During night two of the Republican National Convention (RNC), one mission of Donald Trump’s campaign was to close the “empathy gap” between the incumbent and Joe Biden.  To make their point, the program included two sitting members of Congress who shared stories how Trump reached out to them in times of sorrow or need.

First, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) related how Trump would call him on a regular basis following his being shot during practice for the Congressional baseball game in 2017.

Donald Trump would call to check on me throughout the following weeks, just to see how I was doing. That’s the kind of person he is. That’s the side of Donald Trump that the media will never show you.

Next came Ohio Representation Jim Jordan (R-OH).  He shared how Trump had comforted members of Jordan’s family following the loss of one of the congressman’s nephews.

For the next five minutes, family and friends sat in complete silence, as the President of the United States took time to talk to a dad who was hurting,  That’s the president I’ve gotten to know the last four years.

Reading about these two moments during the RNC took me back to one of the last dinners my wife and I enjoyed pre-pandemic.  We were visiting a friend in Orlando, Florida when our host raised the following issue that baffled her.  She used the example of a friend who is always there for members of her family, church and community in times of need.  However, this woman was also a strident Trump supporter.  Our friend could not understand why this woman would champion someone whose behavior was the antithesis of her own.

The answer is best summed up by the many variations of the adage about character and integrity attributed to people like UCLA basketball coach John Wooden or author C. S. Lewis.  All contain the same message.  Character is what we do when we think no one is looking.  I would add a corollary.  Character is what we do when there is nothing in it for me.  While aid to those in one’s own circle is admirable, service to the stranger is the true test of empathy and charity.

Which brings me back to the empathy gap between Biden and Trump.  Jacquelyn Brittany, the security guard at the New York Times building, who nominated Joe Biden for president, was just doing her job when they first crossed paths.  She was a stranger whose day was made a little brighter by the simple act of being acknowledged by someone who could easily have been excused for being lost in the moment, a meeting with the newspaper’s editorial board.  She, and others, like the Greg Weaver, the conductor on the Amtrak train the then Senator took to work every day, attested to Biden’s character.

In contrast, consider the examples of Scalise and Jordan.  Neither had any personal relationship or interaction with Trump before he moved into the White House.  Trump needed Scalise to carry his water to pass his tax cuts and spending priorities.  And Jordan, who has served as chair and then ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, has become the reliable sycophant aiding and abetting Trump’s shattering of the system of checks and balances enshrined in the Constitution.  These are hardly purely altruistic acts of empathy, they are business transactions.

Yes, Uncle Joe can be a little goofy at times.  And his natural tendency to get close to people can make some people uncomfortable.  But I’ll take that any day over a human back-scratcher whose clientele is those who can return the favor.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP