Stop fixating on Trump. Stop hating Trump voters.
FOCUS ON THE PATH FORWARD.
Thank you to Pat Kruis for contributing to Old Truck Good Coffee. Pat, whose own Substack is a great read, shares the values, confusions, and questions that Leo and I have been working through here at Old Truck Good Coffee.
When I learned how to drive, my instructor warned us about ‘target fixation’, the tendency to steer toward what you’re looking at. Rubberneckers get into accidents because they look at the obstacle, so they steer toward the hazard and *BAM* things only get worse.
My driving instructor, thank you Mr. Snapper, told us to focus on our intended path, 15-20 seconds ahead, not on the spectacle.
Right now I see people, including myself, expending a lot of venom criticizing the current administration. Instead of tallying all the wrongs, can we get a clear vision of what we do want in leadership? Let’s focus on an intended path.
What if we don’t fixate on Trump, or waste our energy hating people who voted for him? If we want more balance in Congress, some of those Trump voters will have to change their minds. The “you’re so stupid” rhetoric repels the very people we need to help turn the country in a positive direction.
(If you’re a Trump voter, thank you for reading this far. I really want to hear your opinion.)
Listen to what Allyson Reynolds says about creating a soft landing for people stepping away from MAGA. She has an Instagram series called “Things I didn’t know when I was a Republican.” She says shaming and blaming will not change minds.
Reynold’s video is about three minutes long, but many of you may not have time to listen to it, so here is a key paragraph:
“As more people come out of the MAGA fever dream I think it’s important to keep encouraging people who are opposed to Trump and MAGA to create a soft landing for people who are leaving.
“And I hope to do that by explaining just how easy it is for many Americans, especially privileged White Americans and poor uneducated White Americans to not know the things that you think everybody already knows or ‘should know.’”
Newsweek reports on a Navigator poll that shows one in five Trump voters regret their decision. The poll indicates these dissatisfied voters are younger, most younger than 45, and describe themselves as moderate. Most of them, two-thirds, don’t like Democrats either.
Research shows the top two reasons people voted for Trump: the economy and immigration. Guess the two top reasons for Trump voter dissatisfaction: the economy and the violent tactics in immigration arrests and detention. Add to that the Iran war started by a president who promised no more wars.
Intelligent people voted for Trump. That may be hard to admit when you’re stuck in Trump disgust mode. We need to face the fact Trump won the presidency because Trump opponents didn’t offer a better alternative.
I’d rather concentrate on hope than hate, but don’t mistake this for some milquetoast plea to “just get along,” or civil discord. This requires something far more strategic. It’s not enough to vote against something, we need something to vote for. What is that? What’s that platform? Who is that?
I have not heard this articulated. Maybe you have. Show me where to look. What do YOU want in leadership? What causes can our nation successfully rally around?
Here’s some information I found valuable:
—A recent (April 17-20, 2026) Echelon Insights poll of 1,012 voters, showed 42% of Democrats think their party should move more toward the center to win the next elections, compared to 22% who think the party should move left, and 18 percent who think the party should stay the same.
—Check out the Third Way and its Moderate Power Project. This is the MPP mission statement:
We amplify center-left views and voices to challenge the far left, push back against the MAGA right movement, and govern effectively from the middle.
MPP takes polls, does research and supports moderate candidates. It’s latest Data Dispatch highlighted Blue Rose Research that showed successful messaging about the economy. Interesting. Helpful.
I don’t pretend my little Substack has superhuman power, but I believe in engaging constructively, joining the positive voices.
More than ever, I hope you comment on this post. I want to hear what you’re thinking. I want to hear about candidates you think can bring hope to our country. Together let’s break our fixation on what’s wrong and focus on the path forward.
 | A guest post by
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For me, this statement "we need something to vote for. What is that? What’s that platform? Who is that?')... I have not heard it articulated." is frustrating. This is me walking through what I think happens to get someone to this level of frustration:
A progressive person approaches their computer or phone. They see bad news. It hurts them. They are repeatedly injured by more bad news. Algorithms worth billions of dollars are specifically designed to do that.
Perhaps they go to a news source. That news source is not tracking its success not by accuracy or completeness. They are monetized by reach and interaction, so the writers and editors are, consciously and unconsciously, training themselves to repeat shocking things. So, the stressed progressive sees no solutions.
It is not a good situation, and I am happy to blame the billionaires, the social medias, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, terrible monetization models, and other familiar bugaboos.
Meanwhile, there are political thinkers and activists who **are** thinking and saying useful things. I would say Adam Kinzinger, James Talarico, and Sarah McBride are examples. They get no traction, particularly with the emotionally exhausted progressive on their phone or computer who is now in an emotional, addicted spiral wishing not just relief from the Trump administration but from the endless scroll that is now shown to be deliberately addictive.
Pete Buttigieg is the example of someone who repeatedly and constantly is out being interesting to the media and gets some traction. Usually when I am talking in real time with a person in this state, I mention Mayor Pete and they say "oh yes, he is pretty good on this."
If these doomscroll victims can get back to the beach, I would love for them to defy the algorithms in their way by actively finding and sharing GOOD content of the people whose message they value. That is a vote for something useful and may encourage those ideas to surface just a bit more.
It simply will not filter to the top of their feed. Idiocy and disaster will.
I read Ariella Elm's "We are Not Doomed" Substack for perspective.