My old high school friend shared a post a few days ago that promised discounted Forever stamps from the United States Post Office. USPS is having a stamp sale! Cool beans! Needing stamps, I checked it out.
Remembering “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is” led me to search the USPS site. No joy. No mention of a stamp sale. A quick Google search turned up multiple fact checks rating it False. Okey-dokey. I’ll pass.
So why am I telling you this? Because I think the interaction with my friend illustrates the difference between us and them. He’s a conservative Republican. Plans to vote for Trump. Has politics the polar opposite of mine. But he’s an intelligent, reasonable person who receives and processes information just like I do. Right? Uh, not so fast.
I included a link to one of the fact checks about the stamp scam in my response. No problem. He’ll read it, realize it’s a scam, and delete the scam post. His response:
That drove home the difference between us and them. If I believe something and learn it’s false, I change my mind. If they believe something and learn it’s false, they double down. It explains how Trump, the convicted felon serial adulterer who had unprotected sex with a porn star while his wife sat home with their 4-month old infant, still has the support of nearly half the electorate. Many of whom call themselves Christians.
They disbelieve information that disagrees with their preconceived notions. They believe Trump is a good person, so Trump must be a good person. They believe Joe Biden weaponized the Department of Justice against Trump, so it must be true. They believe Internet memes are factual, so…
There is NOTHING we can do to change their minds. Not even a little.
Are we any better? I think we are. Granted, most people’s core beliefs stick with them. I’m a Democrat. Will I stick with that? Well, 68 years so far says yes, as do my other core beliefs such as equality and fairness and democracy. Will I maintain unshakeable belief in every Democrat no matter what?
Hell no. For example, if Senator Bob Menendez is convicted of the charges against him by a jury, I’ll wave goodbye as he’s carted off to orange jumpsuit land. Is that what Republicans would do? Well, you be the judge. Four out of five Republicans say Trump’s conviction makes them more likely to vote for him. Double-U. Tee. Eff??
That brings me to President Joe Biden. Is he old? Yeah. Do I agree with him on every issue. Naw. Could we do better? Dunno. But is he a better choice than former president Donald J. Trump? (Side note: In the original German, his name is Donald (6) Johann (6) Drumpf (6). The mark of the beast. Just sayin’.) So is Biden a better choice?
I’m not like my friend. My opinions aren’t written in stone. I see and acknowledge the president’s weaknesses. I see and acknowledge his strengths. My opinion is that unlike the other guy, President Biden’s strengths objectively outweigh his weaknesses. And that’s why I’m voting for him this November.…Read more by
