No...you get ostracized or cancelled in many social circles for indicating that you might support Trump or Republican policies. Even mild ostracization would make people hesitate to voice their opinions, never mind the level it is currently.
This is, largely, because a lot of republicans have a difficult time expressing their views without using tools like racism and misogyny.
Just take a look at the Trump rallies. Even if you agree with 100% of Trump's policies, look at how he talks about women. Could you repeat what he says in the workplace? No, you'd get fired. Not for being republican, but for sexual harassment.
If you were able to support anti-immigration policies without calling entire classes of people "garbage", then maybe people wouldn't get mad at you. But for a lot of republicans, they just can't do that. They don't know how to word their policy support without saying something incredibly offensive.
Or, for example, it's one thing if you're pro-life. But a lot of republicans will use words like "slut" and "whore", and even President Trump wants to "punish women". Again, this just isn't acceptable speech in most social situations.
Until your average republican and, hell, our president, figure out how to address these topics without being offensive, people will get offended.
Of course she doesn't. But, can she express that without saying it in a way that says "I hate immigrants"?
This is what I'm pointing out. Having republican beliefs is fine. Can republicans voice those beliefs without bigotry? Often no. For Trump, certainly not. For many, they can't either.
If you just say "Trump addresses immigrant better", then okay. If you say "they're eating the dogs, they're eating the cats, we have to clean up our country" then... yeah you're getting pulled into HR.
Why does this not lead you to believe that he dislikes immigrants who are criminal, dangerous, or eat house pets? Why do you think it represents his attitudes towards all immigrants?
In reality, when Trump talks about immigrants he talks about illegal and problematic individuals. On top of that, he also talks about not immigrants a lot.
For some reason you're willing to drop the context.
He's talking about people coming through the border without being vetted, who are dangerous to the country.
Do you think that people should be able to come into the country freely without any vetting at all?
He was pointing out a specific problem, maybe your imagination turned that into the much more general "all immigrants are bad" when he's never actually said or suggested anything of the kind?
This may be news to you, but human language is often nuanced and indirect. It is a perfectly reasonable short-hand to say that he hates immigrants when his political career was launched on painting them as criminals, drug dealers, and rapists.
This kind of "but he didn't actually say the word hate" pedantry is unconvincing.
First of all, what makes you think he doesn't hate his wife? He has treated every woman in his life, including Melania, like trash.
But you're right, even in that speech, he is pretty explicit about which kinds of immigrants he doesn't like; the ones from south of the border. He doesn't seem to have a problem with white immigrants. Thing is, I think it's true that racism isn't close to being the thing driving the political realignment since he came on the scene, but that doesn't mean it's false that he's racist. Both things can be true.
I've heard Trump say many, many vile things about women. Certainly, almost everything Trump has said in the context of women cannot be repeated in a professional environment. If I talk like Trump at work, I am liable to get fired. And this doesn't even touch on him being convicted of rape by a jury of his peers.
He's also said vile things about immigrants and even naturalized American citizens. He's peddled propaganda about Obama not being a true American, undoubtedly on account of his skin color. He's questioned Kamala's blackness in very offensive ways, too. Not only does he speak poorly about immigrants, he treats black and Latino Americans like garbage. Sometimes his campaign outright calls them garbage.
After a certain point, Trump's misogyny and racism is undeniable. When people do deny it, I either favorably think they are ignorant to all he has said or their brains are detaching from reality. I would hope it's the former, in which case that no longer works because I've just informed you. If it is the latter, I recommend therapy to begin to address the delusions you have formed.
> Could you articulate exactly how these are lies?
Sure. The "every woman in his life" part is a stupid statement to make. It's a complete suicide for one's credibility.
The comments about him not liking immigrants from south of the border (Mexicans? South Americans? Anyone who comes in through the southern border?) are also made up. He doesn't like illegal immigrants and is very explicit about that -- who would like criminals after all. None of it has to do with ethnicity and there's no evidence you can show me to claim otherwise, since it doesn't exist.
> I've heard Trump say many, many vile things about women
Okay, although not really relevant to what I responded to. Besides, without having examples of what you're referring to, I can only say that "vile" is subjective, and saying "vile" things is different from doing vile things. We've said all kinds of "vile" things about women in our friend groups, just like the women have said "vile" things about me and my buddies in their friend groups. This is normal, and if you claim to be above all that -- cool. Find friends who align more with your values, but don't think for a second you're better than me and mine. That will be decided by our actions and accomplishments.
