Opinion: Who 'owns' who in our political dysfunction

Sometimes I think I “own” the supporters of Trump, the way they seek to “own” the liberals.

All I have to do is make a case against Donald Trump and they come out of the woodwork.

Often, they take issue with me over the issues rather than Trump per se; more often they attack me as a person. I’ve been called un-American and unpatriotic, a liar, a baby killer, a hater, and most of all — gasp — a liberal. None of that really bothers me because I know they’re wrong about me, except of course for the liberal part. Let the record show that I love my country, I try always to base my opinions on solid facts, and I’ve never killed a baby.

Oh, and I don’t hate Trump supporters, though I do adamantly disagree with them about most of the issues facing our nation these days. Not all, but most.

But all that’s in print, and most often related to this opinion column. In person, we mostly relate at a different level.

I live in a rural area, where most of Trump’s supporters reside, but more specifically in Guadalupe County, which still has Democratic Party leanings. When I first moved here, I made it clear my position against Trump, and it generated a few arguments, but none of them degenerated into personal attacks, as so many of my email detractors turn to.

Now I can say that I’m on good terms with a number of Trump supporters in this community, and we frequently find common ground. One is going on right now, with an effort to erect a Catholic shrine on government property. I’m against it, based on the standard of separating church and state, and so are some conservatives who, in the 2020 election, supported Trump.

I can’t say if they still support the former president because I’ve not asked them. That’s how we get along. We find common ground elsewhere. None of us are trying to “own” the other, we simply respect our differences without condemning the other for it.

That’s not everyone, mind you. There are fanatics out there — on both sides of the political spectrum, I should add — who demonize those on the other side. Their hate owns them.

I’ve written before about a need to return to civility in our discourse and disagreements, and I still believe that would go a long way in reuniting these United States. But we also need to remember that most of us still respect each other.

And this is where I agree with conservatives who say the media is part of the problem — on both sides. There’s too much hyperbole in the news these days, and too much spin.

I’m OK with “conservative” and “liberal” news organizations, as long as they’re honest with the facts and open about their opinions. I’m not OK with news organizations that are willing to bend truths to their liking, then pretending they did no such thing.

Tom McDonald is editor of the New Mexico Community News Exchange. Contact him at:

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