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There are a small number of mostly white men, with a lot of money and a lot of power, who are intentionally creating rage and division. They say they are doing it because they believe in certain principles that are appealing to some people.
The truth is that they are making Americans hate other Americans to acquire more power and money. Period. It's the most unpatriotic, self-interested, destructive display of blind greed I've seen in my lifetime.
The next time you hear a politician say cruel or divisive things, ask if they are really advancing the goals of the American people or if they are just stirring the pot to make their base supporters angrier and more likely to vote.
The next time you hear a billionaire whining about how mistreated he is by the government, or the news media, ask yourself he's really being mistreated or if he just doesn't like criticism, or paying his fair share.
The middle and left have to start playing a better messaging game. We're the majority, but a small group of mostly white men is good at making a lot of noise - so they seem bigger than they are.
Ideas stick when put out into the world. When they get repeated it makes them stick even more. If we respond to bad ideas, even to negate them, we've already lost - we're making that bad idea even more resonant. It's key that we put out ideas and echo them. Then we win.