Open Forum: Thinking of Donald Trump after Tuesday's election – The Winchester Star
Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low 44F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%..
Partly cloudy skies this evening. Increasing clouds with periods of showers late. Low 44F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Updated: November 9, 2023 @ 11:29 pm
WENDY WERNER
I had the honor of working the polls for Tuesday’s election.
I stood outside politely greeting folks, asking them to consider my candidate, and thanking them for voting regardless of their voting choice.
I spent the entire day alongside another poll worker with opposite views to mine on every issue. We found no need to call each other names or argue but did exchange some of our differing views with curiosity about why we each thought the way we did. We then went on to talk about our kids, careers, movies, and the gorgeous weather.
This is what democracy looks like folks. A bald eagle even made a few passes overhead that caused great pride and excitement for all of us.
Reactions to asking voters to consider my candidate varied from friendly “no thank yous,” to civility, to ignoring me, to outright aggression.
One woman responded to me by curling her face up into an ugly sneer and spitting out, “Never! Communists!” She was clearly a staunch Republican supporter, and it gave me pause to wonder, had she always been so nasty or has this been since the MAGA movement has modeled and encouraged hate and bullying.
My candidate of choice is a vibrant member of our community pursuing the democratic process and trying to make a difference in people’s lives. She stands for good education, a clean environment, a living wage for working people, women’s rights, and rights for all to be free to love whom they love. Her platform rests on common sense and coming to common ground for all members of the community. This does not scream communism to me.
I wondered if this woman and others with her attitude have thought about what communism is. We have plenty of examples around the world to study.
Donald Trump spent his time during his presidency trashing our allies and building up authoritarian, communist dictators. He praised Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping and wrote “love letters” to Kim Jong Un, the brutal leader of North Korea. He tried to get his supporters to overthrow a free and fair election, the cornerstone of our democracy. He encouraged violence to bypass the U.S. Constitution. He set an angry mob on our Capitol and watched gleefully, doing nothing to stop them, as his supporters desecrated the building, beat police officers, and even threatened to hang his own vice president. He tried by any means possible to stay in power regardless of the outcome of an election.
This, folks, is the very definition of authoritarian leader and a communist regime. If given another shot at the presidency, there will be no going back. He has already promised retribution and chaos to be the tenants of a new term.
The saddest part is that he has no real interest in his supporters except for them to be the vehicle by which he can amass ultimate power.
He does not care about solving problems our country faces or addressing the concerns of everyday Americans. Trump cares about Trump only.
Wendy Werner is a resident of Winchester.
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Wendy, you go from discussing democracy and the pride one feels seeing our national symbol on election day, then quickly digress into the ills of MAGA and Donald Trump. Have you been tested for TDS? You speak about retribution and yet Joe Biden on his first day undid what many Americans felt were accomplishments made by Trump. I guess you are OK with just about anyone walking across our border and your own economic and financial security. So you know, I am not.
Wendy Werner- you said it all in a rational, thoughtful, factual and kind manner!
I stand with you!
Excellent summation, and thank you for working the polls.
Thank you Ms. Werner for your efforts of civility to the uncivil maga cult. These cultist are a dangerous bunch of domestic terrorists.
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Wendy, You started off with a very good letter of positive thoughts, but ended on a rant almost as bad as the voter you were discussing.
I am a MAGA and republican, conservative voter. I do wish Trump would tone down his rhetoric, but oh my-from day one he was treated to even more nastiness than he doles out. Your viewpoint of “building up dictators, love letters to Putin & XI” are silly. He was standing up to bullies,(maybe by being one himself”. Which by the way is MUCH better than what we have in the White House! Under President Trump, we had no wars, peace in the Middle East, low unemployment, the border was closing, gas prices and the economy was low. Then about January 6th. If Pelosi, Bowser, etc would have brought in the National Guard- it would have been just a “mostly” peaceful protest.
So I will end in saying… the vitriol goes both ways. Watch out for the wolf in sheep’s clothing!
Well said, Ms. Werner. I, too, was at my polling place on Tuesday, offering voters sample ballots. I, too, stood next to a gentleman who was supporting a candidate I oppose. That gentleman was friendly, affable, and even offered to help us when we needed to secure a banner to our canopy. We chatted about various topics and had a nice time. That, as you say, is how democracy is supposed to work.
Let’s hope Trump’s pernicious influence will continue to fade.
And yet, everything was better under Trump. EVERY. THING.
Add to the list of factors that make up a dictatorship would be the expunging of voter registration rolls, likely of Black voters. Hey, Gov. Youngkin, I hope you fix that problem before your political career ends.
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