This November citizens will have a clear choice regarding the direction of the country. I see within my own circle of friends and family that folks have heard enough and seen enough and are simply tuning out to the constant barrage of chaos, incompetence, and cruelty. I just pray each one of them votes to end the frustration and destruction in November. Sadly, I’ve heard some people say that their vote doesn’t matter because both sides are the same. While neither side is perfect, they are clearly not at all the same. In fact, Republicans are hell bent on limiting the vote to men. But there are many more differences that everyone should be aware of.
The Republican ranks are primarily filled with white “Christian” nationalists, white suprematists, crony capitalists, proponents of small government and severely limited business regulations, conservative billionaires, Zionists, xenophobes, homophobes, misogynists, and a whole lot of frightened, untraveled, and poorly educated white folks who get their information from Fox News. Republicans prioritize the civil rights of white males and wealthy individuals over the rights of women, poor people, immigrants, non-Christians, and racial minorities. They now favor immigration only from predominately white countries. They prioritize religious beliefs over scientific facts. Many value increasing their personal wealth and power above the well-being of the nation, the environment, and other human beings.
The Democrats and Democratic Socialists ranks are filled with a diversity of religions, genders, sexual orientations, and races. Since the Civil Rights Movement, Democrats strive to make it easier for all citizens to vote. They value equal justice under the law and defend the civil and human rights of all people as they strive for equal opportunity. Democrats favor a regulated capitalism that protects workers and the environment. They value paths to citizenship for law-abiding hard-working people willing to contribute to the country no matter their country of origin. Their focus is on the public good as opposed to increasing individual prosperity and power. Democrats are proponents of public safety nets such as access to food, healthcare, education, gun control, disaster relief, and housing. They prioritize scientific research and facts over beliefs. Democrats are generally more highly educated and traveled. Their ranks include liberal billionaires, feminists, liberal-minded Jews, and people who value diversity, equity and inclusion. They believe everyone should pay their fair share toward the common good of the nation.
Both Republicans and Democrats agree that national security is a priority. They agree that having good infrastructure benefits both people and business. Prior to Trump hijacking their Party, both Republicans and Democrats agreed on fidelity to the Constitution and adherence to the rule of law. They once agreed that immigration was good for the nation and that education and scientific research propelled us forward in the world. Trump’s bullying of Congressional Republicans in conjunction with Zionist and the conservative billionaires’ purchase of the Supreme Court justices have fundamentally changed the policy direction of the country in a dehumanizing direction that threatens women’s lives, the safety of immigrants, the environment and accountability to the rule of law. Because of these Republican policies, we can no longer trust our government to do what is in our collective best interest. The Republican goal is nation run by wealthy white men and a perverted version of the Christian religion.
This November’s election will determine whether or not we will hold this Administration accountable for breaking numerous laws. It will determine whether or not people have due process. It will determine whether we have an independent Department of Justice or one that acts on the whims of the president. It will determine whether or not we continue to lock people away in for-profit concentration camps or prisons and deport them because they are brown. It will determine whether or not we continue to endanger the lives and future prospects of pregnant young women. It will determine whether or not we have lifesaving access to food, healthcare, drinkable water and breathable air. It will determine whether or not gun violence will continue to threaten our daily lives. It will determine whether or not we have access to factual news and information. It will determine if our basic freedoms are restored. It will determine our access to history and books. It will determine whether or not we respond to natural disasters in a reasonable way. It will determine who gets to marry whom. It will determine if our education system teaches science or the Bible. It will determine who gets to be a citizen and who has the right to vote moving forward. It will determine our reputation in the world.
Anyone who continues to claim that the two parties are the same and that elections do not matter, need to be made aware of the current situation and the actual facts we are dealing with. As citizens who care about our nation, the environment, and each other, we have two jobs starting this November. First, we must vote and ensure a democrat turnover of both the House and the Senate. Second, we must push our new representatives to represent us aggressively and unapologetically to build back better all that has been damaged and torn down. And Speaker Mike Johnson was right, that if the Democrats win this November, some folks will end up in jail, not for revenge but for the sake of accountability and justice.