Abernathy: Neighborliness gets a little harder in Trump Country

HILLSBORO, Ohio - The majority of residents in the Trump Country stronghold of Highland County remain united around President Donald Trump. Rather than shaking their resolve, the impeachment proceedings are solidifying their support. But while three-fourths of the electorate here cast their vote for Trump in 2016, those among the other 25 percent view the president through a different lens, while trying to make sure the deep partisan divide does not impact lifelong friendships.

Dinah Phillips has spent nearly two decades as chair of the county Democratic Party. After 50-plus years in the legal system as a court reporter, Phillips, 73, knows almost everyone, and has maintained positive relationships with the majority of her fellow residents regardless of political affiliation. But she has noticed a change under Trump.

"I temper what I say more so than I used to, especially if I'm talking to a Trump supporter,“ Phillips said. ”They would get into a knock-down, drag-out fight, and I never felt that way before."

She thinks Trump's tariffs are harmful to local farmers, and several other policies are misguided. But what really bothers her is that Trump is "very divisive" - more so than previous presidents. She finds it confusing that, when it comes to Trump's words and deeds, "people who are religious don't seem to care."

Cody Mathews, 27, is a student of politics who teaches history at Hillsboro High School and serves as president of the Hillsboro Education Association. He sees in the Trump administration analogies to two former presidents - Warren G. Harding in regard to scandals, and Andrew Jackson in the use of "racially charged language," comparing Trump's criticisms of undocumented immigrants with Jackson's demonizing of Native Americans.

Mathews said he cares more about issues than Trump's character flaws. He sees Trump as a "gaslighter," pandering to the fears, rather than the hopes, of many Americans while, in fact, "he's let down workers in the Midwest."

Wendell Harewood, 82, worked for the U.S. Postal System for 50 years, and has served on numerous boards and community organizations. He is among just 4.7 percent of Hillsboro residents who are African American, and, for Harewood, the reason for Trump's support here is not complicated.

"There are not a lot of people here who don't look like him," he said.

Harewood, who spent 50 years as a pastor in the local AME church, said he was "shocked" when Trump was elected. "I don't think there's a Christian bone in that man's body," Harewood said, pointing to Trump's treatment of women and minorities. After what he hoped was a sign of progress with the election of Barack Obama as president, Harewood fears Trump "is taking us back to the '50s and '60s."

Even among local Trump critics, however, views on impeachment are mixed.

"I'm not sure impeachment wouldn't further divide the country," said Phillips, although he says ignoring the issues would send a message that "you can do anything you want and get away with it."

Harewood, too, has doubts. "I wonder if everything is legitimate they're bringing up," he said, referring to both parties.

Mathews acknowledged that impeachment "plays well with Democrats," but he also thinks it's "the right thing to do." To him, Trump's Ukraine phone call represented not just a quid pro quo but also outright "extortion."

Phillips, Mathews and Harewood expect that when they vote next year, they will be outnumbered 3 to 1 here by pro-Trump friends and neighbors in line with them. But Mathews isn't discouraged.

"We're all more alike than we are different," he said. Respectful dialogue between Trump backers and critics can be fostered and friendships maintained "if you don't treat politics like a sport, and if you stick to talking about issues."

A contributing columnist for The Washington Post, Abernathy is a freelance writer based in Hillsboro, Ohio.