"I had an inkling things were changing last summer as I sat on the beach at the Jersey Shore chatting with two seasonal companions.
“Enough with the lib stuff,” one told me. “You know we’re Republicans.”
Actually, I didn’t know, but naively assumed we had similar politics. We grew up in the same gritty city (Paterson), had lost touch and reconnected at the shore. I could handle them being Republicans but voting for Trump was more than I could stomach.
After that crack, we tabled election talk and chatted about the weather forecast and dining out.
I’ve lived in the liberal bubble of New York City for so long that I’m jolted when I visit Ocean and Monmouth counties in New Jersey. It is more scary this summer since Trump won.
Fast-forward to this summer’s July Fourth holiday. I was having drinks at a restaurant in Asbury Park with three female writer friends, all staunch Democrats and residents of my native state. Caren started ranting about how she hated Trump and how he was a misogynist. Dawn noted that the young people at the next table gave us dirty looks.
The next night I was standing on the boardwalk in Ocean Grove waiting for the fireworks. Dawn told me about her campaigning for Hillary and how she had a feeling Trump might win. I expressed my shock and disgust that he got elected.
“That fat guy on the bench is throwing us daggers,” she said to me.
“Maybe he is upset I made a remark about his stinky cigar?” I asked.
“No, he got a nasty look when you started dissing Trump. Makes me nervous.”
I always spend this summer holiday in Ocean Grove, which attracts a weird mix of liberals and gays (who revived the Victorian resort) and conservative Christians (who founded the town). I stay in a gay-owned B and B where other guests literally carry the Bible.
While I’d never bring up politics at the shared breakfast table, I’m not going to censor myself while talking with my liberal friends for fear of offending someone on the next beach blanket or the adjacent restaurant table. I refuse to lower my voice because the nearby family under the red umbrella planted a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag and my companion insists that is code for supporting Trump.
A week later I was 20 miles south staying at the family summer bungalow in Ocean Beach (near Lavallette).
“Wait until you see the houses with the Trump flags,” said my niece, Monica, giving me advance warning.
I flashed back to the summer of 2008 when she tried to convince me to vote for Obama in the Democratic primary and I was a diehard Hillary supporter. It seemed like a generation gap. I’m a baby boomer and she’s three decades younger.
Of course I supported Obama after he won the primary, just as my niece voted for Hillary in 2016.
“Look to your right,” Monica said as we were driving down Rte. 35 South in her SUV. “There’s one.”
I turned and saw a big red-and-white flag flying from a tall flagpole visible for at least a block. In the middle of the white background, red letters proclaimed “TRUMP”. I’d been expecting a small flag affixed to a house, not this gigantic monstrosity.
To me, it takes a special kind of stupid to boldly advertise your support for Trump in a resort area in a blue state. While I know the year-round residents of both Monmouth and Ocean counties vote Republican, the population swells tremendously during the summer months, with folks like my mother and sister who own second homes, and with people who rent vacation houses for a couple of weeks. Most of the summer people are from the New Jersey counties “up North” who vote Democratic or they’re from New York City.
Aren’t these flag-waving members of Cult 45 worried someone might vandalize their houses after having too many drinks? I’d never go that far but I was tempted to round up some friends and sit outside their residences with “Impeach Trump” signs.
I wanted to ask them: Why are you proud to have elected a “pussy-grabbing” misogynist who attacks the media and our judicial system and our intelligence agencies and who wants to take healthcare away from millions? But instead, I just went to the beach and enjoyed reading novels and swimming in the ocean.
Although I’ve lived in the Village for decades, I’m a beach person who grew up spending every summer of my life at the Jersey Shore. I’m not going to let the Trump voters ruin my vacation. But this year, I really got what it meant to be a card-carrying liberal New Yorker. It’s going to be a long, hot summer."
"Walter is author of the memoir “Looking for a Kiss: A Chronicle of Downtown Heartbreak” and “Healing”"
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Among comments at The Villager ("which are often moderated")
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"emilio · 2 hours ago
Trump won. Get over it cupcake. You can always move to Libya or Syria if you do don't like it here."
