Given the character, rhetoric, and resumes of the two major candidates for president, it boggles the mind of onlookers around the world that this election is basically tied. I’m greatly disturbed by it, but not surprised. There are forces behind this election that not only ensure a nail-biter come November but also provide avenues to contest the election should Harris win. In an ideal world, she would easily win, and we could move on.
But this isn’t an ideal world. We live in a country where hidden forces are suppressing accurate information, limiting access to voting, stoking unhinged fears, and peddling hate. Aside from a few courageous Republican leaders, most Republicans who oppose Trump remain silent cowards amid this very real threat. It’s no wonder half the country thinks Trump is worthy of their vote for president. I hate that fifteen percent of the voters in this country still have no idea who they will vote for despite the fact that one candidate is a pathological liar, convicted felon, adulterer, draft dodger, fraud, and tax evader while the other is a boot-straps courtroom prosecutor who worked her way up to district attorney, attorney general, U.S. senator, and then Vice President without glaring character flaws and scandals. But she happens to be a female of color in a country that still struggles with racism and misogyny.
Those of us who have managed to look beyond the veil, must find a way to combat the powerful forces that are keeping this race close. The first culprit is corporate media and social media outlets. Given its desire for views and advertising money, television news outlets minimize the lies, character flaws, insults, and lawlessness of Trump while constantly seeking any disqualifying words or moves by Harris. They do this under the guise of being “fair and balanced” when there is nothing fair nor balanced in their reporting. The “neutral” outlets suppress stories while conservative outlets like Fox and Newsmax engage in fearmongering. They refrain from fact-checking, continually hurl insults at democrats and Harris and spread unfounded rumors about Harris while labeling such content as entertainment, commentary and opinion to avoid further lawsuits.
In the realm of social media, the situation is just as bad. Mark Zuckerberg, who was publicly threatened with prison by Trump, recently admitted that Meta platforms suppress political content. Perhaps that explains why my Facebook account was “accidentally” deleted and my political posts now have almost no views. At the same time, X, which is owned by Elon Musk, endorsed Trump and pushes content fueled by conspiracy theories and hate. Anyone can post anything on Tic Tok and YouTube. Some are seeking to fill the information gap left open by television news outlets. However, when reliable information is hard to find, the electorate will be confused. And it is. Too few people, especially busy people, know half the horrific things Trump has said or done during this campaign, and they know very little about Harris. If they are unable or unwilling to invest any time, they must rely on ads, flawed news and social media posts, and word of mouth.
The second culprit are religious conservatives who use their pulpits to spread fear and opposition through exaggerated claims about late-stage abortions on demand and the murder of newborns. They claim that anti-bullying lessons in schools which are designed to create tolerance and understanding of the sexual diversity among human beings is dangerous grooming. They preach against the actual science that supports the fluidity of gender beyond the binary of male or female. They deny the science of climate change. They cling to the tradition of female subordination to male domination as the ordained order of life and villainize independent childless women. They engage in judgement instead of the love and compassion of Christ. A good portion of voters are choosing Trump as a vessel to enshrine these antiquated views into “Taliban-like” laws of the land through Project 2025. Examples of MAGA Republicans who are pushing this agenda are Speaker Mike Johnson, Byron Donalds, J.D. Vance and Margorie Taylor Greene.
The third culprit are white suprematists and their sympathizers who are insecure about the rising numbers and prominence of black and brown people as well as religious minorities. They are against the immigration (legal or not) of black and brown people and non-Christians. They are voting for Trump because they want to secure supremacy in positions of power throughout the nation. They align themselves with autocrats who despise democracy because at their core, they believe this country should be run by white Christian men who, like Trump, aren’t afraid to mercilessly wield power. They believe that the vote rightfully belongs to white Christian males only. They claim the election was stolen because they don’t believe all citizens truly have the right to vote. They believe white cultural values are under attack by educators, liberals, and immigrants from “shit hole” countries. Under the guise of safety and security, they exaggerate crime statistics and engage in fearmongering as an argument to retain their access to guns. But in reality, their gun ownership is tied to their ability to forcefully regain their power. Consequently, a few mass shootings are an acceptable price to pay to retain gun ownership. They march on the streets as a recruitment tool and train in camps for race wars. They are ready for another January 6th if called upon. They see the culture and values of America as “their” culture and values being under threat by “multiculturalism”. They resist diversity, equity and inclusion as guiding principles because they think it is their birthright to hold the best jobs, have the most money, and wield power and influence over the country. Their whiteness is their claim to superiority and Trump, along with wealthy white donors, covertly share their views and will close the border, deport the migrants, end birthright citizenship, limit voting, and restore their numbers and “safety”. They will never vote for a woman nor a person of color.
And finally, we allowed religious and alt-right conservatives to take over state legislatures and the Supreme Court where they are actively working to suppress the vote and remove individual freedoms. They know that there are not enough white Christian nationalists and low information voters to legitimately win this election, so they are passing laws and making rules to make it difficult to vote. I’m grateful for those in the legal community who are fighting these voter suppression efforts in courts across the nation and often winning. Not surprisingly, the national news outlets rarely highlight these legal battles.
These are the main reasons this election is so close. We have a severe lack of accurate information getting through about the candidates, the religious right is fighting for supremacy over secularism in our civic lives, and blatant racism and misogyny are seeking a triumphant comeback under the of guise of preserving traditional American values to “Make America Great Again”. Those values exclude the lived experiences and current realities of millions of citizens while simultaneously limiting access to future opportunities and silencing opposing voices. If Trump wins, many will essentially become guests and servants in this country, lacking both dignity and full citizenship rights.
There is little that can be done to convince solid Trump voters to switch to Harris because they have their reasons for voting for him despite his obvious flaws. It’s sad that there are so many of them, but that is something we must work on post-election. Today, our job is to reach the undecided and low information voters. We must be informed enough and bold enough to engage with family and friends about the sakes in this election at every opportunity and then ensure that they make it to the polls.