social issues – Jason A Woodruff

There can be no doubt that Trump’s supporters are hugely supportive and proud of the president. Many feel that he has done amazing things that are unparalleled in the history of the U.S. Republic. Detractors, on the other hand, are quick to point out that he has leveraged political processes to promote his own personal interests. It’s dizzying to realize that we are viewing an American landscape from two different lenses. This is Trump’s America.

Trump Supporters

It is clear that Trump has done everything within his power to address the demands of his base. Through the nomination of conservative judges to massive deregulation, Trump is clearly hitting his base with their wishes. Here’s a list of Trump’s accomplishments in this regard:

Slashed the Corporate Tax Rate to 21% from 35%
Cut over 860 Regulations
Nominated over 161 Federal Judges
Nominated 2 Supreme Court Justices
Begun the process to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
Declared a national emergency to fund the Mexico/US Border Wall
Removing previous gun regulations

The president has also engaged in promoting conservative social and religious values including reducing the rights of transgender individuals and overall LGBT issues, repealing abortion funding and support, and removing the requirement of employers to provide contraceptives using religious beliefs as the foundation.

Those who follow president cite these achievements as evidence that the country is on the right track. That the economic growth inherited by Trump was non-existent until after his inauguration -a claim that is easily refuted. Trump supporters, not surprising, find the current environment to be positive.

Detractors

Those not in line with President Trump’s conservative views, on the other hand, have a different view of the country. With major issues such as climate change, racism, and economic inequality growing, they view the current state of the country as being in peril.

Nowhere is this more clear than in the perceived corruption going on within the Trump administration. The first two years of Trump’s presidency were colored by the Mueller investigations look into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. The results of the investigation laid out 10 instances of possible obstruction by the president while, at the same time, not finding conclusive evidence of collusion between the campaign and Russia. Further corruption includes Trump’s repeated belief that it is legal to seek election advice and interference from foreign entities. All of these facts are dismissed by supporters of the president -despite extensive evidence for both.

Two Realities

The clear takeaway from both supporters and detractors of the president is that we are seeing the existence of two realities within the fabric of American politics. Faith in political ideology leads both sides to fail to seek common ground and -most importantly- fervent devotion to each individual ideology. Conservatives rally around the president for feverishly passing through legislation and executive order a conservative agenda. Centrists and Liberals rally around the congressional majority as a means to provide oversight on the perceived recklessness of the Trump administration.

Stuck in the middle is everyone else. The media walks a fine line between reporting the facts (which are often denigrated by the administration as being fake news) and appeasing the winds of political ideology. The nation stands divided and our longstanding institutions are coming under fire from both sides. The two realities that exist in this country will no doubt continue to drift further apart -testing the very constitutional framework that defines the American experiment. All of this leads to a very uncertain future for countless Americans.

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I’ve been debating on getting into politics. I mean, I could dedicate a portion of my blog to political commentary, but I want to do more. The only question is how?

To set some backdrop, I am a gay American. I’ve been out of the closet since 1997. I helped set up an Gay and Straight Alliance in High School. I was a member of a local gay youth group. I dabbled in drag. I’ve also done drugs. Lots of them -many years ago, that is. I’ve been clean for almost 2 decades now. Does this bar me from getting into politics?

To add further backdrop, I’ve also partaken in protests. When the Occupy Movement broke out, I was in college in Chicago. I was one of ‘those’ protesters who occupied the park along Michigan Avenue. I loved it. While I’ve grown for my love of business since then, it left a mark on my psyche.

The current political climate is really encouraging me to consider getting more into politics -perhaps even running for an office. Yet, what are my views? Is there room in the political discourse for me?

Where social issues are concerned, I’m pro-individualism. Basically, I believe that people are responsible for their own choices in life. If the government is going to offer a set of benefits for one segment of its population, then it needs to offer that same set of benefits for ALL segments of its population. Further, if you need assistance from the government for food, healthcare, childcare, or whatever, then you need to make sure that you can prove -beyond a shadow of doubt- that you truly need the assistance. I won’t give money to my friends and family if they are just going to take that money and spend it on drugs.

Abortion is one slippery slope that doesn’t need to be a slippery slope. If you choose to have intercourse without protection or birth control, and get pregnant, then you should be held accountable for that mistake. This is the 21st century, after all. We shouldn’t even be having this discussion. Rape and molestation, on the other hand, are different matters. How is this an argument? How is this divisive?

Where the military is concerned, I believe that we should have a strong military apparatus that is capable of handling situations as they develop. We shouldn’t be afraid to back down for our ideals. We also shouldn’t bow down to dictators and governments that don’t share our ideals and vision for the world. America, since WWII, has taken a proactive role in maintaining the peace and stability of the world. We owe it to our ancestors to keep that going -they gave the ultimate sacrifice in fighting Fascism and Socialism.

Perhaps what frightens me most about wanting to serve in some capacity is that I’m too frank. I can see gray areas. I can see both sides of the aisle. I’m not beholden to one party over the other -and I most certainly will not choose party over country. Most importantly, I’d promote unity over division. Patriotism over profit. Empowerment over subjectivity. Still plenty of things to think about.

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