{"id":45648,"date":"2025-01-22T18:37:15","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T18:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/?p=45648"},"modified":"2025-01-23T01:54:27","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T01:54:27","slug":"in-victory-republicans-should-listen-to-opponents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/01\/22\/in-victory-republicans-should-listen-to-opponents\/","title":{"rendered":"Even in Victory, Republicans Should Listen to Their Opponents"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the wake of Donald Trump\u2019s election, many people have discussed Democrats\u2019 mistakes<\/a> \u2014 from their being \u201cout of touch\u201d<\/a> and insulting<\/a>, to their focusing too much on Trump<\/a>, to Biden\u2019s \u201carrogance\u201d<\/a> in running again. It\u2019s good for political parties to ask tough questions about how their approach may be driving people away and how they can better reach and sway the American people.<\/p>\n

As Trump is inaugurated and Republicans continue to celebrate their victory, will they be brave enough to ask themselves similar questions?<\/p>\n

No matter the election results, what hasn\u2019t changed is that we\u2019re deeply divided \u2014 almost down the middle<\/a>, in terms of voters. If Republicans fail to reflect on those questions, in a few years they risk finding themselves back where they were in 2020: out of power and mired in resentment. If that happens, will they blame \u201cthe establishment\u201d and other external forces for their losses? Or will they consider how their rhetoric and approaches may have alienated Americans and led to their own setbacks?<\/p>\n

Much of the recent toxicity centers around Trump. Many Americans see Trump as a uniquely irresponsible and dangerous figure \u2014 and that perception obviously won\u2019t go away with his return to power. Republicans should think deeply about these concerns \u2014 and avoid the urge to denigrate and mock them.<\/p>\n

To be clear, this is not<\/em> an anti-Trump piece; it\u2019s about the need to understand and respect our fellow Americans\u2019 concerns<\/a>. That is something we often ask people to do, regardless of their political beliefs or partisanship. When we fail to do those things, we\u2019ll find that we deepen divisions and amplify contempt.<\/p>\n

For example, consider the distrust of elections fostered by Trump and other Republicans after Trump\u2019s 2020 loss. Many embraced the narrative that the election was \u201cstolen\u201d by Democrats despite a lack of substantial evidence. Trump\u2019s victory in 2024 undermines those claims.<\/p>\n

As Mark Antonio Wright sarcastically put it in National Review<\/a>: \u201cIf Democrats stole it in 2020, why didn\u2019t they steal it this time?\u201d Leaning into the sarcasm, Wright went on to write: \u201cThere\u2019s just no way that Donald Trump and his minions in 2020 would have stooped to lying to the American people in order to assuage the bruised ego of a single man. There\u2019s no way that grifters in right-wing media would have amplified that message in an effort to deliver fan service to their audiences. And there\u2019s just no way that so many election truthers on the right would have bought Trump\u2019s 2020 lies hook, line, and sinker.\u201d<\/p>\n

Regardless of your views of Trump or the 2020 election, hopefully you can see that Trump\u2019s recent win highlights the illogical nature of the more dark and paranoid narratives about powerful anti-Trump forces working behind-the-scenes to rig our elections.<\/p>\n

Pessimistic thinking<\/a> happens across the political spectrum, and our emotional divides make such negativity more likely. Regardless of how they view this topic and regardless of objections that \u201cDemocrats have done it, too,\u201d<\/a> Republicans should be able to see why so many Americans were seriously concerned about such behaviors. Promoting a narrative where one\u2019s opponents are stealing elections amplifies fears and can fuel violence; at a large enough scale, it can threaten a country\u2019s stability. That\u2019s why concerns that \u201cdemocracy is being threatened\u201d resonated so deeply for many Americans.<\/p>\n

Of course, not all responses to such concerns are equally good and helpful. Some efforts to \u201csave democracy\u201d can easily be criticized as partisan and polarizing<\/a> \u2014 like the attempt to remove Trump from the ballot<\/a>. The partisan nature of some of those efforts can make it easy for Republicans to view all<\/em> concerns about Trump\u2019s actions as unreasonable \u2014 as either having political motivations or being overblown.<\/p>\n

That is just how conflict works: our hostility will lead us to filter for and find evidence for why our opponents\u2019 concerns don\u2019t matter \u2014 why they\u2019re laughable and worthy of mockery. And in a huge country like ours, finding examples of behaviors that strike us as unreasonable and outlandish will always be easy.<\/p>\n

But when political parties focus on mocking opponents\u2019 concerns and fail to take Americans\u2019 grievances seriously, there is a price to pay \u2014 just ask the Democrats who are soul searching after their recent losses.<\/p>\n

If Republicans want to lower political toxicity, or even ensure long-term success, they must avoid gloating and indulging in \u201cwe won, so deal with it\u201d attitudes. Instead, they should take this opportunity to acknowledge the valid concerns of those who view Trump\u2019s behavior and rhetoric as dangerous. Understanding those views doesn\u2019t require agreeing with them \u2014 it simply requires empathy and respect.<\/p>\n

They should also examine their views about Democrats as a group to determine if they are overly pessimistic. For example, claiming that Democratic stances on immigration are motivated by a desire to win elections<\/a> is as reductive and insulting as the claim that Republican stances on immigration are driven by racism<\/a>. All of us must resist the temptation to reach for worst-case assumptions and to \u201cmind-read\u201d our opponents\u2019 hidden intentions: these tendencies only deepen mistrust and hostility.<\/p>\n

Winning an election will never guarantee permanent victory<\/a> \u2014 and speaking as if it can will only amplify tensions. Trying to understand and speak to our opponents\u2019 concerns is not weakness; it is how we build a healthier, stronger country and avoid worst-case outcomes. It also happens to be how we can better advocate for our goals<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Pearce Godwin is politically conservative and the founder of the Listen First Project<\/em><\/a>. In a piece advising Republicans to work to reduce toxicity<\/a>, he writes: \u201cAs we vigorously contest visions, values, and policies, never surrendering our convictions, we can uphold a basic respect for the humanity of our opponents and all fellow Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n

If more leaders and activists \u2014 Democrats and Republicans \u2014 can rise to that challenge, we may find a way to bridge the toxic divides that threaten our nation. If we can\u2019t, we risk remaining trapped in a dangerous, self-reinforcing cycle of mutual hostility and contempt. The choice is ours to make.<\/p>\n

Want to help overcome our toxic divides? Join the Builders Movement<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the wake of Donald Trump\u2019s election, many people have discussed Democrats\u2019 mistakes \u2014 from their being \u201cout of touch\u201d and insulting, to their focusing too much on Trump, to Biden\u2019s \u201carrogance\u201d in running again. It\u2019s good for political parties to ask tough questions about how their approach may be driving people away and how…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":45649,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"collection_feed":[],"type_feed":[77],"class_list":["post-45648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEven in Victory, Republicans Should Listen to Their Opponents - Builders<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/buildersmovement.org\/2025\/01\/22\/in-victory-republicans-should-listen-to-opponents\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Even in Victory, Republicans Should Listen to Their Opponents - Builders\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the wake of Donald Trump\u2019s election, many people have discussed Democrats\u2019 mistakes \u2014 from their being \u201cout of touch\u201d and insulting, to their focusing too much on Trump, to Biden\u2019s \u201carrogance\u201d in running again. 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