theblackarts wrote:A final appeal to any conservative, independent/third party, or undecided voters who are planning to vote in person:
I’m not going to bother citing data or articles (as I believe it’s your personal responsibility as a citizen to both read scientific journals and suss out independent, unbiased journalism), but rather I want to briefly try and appeal to you on a human, ethical level.
First, if you are someone who is of the mind that “liberals want to destroy America,” or “the radical left wants to make us all socialists,” or any similar nonsense, I need you to drop it, and check in with reality. Just like I believe that all conservatives aren’t fascists or Nazis or white supremacists, I need you remain level-headed and read this post as an American citizen who recognizes that this country needs a lot of help right now. There is no progress to be made in believing that our neighbors want to destroy us, we all believe that we are fighting for the fate of the country and doing the right thing. There are very few things more important than regaining our sense of decency and common sense, as indecent prosperity really isn’t prosperity at all.
It is a disprovable, etched in stone fact that Donald Trump’s actions and rhetoric mirror the words and deeds of our greatest authoritarian political adversaries. This is not acceptable for the United States of America, regardless of how you feel about his policies. There is no liberal health-care plan, planned parenthood budget, social justice movement, court-packing scheme, or any other reality-based concern that should alarm you to the degree of Trump's narcissistic ransacking of our democratic stability, autonomy, and political norms. We have had sixteen years of democratic presidency in the past thirty years, and the country has been just fine (given the recessions that’s an understatement). No republican administration has come close to the flirtatious authoritarianism that we are seeing with the Trump Administration, and that is objectively provable. To make matters worse, Trump provides infinite justification for the illiberal left, which adds even more unnecessary fuel to the fire, which makes it difficult to check such obvious institutional abuse. If you read the words of foreign journalists who have experienced authoritarianism at any level, the comparisons to Trump’s administration are uncanny. We are better than this.
The public needs to believe in the presidency. The public needs to believe in our intelligence community. The public needs to believe in the FBI. The public needs to believe in our judiciary. There is no room for excuses, for “he’s just joking,” etc. etc. Trust in our institutions is paramount to a healthy democracy, and the erosion that has taken place in the past four years seems irrecoverable to me at times. The intelligence relationships that have been damaged or destroyed are especially concerning.
If the US is to remain a beacon of liberty and hope, freedom and opportunity, a leader in technology and innovation, and most importantly an example of a government that weeds itself of corruption, conservatives MUST take their party back. Conservatism must once again stand for decency, justice, and small (but effortlessly functional) government. There needs to be room in conservativism for intellectualism and science, research and reason. When you are being won over by rallying cries instead of persuasive arguments, something is wrong. Conservatives MUST understand that the current trajectory of their party is not sustainable, they cannot both win this political battle and keep the country and the party they love. We need healthy debate to flourish; we need to agree to disagree on certain issues. Those are brute facts. We need to compromise and move forward together, not tear each other apart. The democrats have a long, long, way to go, but removing Trump from office is a referendum on authoritarianism that cannot be overlooked.
We need to return to treating each other with civility. We need to return to respecting those who are different than us, and maybe even hold opinions that negatively affect us. We need to remember that we share a planet that desperately needs our attention. We need to recognize when we have enough to give to our neighbor who may not be so fortunate. This election cannot be about us vs. them, it needs to be about us vs. “me.” America is dominant and admirable when we are united. Make no mistake, no one has done more to drive us apart than Donald Trump, and not for the gain of anyone but himself. This is not my opinion; you can count his inflammatory statements and weight their effect. His rhetoric is simply indefensible. On a weekly basis he makes remarks that would sink any other candidacy or presidency on their own.
Joe Biden is not a magic bullet; he is far from it. The democrats are not our saviors, they suffer from many of the same ills as the republicans. But imagine a government where cabinet positions are filled by those who are qualified to lead in their respective positions. Imagine if our intelligence officers could deliver briefings that contain harsh truths about our supposed allies. Imagine if our foreign relations were a long game of chess instead of a shouting match at recess. Imagine if instead of trying to bring back coal and manufacturing we mobilized ourselves in renewable energy and prepared ourselves to deal with automation. Imagine if the EPA acted in a way that was both responsible to our environment and to our economy. Imagine if the CDC had the funding and support it needed to research a pandemic, announce findings, and then change its recommendations after new data were uncovered, with the full encouragement of our executive branch. Imagine if a moderate SCJ was nominated. The list is endless. “Big” government can also be responsible government if we make it that way. Higher taxes can benefit our quality of life, not just our bank accounts. There are modern problems facing us that need modern solutions, and Trump has proven to us that he is not interested in any such innovation. Imagine if we had spent the last four years improving our health care, redesigning our immigration policies, fortifying our trade and foreign relations, expanding our renewable energy potential... instead of lashing out at each other. Trump is not the source of this problem, but he is unmistakably the primary catalyst. Let's remember what it's like to work toward a common good, instead of victory for our party at any cost.
Please consider a vote for Biden (or a third party), for the sake of the republican party, and the country itself, as Trump cannot, under any circumstances, be allowed to remain in office.
Very oh so very well written. Hopefully Pennsylvania follows Michigan and Wisconsin now.
