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    • Will Trump or Harris win? I have an even better question
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    Will Trump or Harris win? I have an even better question

    Pabio Posted on

    I often subject myself to what I call the barbecue litmus test (I live in Texas, y’all). This might be helpful to you while you wait for the election results.

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    We will soon know (I hope) who America elected as its next president.

    When the election results are clear, a large portion of Americans will be disappointed, even angry. Another large group of Americans will feel elated and victorious.

    If Vice President Kamala Harris wins, Democrats will no doubt wonder whether Donald Trump will concede defeat. If the former president is re-elected, Republicans will beat their chests in self-satisfaction.

    I’m conservative, but I can see both points of view. It’s understandable to be anxious or upset when your “side” or candidate loses. It also makes sense to feel happy, even smug, when your candidate wins.

    Either way, this election was a hard-fought battle. But it doesn’t have to continue to divide our nation or damage relationships between families, friends and neighbors as we move through Election Day.

    The 2024 election cycle has been complicated to say the least

    This election year seems more complicated than other election cycles in recent history.

    That of President Joe Biden cognitive health appears to decline rapidly and Americans realized, right in the middle of his re-election campaign, that he was no longer fit for the job.

    Enter Harris as his replacement. She was fresh and full of joy but lack of substance and authenticity.

    Notice: Harris courted women but lost men. It could cost him the elections.

    In recent weeks, Trump and Harris have gotten nasty: Racist insults and insults were endemic. It’s as if the schoolyard bullies are now running to the Oval Office.

    This election comes at the end of four difficult years. After a controversial 2020 election, Trump refused to acknowledge his defeat, leading to the now-infamous riot at the Capitol on January 6, 2021. COVID-19 gripped the world and we grappled with the aftermath of a pandemic, in particular government-imposed lockdowns.

    Thanks to the economic recovery plans launched by Trump and continued by Biden, Inflation has reached its highest level in 40 years and Americans are still grappling with sharp increases in the cost of food, rent and other basic necessities. War rages between Ukraine and Russia, and Israel is fighting for its existence against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.

    America is not as divided as we think. Just do the barbecue test.

    It seems Americans are more divided than ever. But one study on polarization ‒ through the Democracy, Conflict and Governance program of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace ‒ discovered that things are not always what they seem.

    “American voters are less ideologically polarized than they think, and this misperception is greatest among the most politically engaged people,” the study reports.

    I hope this is true – for the sake of our country.

    The study also revealed two other relevant findings: It’s actually American politicians who are highly ideologically polarized, and while Americans may not be as polarized as they think, they are ” emotionally polarized. Or, quite simply, “they don’t like members of the other party.”

    I have seen this first hand. I am an avowed conservative, and after USA TODAY I published my column explaining why I – and millions of other Americans – will vote for Trump, received a wave of vitriolic backlash. Every job has its downsides, and angry and personal comments are definitely one of them.

    Notice: I don’t like Trump, but I’m voting for him. Here’s why many Americans will too.

    I’m not complaining; I am extraordinarily lucky to be able to do this work for a living. What I mean is that we live in a political environment where a reader skims an article and then sends me messages to denigrate my character, berate me as a woman and mother, and even target my children with insults . My colleagues on the left and right report that similar reactions to their work are commonplace.

    An environment in which Americans immediately decide to hate their fellow citizens because of their political views is not healthy.

    So Trump and Harris call each other horrible names, and their supporters feel like they’re fighting with their neighbors based on who has a Trump sign in their yard and who has a “Hope returns” sign.

    I often subject myself to what I call the barbecue litmus test (I live in Texas, y’all). This might also be helpful to you.

    The questions I ask myself: Would I invite my neighbor over for ribs if he voted for Harris and I voted for Trump?

    What if I support tax cuts and he finds it patriotic to pay a large amount of taxes?

    Would I share a beer with my neighbor if he supported abortion restrictions? And if he even was…gasp! − pro-life?

    On what issue or candidate should I draw the line and say, no, I can’t invite my neighbor to a barbecue because of their political views?

    I would like to believe that most Americans can have dichotomous thoughts in their heads: Republicans are not garbage because they are pro-life and support the only pro-life candidate. The Democrats are not garbage because they are against Trump and support the only viable candidate who opposed him.

    The problem is the system, not our fellow Americans

    It’s true that election anxiety is real. A new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 7 in 10 Americans feel anxious or frustrated on the presidential campaign.

    Americans are invested in knowing who wins. They hope the next president will solve their problems. According to Gallup, the economy, democracy, national security and the next Supreme Court justice are the main concerns of voters. When times are tough, the consequences of inflation continue to hurt, and people feel stressed, it makes sense to look to our political system – our elected legislators – to make things right.

    But none of this justifies hatred of fellow citizens who disagree on how to find solutions or on which politician pursues the best policies.

    No matter who wins or loses, we shouldn’t hate each other for it. Rather, we should hate a distorted system that promotes ideological polarization. We should hate a system that rewards elected leaders by empowering them to somehow acquire significant wealth while spending years, even decades, in power.

    We should be intolerant of politicians who are elected on the basis of certain promises and then do whatever suits their ambitions once in power. We should demand better from our elected officials, and when they don’t serve us, we shouldn’t re-elect them.

    If we’re angry on Election Day, it’s the system we should be fighting against, not each other.

    Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist for USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four children. Sign up for his newsletter, The Right Trackand receive it in your inbox.

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