Three October Surprises

This should be a decisive week for those undecided voters who have begun paying attention to current events. A lot has been revealed. Unfortunately, too many Americans are still too busy living their lives to devote adequate time to following the news or worse to determining what is actual versus fake news. As a retired educator, I’ve assumed responsibility for informing people in my personal interactions and on social media in service to this consequential election.

I watched the entire Vice-presidential debate. It was refreshingly polite and only useful to voters willing to engage in fact-checking afterward. The “smooth talker” award clearly goes to J.D. Vance along with the “purveyor of lies” and “blame migrants” awards. Walz gets the award for “likability”, “problem solving” and “policy messaging” despite the fact that he was clearly more nervous at first. Walz stuck to his talking points, doing a decent job relaying the democratic policies that positively impact the lives of Americans. I do wish he had challenged Vance’s continuous rewriting of numerous historical events and outright lies. A significant exception came toward the end of the debate when he challenged Vance’s ridiculous attempt to reframe the 2020 election as a peaceful transfer of power.

It would have been helpful to voters if Walz had debunked Vance’s false assertion that Trump made the Affordable Healthcare Act better when in fact he tried numerous times to destroy it without a replacement plan. Remember when John McCain cast that deciding vote to save it? I wish Walz had debunked Vance’s claim that he never called for a national abortion ban or that Harris was the border czar who invited illegal migrants into the country to steal jobs, cause a housing shortage, and commit crimes like importing deadly fentanyl and eating pets. The fact is Vance did call for that nationwide abortion ban, and that American citizens are importing fentanyl from Mexico and Haitian migrants in Springfield are not eating pets and are her legally. Unemployment is at historic lows and the housing shortage is caused by investment buying and insufficient building. It should not be lost on any viewer that J.D. Vance protested a rule violation when the commentator fact-checked that particular lie about Haitians in real time. Only a liar would do that.

Debates are about relaying information so that voters can make a decision based on legitimate information, so I never say that anyone won or lost a debate. Unfortunately, in the Trump era when MAGA candidates use a debate setting to purposefully deceive low information voters, it effectively removes the actual purpose of hosting a debate. The American voter is the loser. Fact-checking is a public service that we have been denied on the debate stage itself. Few people will take the time to check the facts later and these MAGA candidates know it and take advantage of that reality in order to secure votes through deception.

The second October surprise was the revelation that Republican lawmakers voted against funding FEMA relief efforts at the levels necessary to deal with natural disasters. And now we have Trump falsely claiming that the Biden Administration is stealing funds from FEMA to give to illegal migrants so they will vote for Democrats in the election. Not only is this a complete lie, but the fact is that he himself diverted funds from FEMA to pay for his migrant detention centers when he was president. Once again, Republicans are showing the American people that they would prefer that we fend for ourselves or depend on the charitable acts of others for our survival. Our Constitution says that the purpose of government is to provide for the common defense and to promote the general welfare. That said, it also came to light this week that Trump was prepared to deny FEMA disaster relief funds during the California wildfires until his aide convinced him that there were a sufficient number of GOP voters in Orange County California who would be hurt. He falsely accused the Biden Administration and a democratic governor of withholding disaster relief because from people in Republican areas. Again, just another example of his projection wherein every accusation turns out to be a confession. This information about California came directly from one of his former aides. I recall that there was a delay and initially heard that Trump wasn’t releasing aide because the state should have prevented the fires. Now we know the truth about how Trump wants to use our tax dollars to benefit those who support him personally and not in service to all tax-paying Americans.

And finally, 165 pages of detailed first-hand accounts and evidence that Trump criminally tried to steal the 2020 election were released by the court for everyone to read. The legal brief filed by Special Counsel Jack Smith is damning and reveals just how ruthless, callous, and unfit Trump is for office. Anyone who reads that report now knows that a vote for this man is a vote for a reprehensible human being who disrespects the rule of law, our Constitution, truth, and the American voter.

As decent human beings who care about our country, other humans, and our environment, we must not allow Trump to win this election. People’s lives and livelihoods are literally at stake. We can’t allow our friends and family members to be deceived into voting for a smooth talker who makes empty promises, insults women and veterans, unfairly blames migrants for every problem, and who continuously lies about his dastardly deeds while making horrendous false accusations that inevitably turn out to be confessions.

It is time for us to boldly share factual information with our neighbors, friends, and family members who have not been paying attention so that they understand what’s at stake in this election and so they can vote wisely.