Time for liberals to look in the mirror

Those who pay attention to (or are annoyed by) my posts know that my political views lean to the left. I believe climate change is a threat to the survival of our planet; I despise the NRA and believe it is largely responsible for the epidemic of gun violence and deaths in our nation; I believe in universal health care as a fundamental right; I believe immigrants contribute much more to our nation than they take away, and that a path to citizenship for most undocumented immigrants is the right thing, morally and economically. I believe trickle-down economics is a myth and that the rich should pay more in taxes to pay down national debt and support underfunded entitlement programs.

But I am not a registered Democrat and do not consider myself a liberal, at least as it's typically defined by the liberal establishment in this nation. I don't automatically support labor unions no matter what the topic or cause; in fact, I believe unions often are as driven by self-interest as the corporations and government agencies they battle. I don't agree with teachers' unions on many of the big debates surrounding education, and believe education reform is urgently needed. I don't believe in the legalization of marijuana and other recreational drugs. I believe waste and fraud is a significant problem at all levels of government that the Democratic Party too often ignores. And while I respect a woman's right to choose and have no interest in seeing Roe V. Wade overturned, I do view abortion as a deep moral issue and believe that as a society, we should work together to create policies and a support system that makes it as rare as possible -- something liberals rarely express any interest in discussing. But I still vote with liberals most of the time because I honestly believe that, on the whole, their polices and values are more inclusive, fair and just for all Americans; the liberal values I agree with are much more important to me than the policies on which I differ.

In the wake of this disastrous election for Democrats and the unbelievable rise of Donald Trump, this would be a good time for the liberal establishment in this country to take a long look at itself in the mirror and ask some tough questions. Starting with: How is it that so many Americans who, like me, agree with liberals on the majority of core issues facing this nation regularly vote against them in elections? Is it their fault, or yours?

It probably has a lot to do with perception. A perception that liberals are largely intellectual elites who spend a lot of time trying to tell everyone else what's good for them. A perception that while they speak of the needs and struggles of the poor and disadvantaged, they are much more likely to surround themselves with the well-to-do and really have little idea what goes on in the daily lives of people they claim to speak for (that seemed to be Hillary Clinton's big problem). A perception that they are hostile to organized religion, even when most religions espouse the same moral values they do, and work tirelessly in support of social justice. A perception, in short, that they are condescending, patronizing and arrogant.

As with everything, reconciling reality and perception is more complex. By and large, I believe most liberals are more open-minded and tolerant of opposing views than those on the conservative end of the political spectrum. But as is the case with both political ideologies, the further to the left or right you go, the more intolerance and extremism you will find, along with a disregard for facts and truth. As the country has progressively grown more polarized, the tendency for liberals and conservatives alike has been to further alienate the other side, and those in the middle, rather than search for common ground.

Like many liberals, I've been indignant and outraged over the actions of Donald Trump both before and after he took office, and am still grappling to understand how such a man who lacks basic human decency could possibly be elected president. But I'm also trying to think to the future, how liberals can correct the mistakes they made during this election and appeal to open-minded Trump voters (and they do exist) in red states and districts in two and four years. That doesn't mean compromising their values; it means making a better effort to make these people understand them by trying to connect with them, understand them and convince them that they share the same dreams and ideas for making our nation and world a better place. And it means welcoming people to your tent even if they don't share every element of your political orthodoxy.

The natural response by liberals to Trump might be to dig in their heels, lurch further to the left, and take the fight to all who supported this man for president. I think that would be a mistake. The wiser course, in my opinion, would be to take a long look at the mirror and recognize your role in creating this mess. Ask yourselves why so many people in this country whom you profess to want to help seem to dislike and distrust you so much? If the answer is that they're simply ignorant and uninformed, you may be setting yourself up for more election disasters.