> Certainly, almost everything Trump has said in the context of women cannot be repeated in a professional environment.
Indefensible position, no idea why you'd choose these words. If you said "some of the things" instead of "almost everything", you might have a case. Even then, what does it matter? In professional environments, you know what you can or can't say. In other environments, it's the same.
> And this doesn't even touch on him being convicted of rape by a jury of his peers.
Word against word about an event hypothetically happening in the 90s. There was no evidence, and this is lawfare. I know you haven't read the court documents, but you could check them out.
> A bunch of nonsensical accusations without direct quotes or context to anything
You could try providing some context on what you're talking about. A barrage of mindless accusations doesn't count for much, no matter the number. It just tells me you're repeating someone else's words.
I'm not required to, and will not be giving, any examples on the vile things Trump has said about women or minorities because you already know them. You're doing that fun thing conservatives do where they play stupid. You should be careful, if you play stupid long enough people might just think you're stupid.
> He doesn't like illegal immigrants and is very explicit about that -- who would like criminals after all
I said it elsewhere but I'll say it again - this is just plausible deniability.
Similarly, Hitler never hated Jewish people. He hated greedy business owners. After all, who doesn't hate the greedy?
Trump has explicitly stated he plans to remove protections for recent immigrants who are here LEGALLY and he plans to undo naturalized citizenship. You cannot claim he only hates "illegal" immigrants.
Regardless, that doesn't even touch on the incredibly racist comments he's made about Obama and Kamala. His issue is anyone vaguely brown and not a man, which is typical for a republican.
I'm not gonna hand hold through your delusions. Point blank, what you're writing is at odds with reality. I would respect conservatives much more if they weren't such cowards, but they typically are. These days, the cowardice and shame of conservatives has gotten so severe I have to ask leftist about Trump's policies. Seriously, conservatives won't even utter the policies they support because of the supreme shame they feel.
You can either admit Trump has said, often, many racist, sexist, transphobic, and otherwise offensive things, or you can deny it, in which case Trump is still the same person and now you're also a liar. So you can only hurt your position and, in fact, republican ideology as a whole by doing so. A lot of people already believe you to be liars - certainly, you shouldn't try so hard to prove them right.
> If you say "they're eating the dogs, they're eating the cats, we have to clean up our country" then... yeah you're getting pulled into HR.
Trump was just repeating the same thing that many other people heard, a resident at a town council meeting in Springfield, Ohio claimed that some group of migrants there had eaten someone's pets.
Was it true? Who knows? People tend to repeat a lot of things they hear but haven't verified themselves. For example in that same debate, David Muir falsely repeated the lie that crime was down nationally. Do we take David Muir to HR?
That kind of obvious logical inconsistency, coupled with the assumption of moral authority (which for whatever reason seems to be the subtext for so many of these conversations), rubs a lot of people the wrong way.
So then Trump didn't do his own research and will pretty much just believe anything? Wow, it sounds like you think Trump is an idiot.
I don't understand this line of thinking from conservatives. When Trump is criticized on the things he himself has said people will argue we shouldn't listen to Trump, because he is stupid and he lies. So he's stupid and he lies... and yet you support him?
Either he is a strong leader, in which case we should take what he says at face value, or he is a fraudster, in which case we should expect misinformation. You can't have both. Talking down about the person you support reflects very poorly on you.
> David Muir falsely repeated the lie that crime was down nationally
Crime IS down nationally.
And you understand this isn't the type of thing that would get you fired from a job?
While people on the left may often be wrong, they aren't wrong in a way that can be interpreted as racism, sexism, or homophobia. This won't get you sent to HR - and that's the difference.
Conservatives have a really hard time supporting their position without using tools which are unacceptable in professional environment. If you don't support immigration, then great! Now defend that without racist rhetoric. Trump can't do it, so if that's your role model then you better find someone else.
the men in your life are dishonest with you. You will never know what people really think (and no one will be able to explain why to you because you won’t hear them)
I absolutely hear them, but they're incapable of voicing their beliefs without bigotry.
You can say, for example, that there are challenges to gender-neutral bathrooms. Okay that's fine. You can't say "those dirty pervy <slurs> are molesting our little girls!". Do you see how that's now bigotry?
How many republicans are able to do 1 without ever touching 2? Very, very few. Certainly Trump can't, and Cruz can't either. If those are your role models then it's no wonder you can't express your beliefs.
