The 2024 presidential election is upon us. We need to stand up in indignation and not be complacent about reelecting Donald Trump. With his baggage of criminality, he continues to act heartlessly and unprincipled in his daily politics of lies and dividing us. He hurls vitriol and revenge towards those who challenge his actions.
It’s not befitting of a would-be president to call his running mate, Kamala Harris, and others, cruel and demeaning names. He and J.D. Vance are steadfast in attacking the legal Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio. Instead of lifting them up and helping them to succeed, he causes them suffering and anguish.
Last May, the Senate presented a bipartisan immigration and border bill to address problems at the border. Instead of sincerity to help fix the problem, Trump ordered his party to kill the bill, to not address the problem so that he could use it as a campaign strategy. For political gain, he’s spreading misinformation about the federal response to the recent hurricanes.
A leader should not add more chaos at a time when people are dealing with challenging problems of damage and loss.
A debate is supposed to be an exchange of ideas, not lies. The vice presidential debate between Tim Walz and J.D. Vance showed that Vance is Trump’s mouthpiece who parrots the conspiracy of untruths that Trump has woven into the fabric of politics. Smooth as silk, he looked at the voters in the camera while not answering the questions, and lied about immigration, abortion, health care, and climate change, etc. He refused to admit that Trump lost the 2020 election, and had the audacity to say that the attack on the capital, and Trump’s conspiring to steal votes from the American people to cling to power, was a “peaceful transfer of power”!
Vance’s solution to gun violence in schools is to have stronger walls and windows. His answer felt cold and uncompassionate towards the gravitas of mass shootings that occur way too often in the U.S. The unvarnished truth is that Trump and the Republican Party strongly support the National Rifle Association, and refuse to ban assault weapons no matter how many children or adults lose their lives. It’s unconscionable that, unlike how I grew up in the 1950s and 60s, children today no longer have the basic freedom of feeling safe from the worry of being shot to death in the sanctuary of their own classroom.
The most telling part of the debate was when Vance complained to the moderator about being fact-checked. In other words, “you’re not supposed to ensure that voters are well-informed with accurate facts!” Trump backed out of the customary October “60 Minutes” interview prior to a November election because he’s angry that their policy is to fact check. If he can’t peddle deceit, he won’t participate.
The mental health of our country needs to have a commander in chief who stands on the legs of truth, and who models respect for the dignity and humanity of all Americans in their various life circumstances. Without truth and justice there can be no peace. Policies and issues are important, but above all is to solve problems with honesty and integrity of character.
Let’s embark on a fresh four-year voyage to new horizons. Choose a candidate who best demonstrates that they can navigate us with a compass of wisdom, kindness, goodwill, and a touch of sunshine!