Here is another redacted piece of correspondence since the election, with my reply. It was in regard to an article I shared.
"Thanks Owen,
I'm not thrilled with our president's response to the election. I'm not, nor was I ever, an avid Trump supporter (as is the case with most of the people I know who reluctantly voted for him). While I am sure that there was voter fraud (both on the left and the right), I've never been convinced that it was widespread and certainly not significant enough to overturn the several states that would be required to flip the election outcome.
If I have any complaint about the response of those on the left, it's that they aren't patiently letting the courts do their job. While Trump seems to be simply doing what he can to turn the election results in his favor, I wish that those on the left would let the courts prove him wrong rather than assuming that he is making things up. I have a fair amount of trust in our courts and believe that if a legitimate case can be made for fraud in any state that the courts will see it and address it appropriately."
My reply:
"Hi Y,
Thanks for your response.
I share your confidence in the courts to determine what allegations of fraud have merit. Of course, part of trusting the process is trusting the courts to determine whether a case is weak or frivolous, as they have determined to be the case with almost every one of Trump's election cases. I think the reason that Trump's critics (including center-right ones) tend to have a problem with allowing Trump's legal battles to go unrebuked outside of court is that these cases are part of a broader political campaign of disinformation and intimidation. People's lives even now are in danger just for holding public office or taking a job and for fulfilling their job responsibilities. This is intolerable.
At this point, I think that the best arguments for Trump's critics to keep their mouths shut where he has not are going to be arguments of tactics, not principle or even strategy. The GOP and the conservative movement have a major problem on their hands, and it is difficult to imagine a serious conservatism that continues much longer to share a political party with Trump.
One of the challenges of our form of government is that we can not banish or execute people just because they are slimy or dangerous. That is why the Civil War was fought for the purpose of saving the Union. It's why people can still publicly embrace Nazi or Communist ideas, the Klan, or Joe Mccarthy. It's why I don't think that criminalizing Trump or his followers is going to fix the problems that he has created or exacerbated. We are probably going to have to live with Trump and Trumpism for a while.
I do think that Trump needs broad political and, yes, religious competition. I think that serious and mature Christians should be part of that competition. Only with vigorous and sustained opposition can Trump's challenge to the American experiment be thwarted and prevented from evolving into something more dangerous. It is even to be hoped that he and his followers will eventually become more responsible stakeholders in American politics.
That is where I am, and I think it is where we are. I think that it is important to not be a Trump fan and to not believe everything that Trump says. I think, however, that it is becoming increasingly difficult to argue that it is enough for Christians or Republicans to merely keep some amount of distance from the president. We have to go farther than that to avoid being complicit in his dishonesty and wrongdoing.
I appreciate your sharing your thoughts. We should chat again soon.
Warmly,
Owen"
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