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Comment by thedevil | Hacker News Reader

> I didn't vote for Trump, but I do identify with some of the beliefs of those who did, and I can tell you that the rhetoric I'm hearing from many of the most vocal left is pushing the middle away.

I'm in the exact same boat. I don't like Trump at all and this move frightens me. But my friends who argued for Trump actually had more logical arguments and my friends who opposed Trump actually mostly just insulted the people who voted for Trump.

How is anyone going to listen to us if we just insult them?

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why are we giving so much benefit of the doubt to trump and trumps supporters

not only is this move ridiculous but it was executed with no foresight. now border agents are forced to make ad hoc decisions because it went into effect immediately. trump supporters cheering and claiming its just temporary, to give us time to "figure out whats going on" are deluding themselves. they rush through a ridiculous, anti-american order and now somehow they are going to make it all better.

trump supporters are a minority of the country. they won this time but i dont see any reason to pander to them.

Well, we definitely should not pander to them.

I actually think most people (Trump supporters, you, me, everyone) vote mostly based on identity (liberal/conservative, religion, race, open-minded, well-mannered, etc). I think Trump supporters mostly voted for the party that they most identified with, the guy they thought was on their side. And I think you did the same. (I see myself as unaligned and open-minded, thus I voted for someone else as I found both sides to be extreme and closed-minded.)

But, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe most Trump supporters are horrible people. But they are still people. Like you and me, they have a dark and a noble side. And, just like you and me, they are not going to listen to the reasons of someone who insults them.

So what do we gain from demonizing them? We only lose influence.

Trump supporter here. Unfortunately not a citizen, so I couldn't vote. I believe, as do many people in the world, that US Presidential Election is worth following due to the influence that USA has on the rest of the world.

You are right about the ideology being very important. I originally supported Rand Paul [1] and moved to Trump when Paul dropped out. I wish either Ron Paul or Rand Paul would be the nominee of GOP and sincerely believe that is the purest form of Republicanism that currently exists out there. I support both the ideology and the priorities that both of them are pushing. However, since we couldn't get Rand Paul, Trump was the next best choice this season.

I can't stand any of the Democrats right now. I wish they instead nominated someone like Elon Musk, who would cut on identity politics, political correctness and similar things that are being pushed so hard to divide us instead of uniting us; e pluribus unum. I would like to see a future nominee focus on the scientific and technological development, abolishment or at least a reform of the patent system, ending NSA spying, etc.

[1] https://randpaul.com/issues

certainly bubbles exist on both sides but only one side is proudly anti-intellectual, anti-science, increasingly anti-reason, etc etc

people have dark and noble sides, sure, but the balance of them is not always the same

at protests in nyc last night people were chanting for love and no hate, all our welcome, this is your land.

maybe that's corny, but compare that to "lock her up" and "build the wall"

there is a right and there is a wrong.

youre a sith bro

Do you think its possible to change their minds?

Yes. If it weren't possible to influence people's political positions, I think we wouldn't have campaigns or other political movements or organizations.

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