(What’s up with the turkey in the snow picture? Just for fun, before I get going, I figured I’d share a glimpse into my weekend…Saturday morning, a wayward alarm went off at 6. It’s ok, kind of, because I needed to prep my hazardous waste for disposal because I’d secured a coveted drop-off spot confirmed for 9am. One cracked bottle of disgusting-smelling tiki torch oil on the garage floor later, I popped the back of the car open and carefully carried a box full of hazmat down the driveway…and then I see this thing hanging out by the bumper. Suburbia.)
Anyway…sincerest thanks to those of you who have been reading, been kind enough to give me feedback about what I’m doing here, for sharing your thoughts, etc. etc. It means a lot.
But on to this week’s business…my haiku…aka Maiku:
Big election week.
Democracy: it’s at stake.
Get out the vote. Please.
At this point I want the election to be over mainly so I can stop being such a big ball of angst caused by all the black noise and cries of “fake news” and sniping and swiping and viral, typo’d memes. I’m tired of wasting time cleaning the pathetic, pandering, fear mongering election emails out of my inbox. It’s really f-cking ridiculous at this point.
This is how some people really see this election (like how about you learn how to use an apostrophe?):
Didn’t you mean “It’s Trump vs S’atan?
Seriously, it’s come to this.
So yeah, I can’t wait to vote tomorrow. I love lacing up my red, white, and blue high-top Chuck Taylors (I’ve got my red t-shirt hanging with my navy blue hoodie in the closet, ready to wear) and starting the day by fulfilling the ultimate civic obligation. Regardless of the election and regardless of the candidates, the act of voting is the consummate reminder of how lucky I am to have such a serious obligation to be able to fulfill.
Let me be clear about something that I have been clear about from the beginning (aka November 2016). I didn’t want Trump to win, but when he did I wanted him to be successful. I’ll never forget waking up in the middle of the night in that hotel room in Daytona Beach, a room that happened to overlook the boardwalk, right near one of those giant bungee swings, the flights of which treated me at all hours to strange shadows dancing around the walls of my room, accompanied by a soundtrack of high-pitched shrieks…but anyway, I’ll never forget waking up and seeing Trump on the tv talking…I assumed that he was accepting defeat…and then I saw it at the bottom of the screen…Hillary had called him…to…concede. Fortunately for me, when I’m traveling for work alone and staying for a week in a location not conducive to a single woman being out and about, I stock my bathroom sink with ice and cans of local beer…do I cracked a can of Mad Manatee IPA (which I rated 3.5 in Untappd and described as “election medicine”) and listened. As I took In his words I thought (much to my own surprise), “if he had talked like this during the whole campaign, it would have been a completely different race.” He was measured, humble…appropriate…and despite my shock and disbelief that this was the outcome, I considered the possibility that just maybe an outsider would make a difference. He won the election, he was suddenly sounding rational—I saw a glimmer of hope. Not Obama hope, but I also just so happen to think it’s patriotic to want the president to be successful, which helped.
Needless to say, the optimism was short-lived.
Four years later, after all of the hypocrisy and the lack of accountability and the braggadocio and the denial, of the mocking and the deflection and the propaganda, I’m sick and tired of the rabid defense of the indefensible, of hearing that “you __________________ (fill in the blank with any sweeping generalization, like “liberals” or “democrats”) just want to see Trump fail.”
No, I don’t. I’m an American. I want America to be successful. To want the president to fail is, in my opinion, un-American.
I speak for myself when I say this, although I know for a fact that others can say the same—I gave Trump a chance. He repeatedly showed me who he is, and now—because of how he has acted, how he is acting today, and only because of how he acts—I don’t want him to win. I don’t believe that he is good for America. He seems hellbent on dividing us when we’re screaming for unity. And that’s what I think we need most right now, a president who will focus on delivering a prevalent sense of American togetherness—no matter our policy differences—a dominant sense of being on the same side, of being here for each other. When all is said and done, if we are “one nation under God” we must stand shoulder to shoulder regardless of party affiliation…and I see that as impossible right now. Politics has divided us, seemingly at the expense of patriotism.
I listen to some of the seemingly more-rational supporters say things to the effect of: “Trump’s a little rough around the edges/abrasive/whatever but I like his policies and he has good people around him…he has good business acumen…blah blah blah.” Um, based on some of the things the President has said and done, I’d argue that he’s a little bit more than “abrasive”—more like a sexist racist misogynistic homophobic bully of a spin doctor. And in supporting him, we sacrifice decency and humanity…but for what, really? And that’s the real kicker for me, how few people can actually state a fact-based defense of any of the positions they’re so petulantly digging their heels in on.
So I’m not voting for Trump tomorrow…not because I want to see him fail, but because I believe that restoring our national identity is more important than babying his ego. I am voting for Biden-Harris because I believe they will focus on fundamental principles of democracy; hold truths to be self evident; lead a government of the people, by the people, for the people; and they’ll do it with liberty and justice for all.
My vote is more about 2024 than 2020 anyway (let’s face it, 2020 will have the shame of an asterisk next to it forever). It’s about stopping the free fall of logic and reason. It’s about accountability and decency. It’s about finding truth. It’s about closing the growing gaps of extremism and polarization. It’s about not allowing politics to be used as a shield to hide hate behind. It’s about putting policy back into politics. It’s about not letting us get too far gone.
I’m not voting against Trump. I’m voting for America. And I’ll be dressed in red, white, and blue when I do.
Big election week.
Democracy: it’s at stake.
Get out the vote. Please.
Have a great week, and thanks for reading.
P.S. Facts matter.
Some recommended reading:
If you feel like reading more, especially if you haven’t voted yet and are on the fence candidate-wise, this is yet another good read from The Atlantic. If reading the whole article isn’t for you, here’s the chilling closing paragraph:
If Trump were to win a second term, he has made clear how this pandemic would play out. He is to have no moment of revelation. Americans would continue to die by the thousands. The president would devote his time and energy not to lowering that number, but to denying its existence. He has said the virus would disappear, and he would cling to that narrative regardless of the body count. If we joined him in this ignorance, the pathology would be ours.
Or this one from McSweeneys, which includes these lines:
There is so much to be done to create true safety in our communities, so much that goes beyond the presidency. But let’s make it easier on ourselves by electing a president who doesn’t thrive on the ruse of law and order, who doesn’t tell a white supremacist group to “stand by” one day and then claim he “will make America safe again” the next.
I have to admit something: I’m not sure if these words will matter at all. I struggle to understand what might move someone who is still undecided at this point. Attempts to persuade feel futile, even naïve. Throughout the past four years, facts have seemed to matter less and less, so much so that sometimes nothing seems to matter. And that is itself a threat to law and order: the nihilism and solipsism that arise from total distrust in each other and our institutions.
And here are links to a couple other good reads from the last few days:
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/10/white-men-coronavirus-trump-approval/616780/
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/11/09/why-trump-cant-afford-to-lose?