We Heard You: Entering A New Political Era

In the final installment of WABE’s “We Hear You” series above, we ask you to reflect on your hopes for the upcoming Trump administration.

As America prepares to usher in its new president, the country remains politically divided. The 2016 election left both Republican and Democratic parties contemplating their future, and the turmoil stirred up by the bitter battle has left many of the country’s citizens wondering how the parties will work together in the new government.

Previously for WABE’s “We Hear You” series, we asked metro Atlantans for their thoughts about the country’s political divide through a few question prompts.

When asked the question, “How do you relate to people whose political affiliations differ from yours, whether they’re strangers, acquaintances, friends or family?” several respondents said they tried to enter difficult conversations with an open mind.

“I believe the main thing is to respect everyone,” wrote J Gotlieb of Stone Mountain. “Try to listen before you speak, and meet people where they are.”

For some, like Trey from Old Fourth Ward, that can be a frustrating task.

“I like to think that most, if not all, people mean well in their political leanings and want the best for our society,” Trey said. “However, it’s difficult not to be combative, to instead be informative and open to discussions. Especially when it feels like the policies of the other side are setting the whole system ablaze and you’re going to be stuck watching it burn down.”

When it came down to individual controversial issues, respondents wrote about specific political behaviors that they can’t wrap their minds around.

To the question, “On which one political issue do you find it most difficult to understand the perspective of those on the other side of the aisle?” Les Bouska answered:

“Obstruction, How can these people swear an oath to uphold the Constitution and then obstruct every effort to do just that? It literally turns my stomach that Republican reps have sunk so low.”

Dele Smith found it most difficult to understand “working class ‘values voters’ who vote against their own economic interests.”

When asked, “How do you feel your political beliefs might be misunderstood or misrepresented by others?” one person, who chose to remain anonymous, said it was hard to be vocal about their political beliefs because they felt people would judge:

“My wife and I both voted for Trump. We’re a young (20s), educated, interracial couple who have not voted Republican before. We felt like Trump represented a voice in the GOP away from the social issues (abortion, gay marriage, etc.) and positively in a lot of directions. Despite some disagreements with how he rhetorically approached issues, we agreed with him on many. However, we felt like there are a lot of mischaracterizations of Trump voters and it makes it hard to be public with our views.”

In an analogous scenario, Shelby from Vinings wrote that she felt look down upon for having liberal views.

“I am a democrat and I am young,” she said. “Any time a republican discovers these facts they automatically assume I became a democrat because I went to a ‘liberal’ college with ‘liberal’ professors. Yes, I went to college, but I couldn’t tell you if any of my professors were conservative or liberal. I studied journalism, a profession you are taught to be unbiased. Anyway, the older republicans look down on me and think I’ve been brainwashed by liberal elites or the ‘liberal media.’ Completely misunderstood.”

Many blamed the media for issues in the recent election cycle, for focusing too much on extremist views or for polarization. FS in Buckhead wrote, “Real conservative issues are hard to discuss b/c of the provably false ‘fake’ news that permeates the right and must be dealt with first.”

In the current media and political landscape, it can be hard to cut through the noise and hear one another. As the Obama administration heads out the White House doors and the Trump administration moves in, what are your political hopes for the next four years? Let us know in the box above.