Photo by AFGE.

A few months ago, I penned a column stating that Trump voters wouldn’t turn on him until the pain he was inflicting started to affect them. Turns out I was right. Unfortunately, Trump supporters were willing to overlook his bigotry, xenophobia and treachery — as long as it didn’t affect them. This was all too evident in a recent CNN video that interviewed government workers who had been furloughed as a result of the shutdown.

One of the interviewees was Kyle Coats, a federal law enforcement officer, who voted for Trump because he “supported law enforcement.” But now Trump’s actions were affecting his pocketbook, he was incensed. Coats said Trump wasn’t supporting law enforcement by not paying officers.

I used to work for the government and I’m aware that some government workers are of the conservative bent. But this makes no sense. Republican government workers are literally voting for the enemy. Republicans hate government workers because they think they’re overpaid and don’t do anything. They also want to eliminate their jobs and turn them over to the private sector.

Many critics said the Trump administration was eager to shut down the government because they had no idea of the scope of what government workers actually do. Some Trump administration officials actually like the shutdown, because it’s giving them what they always wanted — an excuse to shrink the size of government. In an anonymous op-ed in the neofascist “Daily Caller,” a Trump official said: “We do not want most employees to return, because we are working better without them.”

Republicans also hate powerful government sector unions and have waged an open war against them. Last year, the Supreme Court ruled public sector unions couldn’t collect dues from non-members. This decision was a move to limit their power. Republicans realize that unions are big supporters of Democrats, so they cut off one of their funding sources.

Some Trump administration officials actually like the shutdown, because it’s giving them what they always wanted — an excuse to shrink the size of government. In an anonymous op-ed in the neofascist “Daily Caller,” a Trump official said: “We do not want most employees to return, because we are working better without them.”

Interestingly, Republicans tend to steer clear off police unions, who are a powerful lobbying force, when they’re pushing anti-union laws. When former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker passed union-killing legislation, he carved out exceptions for police unions.

Additionally, police unions often get involved in political races and that’s why district attorneys try to stay on their good sides. Two police unions made a $13,000 donation to Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert’s reelection campaign when she was being pressured to prosecute the officers who killed Stephon Clark in his parents’ backyard. She later dropped the case.

Even though many law enforcement officers tend to vote Republican, they still realize the power of unions that lobby for raises and provide legal aid when officers get in trouble. Police associations function the way unions should do, by fighting for the rights of workers. But Republicans seem to think that only law enforcement officers should have those benefits.

However, Coats also showed another sign of poor judgment. He claimed he supported Trump because he was for “law and order.” But Trump has a record of lawbreaking that goes back almost 30 years. Some of his crimes include sexual assault, rape, fraud and wage theft.

However, Trump has often used his wealth to thwart cases filed against him. Many of the women who accused him of sexual assault and rape eventually dropped their cases. When he failed to pay vendors, something he frequently did, he threatened to keep them tied up in court, until they dropped their cases. Sometimes, he just paid to end lawsuits.

After Trump faced legal action from people who were ripped off by Trump University, he agreed to pay a $25 million settlement. The Donald Trump Foundation also made a $25,000 donation to former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s campaign. Curiously, she later dropped state charges against him!

Now Trump might be facing charges of conspiracy, money laundering and bribery from his involvement with Russia. He’s responded by trying to smear the FBI as being “biased leftists.” Trump is the antithesis of who a law enforcement officer should support.

But it’s those kinds of illogical decisions that have gotten us into our current predicament. When government workers vote for the party that wants to put them out of business and cops vote for a career criminal, it’s another sign many Americans can’t make intelligent political decisions.