Editor’s note: This commentary is by state Sen. Joe Benning, a Republican and Senate minority leader who represents the Caledonia-Orange District in the Vermont Senate.
Dear Donald Trump,
[Y]ou don’t know me, Mr. Trump, but I’m hoping this message somehow finds its way to your desktop. Like you, I’m a Republican. More importantly, I’m a Vermont Republican. There is a difference. Up here in one of the bluest of blue states, we Vermont Republicans probably spend more time than most Republicans analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of liberal ideology because we have to find common ground. All Vermont politicians strive to be civil in debate and we do our best to avoid the ugly attacks so prevalent in a national campaign. Our lack of animosity makes it easier to find common ground. So as a Vermont Republican, for what it is worth, I’d like to offer some friendly advice.
First, let me congratulate you on your election. You have achieved a significant accomplishment, but it is one that comes with significant responsibility. How you handle that responsibility is important, not just for our party. All Americans, indeed all residents of planet Earth, are now dependent upon you demonstrating a level of maturity and knowledge that has heretofore been frankly missing from your delivery. We are all hoping that changes moving forward.
Those revolting on the left aren’t doing so in a vacuum of paranoia. They have legitimate fears based on your own history that your government will sanction upheaval in their lives or condone things repugnant to public discourse.
Surely by now you are cognizant that raw nerves have been exposed in your election. Your campaign rhetoric connected with many who have been angry and frustrated. Unfortunately, it also seems to have emboldened certain hate-filled ideologues that we’ve spent decades as a nation trying hard to suppress. Those ideologues now feel justified in taking out their frustrations with the belief that you will support them. It now falls upon you to put that ugly genie back in the bottle.
On the other side, your past words and actions have set a different stage for confrontation. You’ve labeled yourself as a boorish bully, a narcissist, a sexist, a sexual predator, a misogynist, a racist, an Islamophobe, and as someone intolerant of any couple that doesn’t fit the mold of Ward and June Cleaver. Those revolting on the left aren’t doing so in a vacuum of paranoia. They have legitimate fears based on your own history that your government will sanction upheaval in their lives or condone things repugnant to public discourse. They are rising up in self-defense, primarily because you’ve made them feel like they have to. Only you can calm their fears moving forward.
So let me offer some friendly advice. As president, you have an opportunity to set a new stage. Reset the moral compass. It is not OK to grab another’s genitalia. It is not OK to disparage someone who disagrees with you. It is not OK to mock the disabled. It is not OK to wake up each day believing the world revolves around you. It is not OK to treat every Muslim as a jihadist. Immigrants and diversity should be valued, not shunned. Say it. Say it publicly. Say it often and loud. Start now.
Your challenge is to help us put our nation back together again. This Vermont Republican suggests you take your cue from the words of Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who have set the proper tone for this still great nation. The peaceful transition of power is what has distinguished this country for over 200 years. Violence and hatred have no place here. You are our president-elect, and this is OUR country. Your success will be our success. It is time to move forward with grace and fortitude. Let’s figure out how to do that and show the rest of the world what America is really all about. Our children, and indeed the rest of the world, need to see that we are capable of doing so.
