"Is there some point when you stop chatting amiably?"
The fact is that Dear Leader does not know you even exist on a personal level, but your friends, family, co-workers and loved ones do.
Note: I scheduled this post last week, so I had no idea what the election results will look like when this post goes live.
The election is over. The ads are done, the voting has been completed, and the nation has decided on a new President. The side that lost, and the side that won, is bitter about the election. But we are still one country. The people who voted for the "wrong" candidate may be our co-workers, family, or people who live on our block. We might even worship next to those people. They might even shovel our driveway without being asked.
Nancy French took heat on Threads when she said she chatted amiably with a Donald Trump supporter at her polling place. (Ms. French and her husband both voted for Kamala Harris.) How can you have a civil chat with someone who voted for Trump, given the bad things he has said and done? For that matter, how can you have a civil chat with someone who voted for Harris, given the bad things she has said and done?
The reason she can do this is because she is an adult who can see someone who, while he might be "wrong" on the election, is still a human being made in the image of God. She can see him as someone who is able to be reasoned with, both on the character of the opposing candidate, and the policies he supports. When people can see each other and human beings instead of treating politics "as war and enmity," that decreases polarization and negative partisanship. It reduces anger and lessens the risk of violence.
Do I really need to say it? Not really, but I will say it anyway: This is how a cult operates. Socially isolating people who voted for the "wrong" candidate shows you are unable to tolerate someone who disagrees with you, and that you certainly cannot have a civil conversation with someone who opposes Dear Leader. But the fact is that Dear Leader does not know you even exist on a personal level, but your friends, family, co-workers and loved ones do. Why are you sacrificing your relationships out of loyalty to a Dear Leader who does not and will never appreciate it?
The primary problem is that we are putting our trust in political leaders instead of a sovereign and loving God. No matter what happened yesterday, God is sovereign, loving and merciful. No Christian should ever forget that truth. It is telling that David, who was the king of Israel, wrote in Psalm 20 under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that people should put their trust in God instead of in horses, chariots and political leaders. King David's humility is something every political leader needs to emulate. We should trust God, not the President, the governor, the county commissioner or the township trustee.