/popcorn

[NorrinRadd]

Here in Canada, 16% of Canadians would vote for Trump rather than Biden. Trump's support is highest in Alberta, my home province, at 32%.

I'd guess that maybe 5% of the members of my congregation are Trump supporters. The reasons I have heard for supporting Trump are mostly idiotic ("Trump made it legal to say 'Merry Christmas' again"). The members that I know support Trump are mostly older (aged 70 plus). I keep telling myself that these people are basically supporting Trump out of ignorance, but in the interest of keeping the peace I have never had a serious discussion with any of them. I figure it best if we don't have fist fights breaking out in the church parking lot after our Sunday service..

My two "best friends", both non-Christian, are strong Trump supporters. Over the last few years, both have made comments which can only be interpreted as being racist, sexist, bigoted, and hateful. I should perhaps clarify that these are my "former best friends", since I'm in the process of delicately extricating them from my life. I've reached the sad conclusion that there are people I've known for over forty years that I apparently didn't know at all.

I live in western PA, just barely into the "Pennsyltucky" zone. My family is mostly ELCA Lutheran. The older generation is rather moderate, and normally could go either way, but I think Bad Orange Man annoys them, while Sniffin' Joe seems to them more affable and avuncular. The younger generation, predictably, is much more eagerly left-leaning, and are signs-in-the-yard Bidenites.

My friends, by contrast -- both online and IRL -- are mostly Pentecostal/Charismatic, secondarily generic Evangelical, maybe one or two Catholics. They are mostly in their 50s and 60s. They are mostly staunch supporters of Bad Orange Man. My best friend's son and DIL are around age 40, and they also are firm MAGA-philes. Many of us had Bad Orange Man as a distant *last* choice in the primaries in 2016, and only reluctantly voted for him in the general election. (The alternative would have been to abstain. We would never vote for a pro-choice candidate.) Most of us have been delighted and a bit surprised by his performance as POTUS, and are *eager* to vote for him this time. "Merry Christmas" has little or nothing to do with it. We like the judges and Justices he's appointed. We like that he's wrestling with China. We like that he at least tried something different with NoKo. We like that he's wrestling with Iran. We like that he's trying to disentangle and bring troops home. We like that he's tried to do tangible things against Planned Parenthood. We like that he's taking tangible actions against illegal immigration. We like the relationship with Israel, and the long-overdue relocation of the embassy. We like the sanctions against the Ruskies and the aid to Ukraine. We like the pre-Covid roaring economy, with record low unemployment rates and nice rise in median income. And some of us -- not all -- actually like that he responds vigorously to criticism, rather than the usual Republican response that basically amounts to, "Thank you sir! May I have another?"

[Whateverman]

There is ample credible evidence that Joe is corrupt, dishonest, racist, and sexually creepy.

Not really, no. And, to be frank, the kind of evidence you'd point to would indict the current so-called president of much, much worse.

Also, to be precise, I'm not saying that Bad Orange Man is morally better, just that he is no worse.

He *is* worse, though, and we have mountains of evidence for that. For starters, Biden hasn't been lying to the cameras every day for the past 4 years straight, but Drumpf has. Multiple times every day.

[Sparko]

I was thinking about voting for Hillary Clinton when her comment came out. It cost her my vote when I realized she would still think I'm deplorable even if I voted for her. It's also when I really realized that when I'm voting for President, I'm voting for policies and not personality. I think that is why all the hammering at Trump's personality doesn't cause mass defections. People know Biden has a better personality (although I've read he has a temper off stage) but they look at the policies that would come with a Biden presidency and decide they don't want that.

yup. I can't stand Trump as a person. He is rude, obnoxious, smug, demeaning, and an egomaniac. But I know the policies he will support and which ones Biden will support. And I have to go with Trump. Now if it were Trump against Pence, I would not even hesitate to vote for Pence. I like his policies and his personality and I think he actually walks the walk when it comes to his faith.