When people on your side get out of line, destroy property, and engage in violent acts, it makes you both angry and ashamed. It puts your cause in a bad light and costs you both support and credibility.
During the Black Lives Matter protests, there were hundreds of peaceful demonstrations in hundreds of towns and cities and every state in the union, yet the few demonstrations that were violent or destroyed property were emphasized, especially by people whose aim was to discredit the movement.
So, should I feel sorry for ordinary people who voted for Trump, perhaps because they believed our economic relations with China needed improvement or felt that too many jobs were moving overseas or just got caught up in the excitement of a Trump rally? Most Trump voters are not racists or anti-Semites, and of the 73 million who voted for him less than one half of one percent were in Washington, and only a small minority of those stormed the Capitol. Now they are tarred with that brush.
But I don’t feel sorry for them. Over half of Trump voters believe this election was “rigged.” That’s why they were demonstrating on the 6th. Few Trumpists, including legislators, spoke out against children in cages. Few condemned the sign stealing and lies that occurred during the campaign. Few worried about Trump misusing his position to enrich himself. Few seemed to care about the trashing of the environment. Many refused to wear masks. Many said global warming was a hoax.
So, no, I don’t feel sorry that the actions in our nation’s capital have splashed mud on Trump voters. It’s too late for that.
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