In 2016, when Donald Trump was holding campaign events in front of record crowds, a TV reporter was interviewing three women who had waited overnight to get good seats to the event. They did not know each other until they became line buddies. The reporter asked each one what it was about Donald Trump that drew them to his campaign. The first women said “I love how he hates.” The second responded “He is able to say the things I want to say but I would get fired if I said them.” And the third woman noted that she just saw all these white people and wanted to join them.
It was a revelation that Donald Trump was tapping into the hate and racism that lay hidden in many hearts. He was cheered as he spread his lies and told people that journalists and government in general were the “enemies” of the people. Most Americans doubted that the lies and hateful language were a winning strategy. They were wrong.
Mr. Trump went on to win the 2016 election (not the popular vote) and we had four years of his presidency where he continued his assault on facts, failed to deliver on his infrastructure promises, gave huge tax breaks to the top five percent, and ignored the severity of the COVID pandemic. And when he lost the 2020 election (both the popular vote and the electoral college) he summoned a mob to storm the Capitol to interrupt the certification of the election. And even though he lost over 60 court cases because his lawyers could not produce any evidence of voter fraud or tabulation errors he continues to lie about the results of that election. The lies and the hateful language continue.
We are now just weeks away from the 2024 election. Voters will have to decide if they want to endure four more years of deceit, bombast, name-calling, and chaos. Voters will have to decide, do they want people in government who try to use facts to solve problems, and more importantly, voters will have to decide if the people they elect really recognize that we face problems that could destroy us. Global climate change is a REAL problem, the loss of a woman’s right to reproductive health care is a REAL problem, wealth disparity is a REAL problem, the rise of authoritarian dictators is a REAL problem, gun violence and the safety of children in school are REAL problems, and the desire of some to let Donald Trump be a dictator on day one is as REAL problem. The problems are so REAL that some Republicans have united as Republicans for Harris and are urging voters to vote Democratic down the ticket. These problems need people from both sides of the aisle to pool information and policy to fix the problems. We need to reject the language of hate and lies to give our children and grandchildren a better world in which to live.
Andrew Urban
Eagles Nest Twp.