Following the suggestion of empathizing all the way in “Why I Am Voting for Trump,” time to consider writer Lou Segal’s op-ed in The Independent:
(1) Correct, it “makes no sense why any … person” who values our Republic would vote for Trump. Check.
(2) Good to read you acknowledge Donald attempted to overthrow an indisputably free and fair election, i.e., intending to gut our system of government lasting well over 200 years. Check.
(3) Kamala, per Lou, is masking who she is: a former prosecutor, Attorney General, U.S. Senator, and VP. She has made all that readily apparent. She would likely not be the first prez candidate to switch/evolve (spin it how you wish) a few of her positions during the course of a campaign for the presidency. Donald admittedly has been more consistent with all his positions, i.e., misogynist, destructive to women’s/family’s reproductive and health and well-being, white supremacist, narcissist supreme, multi-felon, scammer, perpetual liar, Putin suck-up, (I could go on). Check.
(4) Inflation: The writer may have forgotten the Biden administration (and by extension candidate Harris) were staring down a world-wide pandemic in January 2021, and, a Trump administration’s intentionally slip-shod response to the ravages of that pandemic, both in lives lost and economy bludgeoned. During 2021 onward there were huge world-wide supply chain difficulties, and many large corporations were gouging consumers and reaping unheard-of-prior-thereto profits. Now, after nearly four years of Joe/Kamala, inflation has been (for now) tamed, and the economy is humming. Is it perfect? Of course not.
(5) Kamala has in detail explained herself when it comes to women’s reproductive health, free and fair elections, reaching across the aisle when possible to get something done (versus, say, Trump tanking the bipartisan Immigration Bill this past spring/summer), providing a down-payment for first-time homebuyers — and largely paying for that needed expenditure by (unlike Trump) fairly taxing the exceedingly rich — and being honored to accept the full-throated endorsement of scores of former Trump administration people, and our highest current/former military leaders, who have uniformly concluded Donald is a “fascist, and unfit to govern.” Check.
(6) Chaos in Ukraine and the Middle East: brought to you in large part by Donald’s pals Putin and Bibi. Judge a person by the company s/he keeps, whether on the international stage, or at home — Steve Bannon, wannabe near-Nazi Stephen Miller, Jeffrey Epstein, Rudy Guiliani, Linda Loomer (raging White Supremacist), I could go on — Trump surrounds himself with dangerous sycophants who will drive this democracy into the ground, gleefully, to the financial satisfaction of Donald, and his fatcat buddies. Check.
There is a horrendous amount of pointless killing currently going on in the Middle East, and all sides are culpable. Biden/Harris have continuously fought for a cease-fire, with minimum success, in large part because the combatants’ leaders are not good people, (or as Biden recently told Bob Woodward, “Netanyahu is a bad f’n guy.” I am sure Joe has a similar opinion of the leaders opposing Israel). It’s a tough gig. However, their effort is superior to Donald’s recent take on what he would do re Putin and Ukraine: “I’d let Putin do whatever the hell he wants.” Check.
(7) And true Lou, Trump being an insurrectionist is not a big deal to cult-following Trump voters; his urging supporters to attack our Capitol and kill the Vice-President, and do everything possible to gut our voting system and a free and fair election is rather meaningless to Trump voters, agree 100 percent. Please tell the roughly 150 injured police officers, and families of the six people who died in the Capitol attack how peaceful Donald was as he left office. Shame on you, Lou. Check.
(8) Trump and his followers have for years stated there is a great amount of voter fraud, thus the need for voter ID requirements. All states have some form of voter ID requirements (I had to show mine when I voted), and bottom line: voter fraud is just not a problem, period. Check.
(9) Censoring speech: Florida governor has just recently been prohibited from bullying/threatening prosecution of local TV stations that have aired ads opposing a Florida law grossly infringing on a woman’s reproductive freedom. Questionable prosecutions? Of whom? Violent, convicted thugs who sought to further Trump’s January 6 Insurrection? Federalize election laws so grossly unfair and disproportionate/gerrymandered Congressional Districts can be eliminated, and polling places be fortified with sufficient law enforcement to ensure fair voting/vote counting when faced with Trump’s/fellow Republican’s hordes seeking to disrupt the most cherished aspect of our Democracy? A free and fair election? That’s a problem? Check.
(10) Don’t even mention, oops too late, packing the Supreme Court! That is simply outrageous. When one of our major political parties has proven themselves to be steadfastly against The Rule of Law, and, getting anything done (other than blathering about deporting millions of Latinos, and handing out tax-cuts to billionaires), it may well be time to eliminate the Senate filibuster. If only Republicans would work to get stuff done (as they did when crafting this past summer’s bipartisan Immigration Bill) and consistently reject the self-serving, destructive instincts of Trump (which Republicans did not do when they gutted that same Immigration Bill they helped craft), the elimination of the filibuster would not be under discussion. Check.
(11) For God’s sakes, Lou, you write of the fear of one-party control — Donald J. Trump has told us, repeatedly, he wants to be a dictator on day one of his new administration, use our military against our own citizens, and flat-out told adoring crowds if they would just “vote for me this one time, you’ll never need to vote again.” No offense, but I cannot empathize (nor hope to reach, apparently) with those who are clueless. Check.
For the sake of our people, our country, the Earth, please wake up.