The Existential Importance of This 2024 Election

Family, Friends, and Fellow Americans,

I hope you don’t mind my taking this opportunity to say a few things about our election. And, I hope it inspires you to reach out and talk to others about it, too.

This election is too important to stay quiet.

It is about literally preserving and protecting our way of life, our rights, our Constitution, our democracy.

If you pay attention, if you listen, you’ll hear history’s patterns echoing and repeating.

On February 20, 1939, a Nazi rally was held at Madison Square Garden (MSG) where 20,000 Americans attended.

That night in 1939, outside Madison Square Garden, 100,000 Americans protested.

A few years later, we fought German Nazis in World War II.

Last night, Trump held a rally similar to that 1939 Nazi rally, in the same place in NYC at MSG, with speakers and Trump himself spewing hate speech, much like the American Nazis did in 1939. This time, that hate speech was spewed against women, Latinos, Jews, Muslims, LGBTQI+ members, immigrants, Democrats, and anyone who does not support or agree with Trump. He repeatedly refers to these people as “the enemies from within” and vows to get rid of them, using these words: “slaughter,” “exterminate,” “deport,” and “lock up.”

Can you hear it? 

Can you hear history echoing?

This election really is so important.

It is, in the macro, about preserving and protecting our way of life, our rights, our Constitution, and our democracy. But it is also, specifically, about protecting and defending vulnerable real people you know and love.

Women?

Yes, it is about protecting women’s lives and the right to make decisions over their own bodies. 

When I was a kid, women died in back-alley abortions. Then the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade gave women the right to make decisions over their own bodies, which Trump’s Supreme Court Justices took away. 

Women are now once again dying because they are being denied abortions and life-saving operations because doctors are afraid of laws in some states that would put them in jail for life. One such state, Texas, wants to access women’s medical records to track their pregnancies to prosecute them if they get an abortion, even if it’s out-of-state. 

Trump’s Project 2025 is planning to enact a federal ban on abortions.

This election is about protecting those we love, be they members of our family who are women, LGBTQI+, immigrants, black, Latino, Jewish, Islamic, or anyone whom Mr. Trump decides he does not like. 

And even if you are not on his list now, you or someone you love may find yourselves on Trump’s hate list someday and there may be no-one left to help you and no elections to rid you of this autocratic dictator wannabe.

He is desperate and dangerous. He is not running for the presidency as much as he is running from prison.

National Security?

If you know folks who are voting for Trump for “national security” reasons, then they should know that Trump’s former National Security, Military, Intelligence, and White House administration staff – hundreds of career experts, non-politicos – have come out to warn us that they have assessed Trump to be the biggest national security threat that our country has ever faced. Our own intelligence agencies deemed him to be, at minimum, a Russian asset. And our adversaries and allies deem him to be easily manipulated by simply appealing to his narcissism with flattery or greed with financial gain.

The Economy?

This election should not be about the economy, but if it is for you or your friends, then you should know that economic data shows we have the best economy in the world, the best American economy in the last 100 years, and economic experts – from Nobel Laureate Economists to the conservative Wall Street Journal – warn that Trump’s economic plans will plunge us into a recession or depression, result in massive jobs loss, increase inflation, and Trump’s proposed tariffs will cost the average family between $4,500 – $7,500 more annually, among other bad things. And he plans to get rid of Social Security, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act, plunging millions of us into dire financial crisis.

The Republican Party?

This election should not put party above country, but if you know folks who are voting for Trump because they are Republicans, then they should know that even staunch right-wing conservative Republicans, like former VP Dick Cheney and Congresswoman Liz Cheney, along with thousands of other life-long Republicans and conservatives – from politicians, intellectuals, to voters – have denounced Trump as not representing the conservative ideals of the Republican party. Trump’s own former VP, Chief-of-Staff, and generals have denounced him as “fascist to the core,” incompetent, ignorant, morally corrupt, and unfit.

This election, perhaps more importantly than ever, is about character, morality, decency, ethics, and, simply, good versus evil. 

The President of the United States is not only a role model for our children and fellow Americans, but s/he represents us and our American ideals to the world. Our allies count on our President to preserve NATO and stand up to bad actors on the world stage, like Hitler and Putin.

Elections have consequences.

Please make sure you vote wisely.

And please talk to others who may be undecided or may be thinking of voting for Donald Trump.

Let’s save democracy first, for ourselves and our children, and then we can go back to debating economic and foreign policies.

One week left to vote.

Vote.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
All that is needed for
the triumph of evil
is for good people to do
nothing and stay silent.

– Edmund Burke –
(( paraphrased )) 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

© Martie Hevia 2024