Down here in Dixie, I am hearing more and more Republican women say they won't vote in the midterms, and may never vote again. They are retiring from voting because of Trump.
Do not mistake their retirement from voting as a criticism of Trump, or believing they made a mistake by voting him and got tricked by a smooth talker offering riches. Oh no, it isn't that they disagree with his personal beliefs and policies, they are the first to cheer him in private when he says Mexicans are rapists and thieves, that black men don't respect veterans and should be kicked out of the country, that non christians are terrorists, or that some women and girls are sex objects to be grabbed and molested by wealthy and powerful white men. No, they love what he says, they just don't like him saying it in public for all to hear because he is a reflection on them. He is airing his and their dirty laundry when he tweets and speaks.
They won't run into the Piggly Wiggly and scream the N word, they save it for their own kind in private conversations so they complain how "they" - fill in the blank with who "they" are, but anyone who is not straight, white, conservative and Christian is a good bet - don't act right. No, "good white christian women" say that stuff at home, at ladies' luncheons, on girls weekends, and at church, but not where "they" can hear because you may no longer be respected by those considered to be inferior by birth or choice.
They did not count on one thing, besides Trump not behaving like an adult when he took over - white Southerners like me who call them out and air their personal dirty laundry. We tell. We document. We remember. We remind them of their prejudices, racism, and bigotry, and we do it in public, just like Trump does daily, but we do it locally and online where it hurts most. No more covering it up. No more pretending their hidden undergarments are always sparkling clean and white as snow. We point out for all to see their skid-marked and yellowed granny panties and bras and shout, "look at Maw Maw's nasty drawers!"
They don't like that. They don't like it when Trump does it and they really hate it when a Southern man or woman of equal or greater standing does it. Sorry Maw Maw, your dirty laundry is all over the internet and preserved for posterity. Snatching it down and hiding it away won't fix it. We saw it. We saw every nasty, filthy, stinking inch of it. You did this to yourselves and now everyone knows who you really are. No mistaking it. No more excuses. Maw Maw will always be remembered for her racism and bigotry as much as her Christmas Lane Cake.
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