Yes, Trump voters know they’re supporting a racist autocrat

To the editor: Robin Abcarian ends her piece on former President Trump’s continued support in the GOP, despite his explicitly authoritarian behavior, with two questions: Are Republicans rational? And, do they care?

My answer is that Republicans are rational, and they do care.

They think they are getting what they want: an authoritarian leader who is anti-democracy, racist, sexist and vengeful.

Too many journalists seem to discount this, believing that once these voters know more, they will abandon Trump. My advice is to listen to his supporters, and you will know they are getting what they want.

If he is convicted and even imprisoned, he will be in a better position to get the support of various miscreants. And such will occur as these people pass themselves off as freedom lovers and patriots.

Barry M. Dank, Palm Desert

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To the editor: About one-third of the U.S. electorate supports Trump. It does no good to characterize all these folks as irrational.

A better approach may be to consider that their opinions may have a rational basis, and then try to understand how they arrive at their conclusions.

America is simply not working for many folks. Many members of the Republican base are in a state of desperation, where it is natural to want to shake things up and make a new start. Trump understands this.

Republican voters may worry about subverting democracy, but they may quite rationally give higher priority to improving their own prospects.

To me, the central issue is income inequality and the role of the tax code in making it worse. A sustainable society needs to offer hope, opportunity and a safety net to those who need one.

Catering to the billionaire class does not accomplish this. The tax breaks available to those who can navigate the system reward both Democrats and Republicans alike, making it extremely difficult to make headway on tax reform.

But this would be a good place to start.

James Shirley, Simi Valley

To the editor: Robin Abcarian ends her piece on former President Trump’s continued support in the GOP, despite his explicitly authoritarian behavior, with two questions: Are Republicans rational? And, do they care?

My answer is that Republicans are rational, and they do care.

They think they are getting what they want: an authoritarian leader who is anti-democracy, racist, sexist and vengeful.

Too many journalists seem to discount this, believing that once these voters know more, they will abandon Trump. My advice is to listen to his supporters, and you will know they are getting what they want.

If he is convicted and even imprisoned, he will be in a better position to get the support of various miscreants. And such will occur as these people pass themselves off as freedom lovers and patriots.

Barry M. Dank, Palm Desert

..

To the editor: About one-third of the U.S. electorate supports Trump. It does no good to characterize all these folks as irrational.

A better approach may be to consider that their opinions may have a rational basis, and then try to understand how they arrive at their conclusions.

America is simply not working for many folks. Many members of the Republican base are in a state of desperation, where it is natural to want to shake things up and make a new start. Trump understands this.

Republican voters may worry about subverting democracy, but they may quite rationally give higher priority to improving their own prospects.

To me, the central issue is income inequality and the role of the tax code in making it worse. A sustainable society needs to offer hope, opportunity and a safety net to those who need one.

Catering to the billionaire class does not accomplish this. The tax breaks available to those who can navigate the system reward both Democrats and Republicans alike, making it extremely difficult to make headway on tax reform.

But this would be a good place to start.

James Shirley, Simi Valley