Richard Jernigan -> RE: My Offer (Feb. 7 2017 2:53:08)
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Here's a link to some brief video quotes from people "Trump the populist" appeals to: http://tinyurl.com/zrh2t4m The American Statesman is the local Austin paper. The Bluebonnet Cafe, where these people were interviewed is near Lake Buchanan, about 45 miles northwest of here, http://tinyurl.com/hp2hfxb but you don't have to go that far to encounter near unanimity in these opinions. All you have to do is cross the Travis County line. I have enjoyed many meals at the Bluebonnet. I used to take foreign customers there for a taste of catfish rolled in cornmeal and deep fried, hushpuppies, home made pie and Texas culture. I find the mannerisms of these people quite congenial, despite how much I disagree with their politics. They strike me as typical small town or rural Texans: polite, friendly, helpful, a pleasure to associate with as long as the topic doesn't turn to politics. Then I just keep quiet. There is no use trying to discuss it with these people, since we share no appreciable common ground. In contrast, we shared Christmas Eve dinner at a nice restaurant in Oaxaca with the proprietor of our bed and breakfast, a cultured and artistic woman, and a family consisting of grandparents and a grandson. The grandfather was my age. After a few minutes of conversation, Larisa swapped seats with him so we could sit next to one another and talk. Jack E. was the son of a man who owned a coal company in Indiana. He said he didn't get along with his father, so he went out on his own in real estate after graduating from college. It seemed apparent that he had been quite successful, and had been financially independent for most of his life. We spent an hour talking politics and events. I ended up suspecting Jack had voted for Trump. He is bound to have concluded I voted for Clinton, though neither of us ever said who we had voted for. But we shared a great deal of common ground. I assumed Jack's vote may have been motivated by financial considerations, and lifelong Republican loyalty. He certainly was no true believer in Trumpism, bringing up serious disagreements with Trump, and questions about his character and temperament. Jack spoke of several Republican figures from personal knowledge, including George W. Bush. My acquaintance with "W" is at second hand, through members of his administration and Texas politicians. Jack and I agreed in our assessment of "W's" personal qualities, his successes and serious failures, and generally on the reasons for them. Jack has had little experience with the military or the military industrial complex. He asked a number of intelligent questions, and was interested in my answers. I asked him about the Republican figures he knew, and about attitudes toward Trump among his friends, whom I assumed to be largely wealthy Republicans. Jack has a sense of humor, a healthy skepticism, but no embittered cynicism that I could detect. We laughed a lot and genuinely had a good time. But as I said, Jack was 78 and I turned 79 years old that day. We had grown up in a time and in a social milieu where you could discuss politics with someone from the other party and have a good time doing it. Apparently Reagan and Tip O'Neill, the Democrat Speaker of the House could do it too. I wonder how many much younger people in the USA could do the same? RNJ
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