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Andrew Redlawsk, Opinion Contributor Published 8:15 a.m. ET July 23, 2017 | Updated 10:40 a.m. ET July 23, 2017

Protest on June 4, 2017.(Photo: Ariane Kunze, AFP/Getty Images)

The other night, I had an amazing conversation with a friend who admitted he was a Donald Trump voter. Having known him for most of my life, I was shocked. But as a result, as a proud member of The Resistance, I'm even more certain that we progressives are largely responsible for the rise of Trump's America.

My typical response to conservatives who see me as a smug, elitist hypocrite for not being tolerant of their beliefs is that I'm "intolerant of intolerance, but Ive realized that that mistake is the issue. No, we don't have to accept and respect others' bigotry or ignorance, but it's incredibly important that we understand where it comes from and why it exists. There are millions of people in this country who, when they think of America, think of it like a Norman Rockwell painting. White Picket Fences, Suburbia, Baseball, Apple Pie and the American Flag. In capital letters.

They dont just think it, they feel it. Deeply.

If I'm honest, those are the same images that were burned into my brain as a kid growing up in Iowa. The folks who voted for Trump are by and large people who see progressivism, and specifically concepts like political correctness and intersectionalism, as an attack on all of those deeply held feelings of what America "is." To them, our movement is an assault on their Field of Dreams. They're afraid of losing their (yes, white and Christian) America in the tidal wave of cultural shifts that have occurred over recent decades.

Is calling them racist going to change that? Is calling them bigots going to do it? Hateful? Monsters? Ignorant? Uneducated? Privileged? We dont have to agree with it, but we have to attempt to understand it.

I voted for Donald Trump to save lives: Response to Redlawsk

Trump voters and foes can seek common ground on life: Response to Buono

The only way The Resistance succeeds is if we fundamentally change our tactics. We must realize that the way into these hearts is to respectfully suggest that the causes we fight for actually align with their deeply held patriotism and love for America. That yes, our marginalized communities may look different and speak a different language, but they want all the same things you do, and they want to have them in this incredible country we've built together. They also want to have their Field of Dreams. Thats why they came here in the first place! And isn't it the American Way to do everything we can to give them that opportunity?

But what this also means is that we as progressives need to stop getting so offended by everything and learn to put ourselves in others' shoes. All of our experiences conservatives and progressives alike give us unique perspectives, and it is absolutely unhelpful to say things like "it's not our job to teach you" when someone comes to us with questions.

Actually, it is our job.

If we're waiting for people who hold a different view to change their minds without being guided through that process, we'll be waiting an awfully long time. I think progressives would all agree that time is not something we have to waste. It may not be fair, but progressives must be willing to put aside their anger and hate and take responsibility for creating the change they wish to see in the world. To vilify, shame and condemn only causes those who don't understand to dig in their heels. If we are the ones who want change, the responsibility is ours to do what it takes to encourage it.

To summarize: Progressives, stop insulting, stopshaming, and stop condescending. Start listening. Start teaching.

When we have that gut-check moment like I had the other night, upon finding out my friend voted for Donald Trump, we have to find the strength to overcome it, not let it get the best of our emotions. We must endeavor to listen.

Andrew Redlawsk is a Democratic organizer and activist and is currently pursuing his Masters in Political Management at George Washington University in Washington, DC. Read a response from Trump voter Sophia Buonohere.

You can readdiverse opinions from ourBoard of Contributorsand other writers ontheOpinion front page,on Twitter@USATOpinionand in our dailyOpinion newsletter.To submit a letter, comment or column, check oursubmission guidelines.

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Progressives must preach understanding, not shame, to be effective - USA TODAY

The San Luis Obispo Tribune (blog)

SLO Progressives? More like SLO Regressives The San Luis Obispo Tribune (blog) The definition of progressive, according to Dictionary.com, is favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement or reform making progress toward better conditions. By that definition, the SLO Progressives, who have taken over the local ...

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SLO Progressives? More like SLO Regressives - The San Luis Obispo Tribune (blog)

This is for all of those who are not in the MSNBC orbit. Of course, many of you probably already know this, but for a movement that stresses diversity and talks about bringing all people together to fight racist, misogynist, and xenophobic Donald Trump, its pretty much a band of white, wealthy, and overly educated progressives who are still stung that Hillary Clinton is not president, or at least thats the case in the D.C. area, which accounts for one-third of those who have taken part in the protests against President Trump. The Washington Post noted the disparities in education, income, and race over these protests earlier this month. They also noted that for Black residents, theyre use to government falling short, and they theyre facing bigger obstacles in life than having their candidate lose an election:

One out of every three Washingtonians has marched in protest against President Trump or his policies at least once since January, making the District the capital of national dissent, a new Washington Post poll finds.

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According to the Post poll, 53 percent of white residents participated in a march or demonstration in opposition to Trumps policies since the start of the year, compared with 16 percent of African Americans and 36 percent of Hispanics and those of other racial and ethnic groups.

The overwhelmingly African American residents of Wards 7 and 8 are the citys least likely to protest Trump, with only 12 percent saying they had. By contrast, 54 percent of residents in overwhelmingly white Wards 1 and 3 in Northwest Washington say they have protested the president.

High-income residents are among the most likely Trump protesters this year.

[]

Mark Woodard, a black hospital technician who lives in Kingman Park in Northeast, said he has not felt compelled to protest because his life has not changed much under the new administration.

Im kind of waiting to see he hasnt made an impact yet, Woodard said. Im able to go to my job; my benefits are fine. Hes not doing anything to affect me, so Im not going to support any protests.

