I know this is going to be unpopular but I am friends with and I understand many Trump supporters

[herding cats]

131. Yes, but what so they say about his attacks on those specific groups?

I live rural in a solid Trump district, and have for longer than I care to admit. These people have been my coworkers, clients, hired service people and neighbors for a very long time now. I know them, and I've watched the evolution into their becoming what they currently are now. It's been a sobering experience.

Some of them are bigots.

Some of them are racist..

Some of them are religious zealots.

Some of them are scared to lose their guns.

Some of them are misogynist.

Most of them are brainwashed, and subscribe to a herd mentality that's quite disturbing.

There are various combinations of the above as well, but none of them voted to change the status quo, unless they loosely translated that into not voting for a Democrat. Then that's exactly what they did, and they did it with a spiteful relish that should terrify any person who loves this country.

Also, some of them love to try and bait me (this is more recent, it started after Obama was nominated in 2008, and I was interviewed in the local paper as a delegate for him) into a reaction by using socially inappropriate language. Which doesn't work on me. I turn it around and tell them I feel sorry for the state of their soul, and they're in my prayers for their lapse in faith, or some other such socially acceptable local drivel.

Yes, a few apologize for the rest of them, but it's a small amount and not enough to turn the majority here. Most of those few still say they'd never vote for a Democrat. They say they consider it a "sin" but in reality it's more than likely one or more of the reasons I stated above. These people are the "basket full of deplorables" referenced. They're real, sadly I can attest to that.

The good news is the Democrats here are approaching me more and more now. The hidden (scared to admit their preference) are asking about our local meetings and beginning to come out of the closet one by one again. This happened in 2008, but then they became either complacent or discouraged again in 2010, and retreated into their safe anonymity. This time they're not high on a Dem win, but scared AF about a Trump win. Enough to begin speaking and seeking people who agree with them again. That's a good sign, and I'm encouraged by it!!

I respect people who experience a different reality, but don't act as if your reality encompasses all others, because it doesn't. I know many, many, many more people active in the Democratic Party who have collaborated my experiences over the past couple of decades. This is actually what we're trying to figure out how to fix about a certain percentage of rural America. They're messed up and really happy to be messed up, no matter the personal cost it causes them. They're true believers, the problem is it's in a lie.