I wrote this in 2024, and today I thought it would be a good day to repost it because of the Blue Wave/ Demo-lition that hit the Republican Party yesterday:

Election Day Musings

November 5, 2024

I have friends and a few family members who support Donald Trump.

Here’s the thing: when I read and hear stories from people who are surprised that their nearest and dearest got sucked into Trump’s cult, they can’t believe it. How could it have happened?

Trump is vile; his positions are vile. How could anyone you cared about, loved, and knew have fallen for Trump?

I care about my friends and family members who proudly support Trump, and I can say without a second thought that I am not surprised they back that creep.

I listened to my friends and family members who belong to the Republican Party when they talked to me about life and where they see themselves in it. I mean, I listened to every word.

I couldn’t stop listening. It was like watching a building burn to the ground, or a traffic accident on the side of the road.

Because of that, I have always heard that edge of darkness in what they say about the world around them—what they don’t like about it and what they think should be done to fix “the problems.”

I write about monsters, I write about darkness, and I’d be a fool if I had not seen those things hiding in the words and views of the people closest to me.

I still care about them. I worry about them. They are lost.

But they aren’t lost to me—yet.