Renewing Democracy

There is a class of voters who voted for Trump in 2016, and are considering voting for him again, who are too sophisticated to believe his many lies, or to take the Fox News propaganda machine seriously. These are the people who might say something like this, at least pre-pandemic: “O.K. it’s true. Trump is a racist, misogynist, divisive, childish, mean-spirited bully. But hey, he’s done great on the economy.”  Since then we’ve had a pandemic that has resulted in 225,000 deaths with no end in sight, caused at least in part by the misinformation and inaction of the Trump Administration. And we have a nearly eight percent unemployment rate, with many unemployed long term. Also, Trump has made clear his willingness to upend our unbroken 230-year constitutional tradition of permitting the peaceful transfer of power, based on baseless accusations against mail-in voting. This stance alone, together with his lack of leadership on Covid-19, should disqualify Trump from a second term. But f...

I vote for principles, not individuals. People are fallible, but principles are enduring. I vote for democracy, a word not heard from the "leader of the free world" for four years. I vote for decency and human respect, which have deteriorated in our country to unprecedented levels.  I vote to resurrect the American dream based on belief in the dignity of every human being regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or background. I vote to restore the economy and economic opportunity for working people who struggle day to day. I vote for freedom of speech and thought, once championed by a political party that now has become a cult which says and does what it is told. I vote to restore science, because ignoring it has led to over 200,000 deaths in our country and environmental deterioration. I vote for a woman’s right to choose what is best for herself with her doctor. I vote to restore international cooperation to overcome the effects of climate change, to ...