It’s about common decency.
It’s about truth versus lies.
It’s about honoring our system of government and how the founders intended it to work.
It’s about checks and balances.
It’s about empathy and compassion.
It’s about serving all of the people, not just a minority subset of them.
It’s about being a humble public servant.
It’s about the rule of law.
It’s about the common good.
The shattered families and friendships are not about political differences. It was never about that. Political differences are as old as the country itself.
This isn’t about policy differences. We’ve always had different ways of looking at the same issue.
This is deeper and more sinister. A large portion of the United States population has decided to hitch their wagon to a person who has done absolutely nothing to deserve their support or their vote. A person who drives wedges between us rather than doing the job of the President, which is to unite us. A person who has no desire to govern the country but only to wallow in the adulation of people wrapped up in the cult of his personality.
The MAGA hat wearers support him because of his lies. Because of his crassness. Because of his lack of intellect. They love it when he tweets and retweets all the things they think but, up until now, didn’t feel comfortable saying out loud. I don’t care about them. Not one bit. They are the minority of the minority. Their glorification of the con artist isn’t surprising. It’s just professional wrestling to them. It’s entertainment, not politics. They don’t care one iota about the workings of their government. They just want to be part of the show.
But what of the rest of them? The rest of his supporters. The ones who don’t wear the hat or wave the campaign flag? The ones who don’t treat him like a rock star?
I’ve spent a lot of time wondering how otherwise good, moral and yes, intelligent people can continue to support him. I lay awake thinking about it. How can they not see what I see? A small-minded man totally driven by his insecurities. He ran for President for the attention and publicity. He never thought he’d actually win. But now that he has that microphone and people all over the world are watching his every move, he is not about to give it up easily.
An amoral person will not think twice about lying, cheating, and stealing to get what he wants. He’s been doing it his whole life. He doesn’t hide it. He does it out in the open because he knows it throws us off.
And other amoral people will cheer him on. Because it validates them.
But what about those people we thought we knew? What of them? What are we to think when they tell us they still support him? What does that tell us about these people we thought we knew?
I don’t have the answer to that. I spend hours each day worrying over it. Trying to figure it out. Trying to see what they see. But it’s impossible.
This isn’t about politics. It’s about character and goodness and generosity and empathy for each and every human being. It’s about holding on to what is great about America, if you can even manage to find it anymore.
Why are the good people in that minority of Americans willing to trash everything? Why do they want to tear it all down? Why do they think that’s necessary?
This election is the most critical in American history. You can argue about others, but this one right here will decide if the great American experiment can be revived. It’s currently on a ventilator with little chance of recovery if this administration is allowed to continue. You can kiss everything that we thought was great about America goodbye. Unhook it from life support and bury it.
And while the majority of us will mourn it’s passing the minority of the minority will cheer, yell, and pound their chests because they got exactly what they wanted. More of the show, more of the entertainment.
And the others? The ones we thought we knew? What will they think? Will they quietly celebrate the passing of America? Or will they finally realize that they were the ones who unplugged the life support?
Two men are vying to be our next President. One lies as easily as he breathes. One cannot manage to show an ounce of empathy or compassion. One cannot put his own needs and desires aside for the greater good of the American people. One is tearing apart our institutions on a daily basis. One spends every waking moment trying to game the system. One enjoys dividing us.
The other is the exact opposite.
This is not about politics. And if you think it is, you would be wrong."
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