Justina Jackson, 28, a black assistant pastry chef in Brookland who voted for Hillary Clinton, said that she is accustomed to being disappointed in government, no matter which party is in the White House, and that Trump is no different.

Im used to stuff not going my way, she said. Theres always some kind of obstacle I have to overcome just because Im a young African American female. I dont have a lot of sympathy for people who are upset about Trump."

Also, those in lower income brackets dont have time to protest. The Post also found that among Black voters, even if those who disagreed with President Trump, were not motivated to protest against him. One of them, Raynard Styles, voted for Trump on the basis of change. He questions his vote now, but concerning demonstrating, its a no-go.

Hes still my president, and Im an American first, he told the paper.

Five of the ten wealthiest counties are in the DC area, so I guess rabid liberals protesting Trumps win is a given consequence. In the D.C. area, the so-called resistance is whiter, financially well off, and highly educated; its the archetypal urban professional. Im not saying theres anything wrong with that, but dont go off marketing yourselves as some diverse coalition. The next time someone spouts how the GOP is so white; just remind them the heart of the D.C. resistance is just thatwhite people who can step away from work, whereas everyone else has more important stuff to worry about other than who won the 2016 election. In the meantime, this rabid cohort ofliberal condescending busybodies will continue to bash Trump, protest him, and take comfort in telling his supporters that theyre racist, deplorable, misogynist, sexist, xenophobic, and homophobic (Trump is the most pro-LGBT Republican ever elected, by the way). If they want to keep losing elections, yeahkeep doing that.

Read more:
ICYMI: The Heart Of Anti-Trump Resistance Is Mostly A Bunch Of White Progressives Who Can Take Off Work - Townhall

This is symbolically big. According to the e-mail the progressive radio station KPFA, the events sponsor, sent out explainint its decision:

We had booked this event based entirely on his excellent new book on science, when we didnt know he had offended and hurt in his tweets and other comments on Islam, so many people.

KPFA does not endorse hurtful speech. While KPFA emphatically supports serious free speech, we do not support abusive speech. We apologize for not having had broader knowledge of Dawkins views much earlier.

Ladies and gentlemen, the vanguard of Progressivism.

It is interesting to know that in the eyes of progressives like these, some religions are more worthy of consideration than others. Islam, generally speaking, is vastly more illiberal than Christianity. Somehow, though, Islam falls under the protecting veil of progressivism.

Mind you, I havent seen Dawkinss tweets on Islam, but based on some of his past tweets about Christianity, I would not be surprised if he were bigoted against Islam. But then, Dawkins hates all religion, so at least hes consistent. Anyway, in no way should Dawkins be silenced. Let him speak his mind, and let us meet him with better arguments.

It is interesting that a Berkeley church agreed to host one of the worlds best-known atheist abusers of Christianity. Within another decade or two, that church building will probably be turned into condos.

Is there a place in the US less open to free speech than the San Francisco Bay Area? Serious question. Richard Dawkins could come speak in Baton Rouge, where I live, and get a respectful hearing even here in the heart of Trumpsylvania. But not Berkeley. What does that tell you?

Read more here:
Richard Dawkins Now A Heretic To Progressives - The American Conservative

commentary By Brad R. Fulton | 16 hours ago

Clergy leaders with PICO Action Fund and their local federation, Faith in New York, demonstrate outside the hotel in New York's Times Square, on June 21, 2016, where Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is scheduled to meet evangelical clergy. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (RNS) Religious progressives made their displeasure with the Senate Republicans health care bill clear.

From the Presbyterian Church: Draconian cuts to health care are an unacceptable threat to Gods people. From the Church of Christ: Drastic Medicaid cuts will only create more chaos and pain for those already facing challenges. What would Jesus do? He would champion health care for all.

While such denouncements likely contributed to the bills imminent demise, religious progressives were by no means an organized force rallying in opposition to this bill. Why arent they more effective at engaging social policy discussions, mobilizing their base and influencing public policy?

Before we get to remedies, here are three factors that got religious progressives to this point:

It doesnt have to be that way. Religion is not condemned to being a politically conservative force, and progressive politics are not condemned to thin moral ground without recourse to the deep ethical traditions that flow in American life. We know this from the example of faith-based community organizing (FBCO) organizations. As detailed in our comprehensive National Study of Community Organizing Organizations, the FBCO field is growingsubstantially as it promotes democratic engagement across a diverse base of constituents and as it influences policy decisions at all levels of government.

A central player in the FBCO field is the PICO National Network, formerly known as the Pacific Institute for Community Organizations. Founded in 1972 by a Jesuit priest, PICO is not aligned with any one religion and its leaders come from a range of faith communities. Nor does PICO focus on a single issue; instead, it is organizing faith-based campaigns on immigration, health care, criminal justice and many other topics around this strategy. According to its website: PICOs path to building a more just world involves teaching people of faith how to build and exercise their own power to address the root causes of the problems they face.

The effectiveness and durability of faith-based community organizing underscores what we see as the two key commitments religious progressives must make if they want to be a force for good:

Making these shifts will be not easy. Moral sermonizing wont get much done. Conservative organizations like the Moral Majority and Christian Coalition redefined the way morality figures in U.S. politics in a way that freezes out progressives. Then there is the vast power of those whose wealth and privilege lead them to oppose all progressive socio-economic policy.

But religious progressives can overcome these challenges, whether by following our suggestions or a path of their own making. If they do, a decade from now our political landscape will be less distorted by economic inequality and more vibrant with a broader representation of democratic voices.

(Brad R. Fulton is an assistant professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.The views expressed in this opinion piece do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service)

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How religious progressives can be more effective - Religion News Service