OCTOBER 15, 2019 –
. . . two guys in their early 20s, one wearing a MAGA cap, the other a camo-jacket and camo-cap. I found them standing behind the main protest crowd.
“You’re Trump supporters?” I asked.
“Yeah,” said MAGA. They looked nervous and wanting to slip away.
I worked to gain their confidence. Stuffing my hands into my pockets, I asked in a friendly tone, “Were you trying to get into Target Center?”
“Uh-huh. Or watch on the Jumbotron.”
“Can I ask where you’re from?”
“Baldwin, Wisconsin,” said MAGA. [A small farm town, 50 miles east of St. Paul.]
“Oh sure!” I said. We pass near on our way to the lake up near Hayward. “Tell me, what sort of work do you do in Baldwin?”
“Plumbing,” said MAGA, as his camouflaged buddy nodded. “After high school we got some technical training. Now we’re working with a plumbing company to get certified.”
I talked their trade and asked for advice about some plumbing issues we have up at The Red Cabin. MAGA eagerly displayed his know-how. Camou approved with periodic nods.
Eventually I got down to politics. “Obviously we’re here because of politics,” I said, smiling. “Tell me,” I continued, “how and when you got interested in politics.”
MAGA responded spontaneously and impressed me with the substance of his answer and how well he expressed it. In high school he’d taken classes about “the Constitution” that were “interesting.”
I asked what news sources he followed.
“Drudge . . . have you heard of it?” he said.
“Oh yeah,” I said.
“And FoxNews.” He then qualified himself. “But you can’t believe everything you hear,” he said.
“So true!” I said. Just then a young guy wearing a Wild Hockey sweatshirt stepped up behind me and said, “Uh, you might wanna watch out for the guys coming this way on your left.”
I turned and saw three characters—two young, slight cartoon versions of wannabe bullies standing astride a big guy who, with his smartphone, was videoing MAGA, Camou and me. Camera man shouted foul, hateful language at us, while his bully sidekicks pretended to prepare for a fight.
“You’re totally out of line,” I said. Pulling Camo and MAGA by their sleeves, I led them straight around the corner of the building and out of sight of the thugs.
“That was despicable,” I said, “and it has no more place than the kinds of things we see from extremists on the right. MAGA and Camo were shaken, but I reassured them. We talked more, and I gave them my sober assessment of the dangers posed by the Trump regime.
“I’ve sure enjoyed visiting with you,” I said to signal I wanted to move on. MAGA extended his hand and said, “This has been great for us, too.” Camo nodded enthusiastically. “We’re really glad you took the time to talk to us . . . My name’s Logan, by the way.”
“I’m Nathan,” Camo finally spoke.
By this time, the crowd was beginning to disburse. I caught a bus home . . . and arrived in time to watch the last half hour of Trump’s speech on FoxNews.
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© 2019 Eric Nilsson
1 Comment
Always a pleasure reading about your thoughts and wisdom.
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