That being said, let’s be clear: we’re still conservatives. We place a premium on family as one of the core institutions of Western civilization. We cannot, and do not, endorse behavior that might lead to its dissolution. It is precisely because of that instinct, in fact, that we are horrified by the fact that the most fanatical Leftists are now urging their fellow ideologues to cut off family members who voted for Trump. Politics is not and should not be so important that it breaks the bonds of kinship, which is one of the highest forms of kinship people can share.
Which is why, though the temptation to gloat will no doubt be strong this Thanksgiving, and we are sure more than a few will give in to it, we must issue a word of caution: try not to rub their noses in it. Yes, we know that alcohol will flow and more than a few undisciplined reactions will result. Many of your liberal family members may say things that are intemperate, rude, or even outright ridiculous. Try not to take the bait. It will not just be better for your sanity; it will also be better for the country.
Here is the blunt truth: for the past eight years, the Left has staged a relentless battle to make support for Donald Trump into a scarlet letter. And no, we’re not talking about the “R” after his name. They have really tried to convince a majority of the country that supporting Trump makes you unlike any other Republican, let alone any other American. They have charged that you are a fascist thug, rooting for the end of democracy and for burgeoning authoritarian rule in America, simply for preferring a major party candidate for president. These accusations, when applied to family members, were and are not merely unfair, but evil; an attempt to set brother against brother (or brother against sister, or brother against whatever-you-call-a-nonbinary-sibling) for the sake of political gain. And because Trump famously instructed us all to “fight, fight, fight” at one of the most crucial moments in his campaign this year, we are sure the desire to act on that instruction is still strong.
However, sometimes, the best way to win an argument is to let the other person make a fool of themselves. And there is no doubt whatsoever that liberals, if they even choose to show up for Thanksgiving, will happily oblige on that score. Now, ask yourself this: when the nonpolitical members of your family look down the Thanksgiving table and see who refused invitations or started fights, and who is being gracious, what do you think they will conclude about the character of Donald Trump’s supporters, and of the MAGA movement generally? Do you think they will feel sympathetic to a liberal family member shrieking in your face that you are a fascist and Trump is literally going to kill Our Democracy (TM)/women/every trans person I follow on TikTok? Or do you think they will observe the fact that you are an immovable rock of calm in the face of such hysteria, showing nothing but kindness and consideration toward your own blood, and quietly thank you for restoring sanity? We would lay money on the latter situation.
Look, we don’t want to quote Michelle Obama, but there’s something to be said for “when they go low, we go high,” particularly after you’ve won. In fact, to a large extent, we think the fact that President Trump framed his reelection as a way to restore older, saner social norms (while upending dysfunctional political ones) was a key, if unstated part of the phrase “Make America Great Again” and certainly a vital part of “Make America Healthy Again.” A healthy America may still fight at the Thanksgiving dinner table – hell, it’s a tradition to do so – but it will also have the emotional maturity to come together on a day when family is supposed to take precedence over politics. If you are the source of that maturity, then you will not merely speak better of the MAGA movement than if you yell at your liberal antagonist; you will make yourself yet another person your family can be thankful for. And if people are thankful for the MAGA voters in their lives, then it is a short step to being thankful for MAGA itself.
So by all means, enjoy the food, let the wine flow, and enjoy scrapping with someone for a new flatscreen on Black Friday. But when it comes to politics, even if the liberals act like turkeys, do your best not to carve them up. The time for combat is over for now, and we won. Now comes the time for unity. And if our own supporters can’t unite their families, then what hope do we have as a movement, or as a nation?
