In Good Faith

Yes, there was a blue wave in November 2018, but many of the races were achingly close. Even factoring in the distortions of gerrymandering, the country is torn. As a liberal New York psychoanalyst who has spent time in Christian — including Evangelical — circles, I think we on the left have difficulty understanding how frequently we are seen as hypocritical in the moral sphere. If we are expecting Republicans to stand up to Trump and if we want to build coalitions, it may be useful to try to see ourselves as those on the religious right may see us.

There is a history in this country of religious people being marginalized by secular groups. In psychoanalytic circles, we are practiced at trying to empathize with those who find themselves outside the mainstream. In writing, my hope is that we can listen and find ways to work cooperatively — or at least to fight constructively.

As we hope to build our ranks, it might help to consider that some people may have voted for Trump because of what they experienced viscerally as liberal hypocrisy in espousing humanitarian ideas while rising above corporate amorality. In the last issue of Room, Caroline Ellman spoke of a shame, that many of us share, at not having recognized how far the Democratic party has drifted from the values we have thought of it as holding.

In the United States, we think of ourselves as committed to the idea that all are created equal. Despite our treatment of Native Americans and our history of slavery, we hold fast to democratic ideals. Over the last fifty years, many have been particularly proud of the progress of the Civil Rights, Women's, and LGBTQ Movements. Most Democrats and many Republicans are appalled by Donald Trump's betrayal of what we see as shared American values. He seems to use the presidency for financial and narcissistic gain. It appears that he is uninterested in the kind of conscientious understanding that would make it possible to lead the country responsibly.

Here is the thing — I fin