We can't "bring down the temperature"

[marmar]

Biden wants Americans to "bring down the temperature" — but MAGA will not let that happen
In conversations with Republican voters, we learned why they shun “unity”

By Amanda Marcotte
Senior Writer
Published November 12, 2024 6:00AM (EST)


(Salon) In the wake of Donald Trump's devastating win last week, Democrats have fallen back on an old habit and are now trying to coax better behavior out of Republicans. In his Rose Garden speech acknowledging the loss, President Joe Biden begged, "Something I hope we can do no matter who you voted for is see each other not as adversaries but as fellow Americans, bring down the temperature." Striking a similar note in their statement, Barack and Michelle Obama asked people to "listen to each other," adding that "progress requires us to extend good faith and grace—even to people with whom we deeply disagree." There are no limits to the faith that modeling good behavior will cause Republicans to shape up, apparently.

....(snip)....

I don't blame Democrats for Vice President Kamala Harris's loss, but this rhetoric is frustrating. The underlying sentiment that people should debate in good faith sounds nice but is ultimately empty. Only liberals are interested in listening to this "tone it down" advice, but when your opposition is coming at you with the fury of a deranged chimpanzee, turning the other cheek only gets you killed. You cannot turn down the temperature when one side keeps setting the furniture on fire.

....(snip)....

Conversations with Republican voters and speeches at the RNC made it clear that their idea of "unity" is conformity. That the obstacle to "unity" was all these liberated women and queer people and minorities and academics and artists who keep insisting on being different than what MAGA wants everyone to be. Implicit in many discussions about "unity" was a hope that all those liberals would shut up, bend the knee, go back into the closet, or whatever else it takes to hide or eradicate difference.

....(snip)....

Worse, it is a subtle form of victim-blaming, as it implies that the targets of defamation can make it stop by responding with gentleness instead of anger. This fallacy was amply disproved by the "cat-eating Haitians" lie. The people who were harmed by this lie — the Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio — were too small and scared a group of people to respond. They largely kept their mouths shut or spoke only anonymously to reporters. Many of them literally hid in their houses for weeks, hoping it would all blow over. This quiet response did nothing to slow down the lies. That's because it was never about them. They were just a useful punching bag for fascist leaders, who needed a hate object to dangle in front of their deluded supporters. ...................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2024/11/12/biden-wants-americans-to-bring-down-the-temperature--but-maga-will-not-let-that-happen/

[genxlib]

1. Why would they

They won with "in your face" when they were being judged.

Why would they behave better when they aren't up for re-election

There are only two reasons to tone it down.

1) For safety because confrontation could get ugly.

2) To allow them to show their worst impulses for who they are without mitigating circumstances.

[Theproletariat]

4. We do not need confrontation

The last thing we need is confrontation with the right. That would be a losing battle. We need to beat them intellectually.

[bluesbassman]

6. Intellectually? How's that work out in the street?

I live in Texas. These knuckledraggers have come out of the woodwork since the election. There were a few flags in the back of their black smoke belching pickups before he won, now they’re everywhere. My community Facebook page is almost unreadable as it’s filled with “Libtard” bashing. I saw the most ignorant and yes stupid reasons for voting for Trump prior to the election, but now I see and hear even worse proclamations of how the MAGA cult is going to “save” America and remake it into their vision of god’s paradise on Earth.

So tell me, how do you propose to “beat them intellectually” when they’re to stupid to even understand what the hell you’re talking about?

[Farmer-Rick]

25. Yeah, Trump and MAGAts always listen to reason

Now is not the time to lower the temperature. If Dems do, it means Trump can continue on his perverted little dictatorial fascist regime with absolutely no consequences. At least give them some amount of pushback.

We should get a stop the king of the US rally going.

[Theproletariat]

38. Not really sure about a solution

But we need to prevent things from going kinetic. Nobody wins if we start fighting each other.

[RJ_MacReady]

9. nice sentiment

But not really the current reality.

[mdbl]

13. The right has been confronting decency and civil society for 40 years

and it's still getting worse. They will NEVER behave like human beings but more like a bunch of chimpanzees in heat.

[orangecrush]

19. Congratulations on 7 posts

[paleotn]

22. What? Horse shit. And when does confrontation always mean violence?

MLK was quite confrontational. Oh, and intellectual as well.

[Biophilic]

23. Thank you, best laugh I've had all day.

[liberalgunwilltravel]

24. Intellectually? Are you serious?

Hitler and Mussolini were not beaten intellectually. And neither will Trump and his MAGAt hordes be. One of the prime enemies of the MAGAts are the "intellectual elites." People who want to save our republic from fascism better wake up soon and be ready to literally fight for it.

[k55f5r]

31. Pol Pot comes to mind...

He killed people because they wore glasses and looked smart. He turned Burma into Miramar which is the epitome of a s*** hole country.

[multigraincracker]

28. With every opportunity I try to use humor.

I've found they can't handle it. They have to stop and think about it, leaving enough time to get away.

[tulipsandroses]

2. I agree wholeheartedly. Especially that 3rd paragraph

I will not conform. I will not stop calling out their bigotry.

[Johnny2X2X]

3. Trump fans are showing up to Jewish events with Nazi flags

And the Right in general thinks it's hilarious.

[Aviation Pro]

5. "I feel threatened."

Bang. Laugh at that, motherfuckers.

[lastlib]

10. And we're supposed to sing Kumbaya with these monsters??

Thanks, but HELL, NO!

Until they come around with respect for ALL people, no matter who or what they are, I ain't holding hands with them.

