: White Women Helped Elect Donald Trump
New York Times: White Women Voted Trump. Now What?
Popsugar: More Than Half of White Women in the US Voted For Trump, but Why?
Quartz: American women voted overwhelmingly for Clinton, except the white ones
The Guardian: White and wealthy voters gave victory to Donald Trump, exit polls show
Slate: White Women Sold Out the Sisterhood and the World by Voting for Trump
Fortune: Why Did So Many White Women Vote for Donald Trump?
HuffPost: Dear Fellow White Women: We F**ked This Up
As of the time that I began to write this paragraph, according to howlonghasdonaldtrumpbeenpresident.com, Mr. Trump had held the Oval Office for 1 year, 173 days, 7 hours, 9 minutes and 30 seconds. During that time, he has expressed great admiration for almost every strongman leader in the world and picked fights with and denigrated all of our allies. He has expressed a special fondness for Russia president Vladimir Putin and painstakingly avoided saying anything negative about him while at the same time also denigrating the FBI and CIA and trashing many of the hallmark programs, laws and policies that are a great part of what makes America America! He also parrots the ideals and ideas put forward by Mr. Putin and seems to view the world from Mr. Putin’s perspective. What makes matters even worse is that he is not alone in what he is doing. He is regularly being enabled by the spineless Republican-led congress that is hell-bent on protecting him. And it is also worth noting that while he is on his current trip in Europe he plans on having a one-on-one meeting with president Putin with no other Americans in the room with them.
Recently Mr. Trump submitted the name of his second nominee to sit on the Supreme Court. That nominee is Brett Kavanaugh. He is a controversial selection for a number of reasons. Among those reasons are review articles that he has written regarding how presidents should be exempt from civil lawsuits and criminal investigations or prosecutions while in office. Whether a U.S. president should be exempt from civil lawsuits and criminal investigations or prosecutions while in office is something that is certain to come before the Supreme Court for a ruling sooner than later. He has also written review articles that indicate that he might possess a bias related to Obamacare and Roe v. Wade. If this is the case and Judge Kavanaugh is confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice, the side that he comes down on in a ruling regarding Obamacare and Roe v. Wade has the potential to have a grave negative impact on these very women who played a great part in putting Mr. Trump in the White House.
With the trade war that he has started we are already witnessing the negative impact that his decision is having on farmers, those in the rust belt and others in key areas around the country who were also a part of those who were instrumental in pushing him over the finish line ahead of Secretary Hillary Clinton. With the way that Mr. Trump has conducted himself since he was elected and the way that he continues to conduct himself now, it is obvious that he is first and foremost concerned about the best interest of Donald J. Trump. And then – if it smoothly dovetails with his best interest, maybe conducting the business of America and looking out for her best interest and that of her citizens.
Again, congress is well aware of this and yet they do absolutely nothing to stop the problem or even mitigate it. They fail to employ the checks and balances that are available to them because they are afraid of Mr. Trump’s base. They are afraid that if they do the right thing and speak out against him and what he is doing they will be primaried; they will lose their jobs. So rather than defend the Constitution as they were sworn to do and serve the American people as they were elected to do, they have chosen to pursue their personal ambitions and serve their party rather than to serve America! What a pity that these so-called statesmen who were elected to serve America have instead chosen to serve Mr. Trump. History will not look kindly upon them.
Notwithstanding all of the frustration and turmoil that we are currently experiencing as a result of Mr. Trump’s antics and the endless aid that he is being afforded by and under the auspices of this invertebrate and shameless Republican-led congress, it is our responsibility as American citizens and voters to continue to fight to preserve our democracy. We must become and remain informed and get out and always vote. If those whom we have elected refuse to perform their sworn duty, then we must replace them! So whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent always remember, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it!
Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line