If there ever was a one-issue voter, it’s my former classmate Jay. He’s obsessed with Putin, and his hatred of the Russian president borders on pathological. And yes, it’s me saying this, so you can imagine how bad it is. When Jay is on his dying bed, it will be enough to say to him, “Look, there’s Putin!”, and Jay will jump up and rush along to spit on the object of his virulent hatred.
So you can imagine how stunned I was to hear that Jay is a Trump supporter.
“But how is this possible, Jay?” I ask. “Trump is the only candidate who keeps singing Putin’s praise. And you know how much Putin loves Trump.”
“Oh, but Trump doesn’t really mean it,” Jay waves me off. “It’s a ploy to trick Putin into complacency and then deliver a fatal blow.”
Kay, a colleague of mine, is not as much of a one-issue person as Jay but she’s pretty heavily into pro-Israel activism. We all know not to mention Israel or Palestine in her presence if we are to spare ourselves an endless rant about the importance of doing all we can to protect Israel.
You can imagine, of course, how taken aback I was when Kay said she was going to vote for Trump.
“But, Kay, didn’t Trump say he was indifferent towards Israel and not interested in moderating the relationship between Israel and Palestine?”
“Yes, but he didn’t really mean it,” Kay shrugs.
“Didn’t you notice that he is supported by the KKK, though?” I persist. “You are Jewish; doesn’t it bother you to be on the same side with these folks?”
“But they don’t really. . .”
“Mean it, yes, got it,” I grumble.
Fay, a former colleague from back at Cornell has been trying to get in touch. She used to volunteer for a non-profit that was offering legal and financial assistance to undocumented immigrants. I’m wary of reconnecting with Fay, though, because I fear hearing yet another “But he doesn’t really mean it!” If even Fay comes at me with this statement, I might lose all faith in humanity. Issues aside, I will never understand why people would want to vote for somebody who, in their opinion, doesn’t mean any of what he says.
Clarissa's Blog 
Issues aside, I will never understand why people would want to vote for somebody who, in their opinion, doesn’t mean any of what he says.
Is Jay’s life directly affected in any way by Putin?
Does Kay have a personal stake in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? Does she read as middle class white or does she have to make decisions about what she wears while traveling and how early she gets to the airport to account for screening?
It’s either weapons-grade, bath-salts level denial and/or they’re really not affected if these policies come to pass or an attempt to pass them is made. I think a lot of people decide that they like or dislike someone and then decide on the reasons for doing so, tossing out any fact which would contradict their decision.
“He Doesn’t Mean It”
“Stop asking me about this and provoking cognitive dissonance.”
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“Is Jay’s life directly affected in any way by Putin? Does Kay have a personal stake in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?”
“I think a lot of people decide that they like or dislike someone and then decide on the reasons for doing so, tossing out any fact which would contradict their decision.”
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