The buzz phrase for the year is “permission structure.†A permission structure, according to the website ModelThinkers, is “an emotional and psychological justification for someone to change deeply held beliefs or behaviors while retaining their pride and integrity.â€
We see the term used most often these days when former Trump Republicans come out in favor of Kamala Harris. These people provide permission structures for former Trump supporters to dump him: elected officials like Mike Pence, Chris Christie, Dick and Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger; former staff and cabinet members like Gen. John Kelly, Attorney General Bill Barr, Defense Secretary James Mattis, Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson; former aides like Anthony Scaramucci, Stephanie Grisham, Ty Cobb, Sarah Matthews and Cassidy Hutchinson.
Here are a few examples of such justifications for the wavering Trump voter:
“I don’t have permission to vote against Donald Trump because I am a life-long Republican.†PS Justification: The current Republican Party is nothing like the one you grew up with. The Trump family have bullied their way into all the leadership roles in the GOP and turned it into their own personal power and money brokering agency. The only platform in the party is loyalty to this one man, a man who exhibits none of the character traits of Ronald Reagan, John McCain, Mitt Romney, the Cheneys or the Bushes. He has abandoned the hallmarks of the Grand Ole Party—honesty, libertarianism, fiscal restraint, allegiance to NATO, opposition to Putin and personal morals and ethics.
“I don’t have permission to vote against Donald Trump because my church/pastor says I can’t.†PS Justification: First, Jesus himself warned his disciples against seeing Him as a political savior. Many thought Jesus was coming to overthrow the Roman occupation, but He reminded his followers to “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.â€
His mission was the overthrow of sin and the action of grace in the individual. His was a one-on-one, face-to-face interaction — the woman at the well, the leper, the rich man, the two criminals who were crucified beside him. Jesus accepted the refugee, admonished the rich, healed the sick. He never mentioned homosexuality, abortion, pornography, transgenders or guns.
One word Jesus did us at least 17 times — â€hypocrite.â€
Second, the Founding Fathers drafted a Constitution that, by design, would keep religion out of public, civil matters. They had seen the oppression by and corruption of the Church of England. If your church’s doctrine or pastor is telling you whom to vote for, they need to lose their tax-exempt status. Plus, your faith should govern your own behavior, not the behavior of others.
“I don’t have permission to vote against Donald Trump because I’ve been with him from the start.†PS Justification: Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.†Politics should not be a cult, whose followers conform with such blind obsequiousness that they can end up drinking cyanide laced Kool-aid.
Politics allows us to choose our leaders based on a continuous re-evaluation of our own needs and the direction of our nation. Party loyalty is one thing; loyalty to a demagogue is another. Democrats did not have a cult-like adoration of Joe Biden. As he aged, his followers slowly and regretfully acknowledged he was getting too old to endure the rigors of the highest office in the land. Democrats were able to pivot to another politician whose policies with which they agreed.
Why couldn’t Republicans do the same? Donald Trump, in the words of a juror in his civil suit in New York, is “just a dude.†The Republican Party is full of other “dudes†and “gals†with plenty of skills and energy to lead the party and the nation.
George Washington feared a tyrant like Donald Trump who would refuse to relinquish power. That’s why Washington voluntarily gave up power after two terms.
“I don’t have permission to vote against Donald Trump because my husband/boyfriend/father insists we vote as a family.â€
Girlfriend, your suffragette sisters marched and fought for your right to vote. Because of their heroism, you can now run for office, borrow money, open a bank account, own property, not be fired if you become pregnant, attend college, have equal access to school sports, get a divorce and gain custody of your children.
Because so many of you voted for Donald Trump in 2016, you have lost the right to control your own reproductive decisions. That party you voted for now wants to take away in-vitro fertilization, birth control, and the very health care that could save your life in the event of an ectopic pregnancy or an incomplete miscarriage. Your vote is a sacred, private privilege. Do not take it lightly.
Susan Johnson is a retired teacher living in Richwood.