[progressoid]

26. And a few days ago you would hear on right wing media that it is the left that hates Jews

I haven't checked out their media lately, cuz fuck them, but before the election they went on and on about how only the GOP and the Orange Anus can save the Jews.

[Blue Full Moon]

7. The republicans have considered this a war

[Hotler]

8. I have nothing nice to say except, Joe, head to the safe house. I suggest not going to the inauguration,

you could be arrested.

[ScratchCat]

11. Great article

Conversations with Republican voters and speeches at the RNC made it clear that their idea of "unity" is conformity. That the obstacle to "unity" was all these liberated women and queer people and minorities and academics and artists who keep insisting on being different than what MAGA wants everyone to be. Implicit in many discussions about "unity" was a hope that all those liberals would shut up, bend the knee, go back into the closet, or whatever else it takes to hide or eradicate difference.

This hits the nail on the head. This echoes their world view that Republicans/Conservatives are the Cowboys(good guys) and Democrats/Liberals are the Indians(who everyone knows are the bad guys). In their world, "everyone knows" that liberals(or gays, or black people, etc..) are bad people who want all sorts of bad stuff. There's no debate or discussion to be had. Anyone who identifies as "progressive" or "liberal" is naturally a bad person in their world. Who could see it otherwise, they say? That's where we are with them.

Again, great article.

[txwhitedove]

12. Turning the other cheek only ever got me beat up. My own family has harangued and laughed

at me during MAGA era. I can stand up to bullies, but it's exhausting.

[DAngelo136]

14. History doesn't repeat itself...

but it often rhymes...said Mark Twain.

I am afraid that we failed to learn the lessons of history and now we will pay for the ignorance. We are all ANTIFA now

[orangecrush]

15. "Bring down the temperature"

You gotta be shitting me.

[usedtobedemgurl]

16. Listen to the other side?!?!

Listen as they say, "Your body, my choice.". Or maybe when they send out texts telling people to report to the fields for cotton picking duty? Or how about listening when they say Jews will not replace them? Wtf???

[Farmer-Rick]

30. Yeah

And that so so racist comment that all his MAGAts cheered on.

"Poison the blood of our country" He/Trump was talking about Hispanic immigrants at that time. It's a quote from his buddy that lost WWII, Hitler.

Those Hispanics who voted for their own tormentors and torturers, have got to be all masochist or stupid. Did they not listen to his words???

It's about them being the wrong race. It's not about if they have the right paperwork to be in the US. All Hispanic citizens are just as vulnerable as the undocumented workers at Tyson slaughter houses.

[AverageOldGuy]

17. The only temperature I will change

Is to rain as much hell fire down on every MAGAt I know.

[onecaliberal]

18. REPUBLICANS WANT TO BURN OUR COUNTRY DOWN. NOT DEMS.

I get more angry by the day.

[paleotn]

20. For the love of God and all that's good, when will they ever learn?!!!!!!!!

You cannot reason with those people. You can't. It's hopeless. A complete waste of everyone's time and effort. You can either cajole the apolitical middle to join us and outvote them and / or wait until the mother fuckers die off to a point they're no longer a problem. BUT YOU CAN'T REASON WITH THEM!!! SO STOP TRYING!!! IT ONLY MAKES YOU LOOK WEAK!!!

Covid. I'd hoped you'd wash the decks of these morons. You failed.

[HUAJIAO]

21. For all the good he has done, Joe is pretty naive.

[Quixote1818]

27. We need to raise the temperature to white hot. Nt

[babsbunny]

29. I have an example of how they will not bring down the temperature!

I haven't seen my oldest son for 7 years, but 2 years ago his wife got us texting again. So, for 2 years we've been texting, sharing photo's of the Great Grandkids and other family, but as soon as the election was over he relentlessly started texting everything pro-trump, how they are going to get revenge, things from Breitbart and other crazy MAGA, he even sent me the classic Hand Maiden picture saying he's having his wife wear that now. The election wasn't shock enough, he had to make it much, much worse. I had to block his texts.

[Farmer-Rick]

34. Yeah, I'm cutting out all MAGAts from my life

Which is a lot since my state is mostly all MAGAts. I've dropped several exercise classes cause they were all MAGAts and talked politics like I was one of them. I'm trying to find a spot of blue in my MAGAt filled area.

Luckily 70% of my family is normal. Though they are scattered throughout the US.

[Ysabel]

32. No...

I'm trying to work through agoraphobia and a part of the process is to come to terms with my fear. Part of coming to terms with my fear is to realize what is real and what is exaggerated but it's extremely hard to do that when there really are bad guys out there running around!

[taxi]

33. I agree. Let's bring down the temperature.

From now on the political temperature will be read in Centigrade. Water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100.
I will no longer consider every republican to be a complete idiot, merely an extreme half-wit.

[Solly Mack]

36. If only George Floyd and Trayvon Martin had brought down the temperature,

they'd be alive today.

But we could just pretend their deaths were one-offs.

If only Josseli Barnica, Nevaeh Crain, Amber Nicole Thurman, Candi Miller, Taysha Wilkinson-Sobieski, and Yeniifer Alvarez-Estrada Glick had been the model of acceptable conservative womanhood, they'd be alive too.

But we can always pretend that they, too, are one-offs.

Being polite to those intent on causing you harm won't prevent them from causing you harm. Just because you say "Please" and "Thank you" doesn't prevent them from saying, "It's all mine. You can't have any.".


If the clear statement of intent is: "I'm going to cause you pain, even death!".

"Yes. I hear you. Your feelings are valid." is not the solution.

I don't seek to be buried on the high moral ground.

[Initech]

37. You can't expect unity from people who wish you dead for 8 years.

Nope, that ain't happening.