Trump won. Get over it cupcake. You can always move to Libya or Syria if you do don't like it here."
It's amazing how intolerant the "tolerant left" is. Many liberals can't
fathom anyone having a thought process that's contradictory to theirs.
That's why so much of the liberal media (CNN, Daily Beast, National
Journal, The Week, Christian Science Monitor, MSN News, etc.) have
eliminated comments. I am sure Kate has no problem with Bill Clinton,
who did far worse things to women than brag about grabbing them."
Among comments at Free Republic about this article
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"Dawn noted that the young people at the next table gave us dirty looks.
That is one of the best kept secrets about President Trump: young people like him.
13 posted on 8/10/2017, 2:17:42 AM by Jeff Chandler"
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8
posted on 8/10/2017, 1:58:57 AM
by free-in-nyc"
................That is one of the best kept secrets about President Trump: young people like him.
13 posted on 8/10/2017, 2:17:42 AM by Jeff Chandler"
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"I think it was William F. Buckley who said that (so-called) liberals
claim to be accepting of other opinions, and then are shocked to find
that there are other opinions.
"I could handle them being Republicans but voting for Trump was more than I could stomach.
My response to the author on the first part of that line-No, stop lying, you cannot handle anyone being republican. On the second part of the statement - You cannot stomach anyone voting for any republican.
My response to the author on the first part of that line-No, stop lying, you cannot handle anyone being republican. On the second part of the statement - You cannot stomach anyone voting for any republican.
The amusing thing I have noticed about liberals, in the past few months, is that they are completely astounded when they hear that someone they know voted for Trump.
They can't seem to process the math that someone around them could have voted for Trump.
10 posted on 8/10/2017, 2:04:28 AM by Moorings"
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"Best election ever!!
14 posted on 8/10/2017, 2:38:38 AM by 4Liberty
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My comment: Republican voters are an entirely different thing than the Republican Party. The GOP despises Republican voters and would prefer Democrat voters if they have to have voters at all. Half the electorate has had no political party behind them for a very long time. This is the main reason Trump was able to win. He ran on the Republican ticket, but had to defeat the Republican Establishment to get the nomination. The Establishment wanted either Jeb Bush or Hillary--proof if needed that there's no difference between the two parties, no checks and balances. They both want open borders, extreme globalism, endless foreign wars-especially with Russia, and massive free trade deals. Trump voters don't want those things. As we've found, voting and elections in the US are now meaningless. The US political class in congress will unanimously nullify voters and election results by tying the hands of the elected president. Whatever happened to "gridlock?" So much for USA, USA. All the money in the world is behind putting America Last, ie selling the country out to the bare walls as has been happening for decades. The only people allowed to win US elections are Deep State types. Meaning, we're slaves. We're forced to pay all the bills but have no voice in government.
14 posted on 8/10/2017, 2:38:38 AM by 4Liberty
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My comment: Republican voters are an entirely different thing than the Republican Party. The GOP despises Republican voters and would prefer Democrat voters if they have to have voters at all. Half the electorate has had no political party behind them for a very long time. This is the main reason Trump was able to win. He ran on the Republican ticket, but had to defeat the Republican Establishment to get the nomination. The Establishment wanted either Jeb Bush or Hillary--proof if needed that there's no difference between the two parties, no checks and balances. They both want open borders, extreme globalism, endless foreign wars-especially with Russia, and massive free trade deals. Trump voters don't want those things. As we've found, voting and elections in the US are now meaningless. The US political class in congress will unanimously nullify voters and election results by tying the hands of the elected president. Whatever happened to "gridlock?" So much for USA, USA. All the money in the world is behind putting America Last, ie selling the country out to the bare walls as has been happening for decades. The only people allowed to win US elections are Deep State types. Meaning, we're slaves. We're forced to pay all the bills but have no voice in government.
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https://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/3575957/posts
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