IT’S LESS than two weeks before the consequential midterm elections and already, the fiery and toxic battle for your votes have already been revealing the true color of the candidates, the politicians they choose to associate with, and the party they represent.
They are who they are, but the question is who will you vote for? Your answer may very well reveal who you are, what you are, what values you hold dear, what principles you stand for. As this transpires, know that your children are watching.
WILL YOU VOTE for a politician who just tells you what you want to hear, entertains you, arouses your emotions, gets you fired up, gives you empty promises, knowingly fabricates stories, manipulates you, and lies to you, demonizes his critics, undermines the democratic institutions and processes of this nation — just to win, win, win, win without regard for the truth, without respect to your sensibility, decency and intelligence, and without consideration of the greater good.
Just like when President Donald Trump limited the scope of the Brett Kavanaugh investigation, sacrificing the integrity of the quest for truth just so his pick who was accused of sexual misconduct and unfitness to sit in the Supreme Court could be confirmed. When asked “What if the accuser Dr. Christine Ford was telling the truth,” his response was, “It does not matter. We won!” Just as he marginalized and criticized women who have accused him and his league of sexual misconduct and abuse.
WILL YOU VOTE for a politician who used to trade personal insults with a former rival in politics — calling them names, convincing the American people why that candidate is BAD for America — only to kiss each other’s behinds because of political expediency to win, win, win. Just like how Trump labeled Ted Cruz “Lyin’ Ted” during their battle for the Republican nomination in 2016, insulted the latter’s wife, defamed his family, and suggested his father was a co-conspirator in the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy.
Cruz fought back and called Trump a “sniveling coward” a “pathological liar.” That was then, now they need each other. Trump needed Cruz to defeat the popular Democrat Beto O’Rouke so the Republicans could continue to have control of the Senate, and so he would now campaign for Cruz, labeling him as “beautiful Ted”. Cruz, of course, needed Trump’s support and endorsement in Texas to win, and so he now sings only love songs for the president. Politics at its worst.
WILL YOU VOTE for a politician who capitalizes on your baser emotions like FEAR, to cause you to hate and be afraid of other people? Just like how President Donald Trump would scare you about the thousands of people from Central America — men, women, children who are fleeing violence, hunger, pain; fathers, mothers, grandparents who only want to give their children and grandchildren a better and safer life just like what you did when you decided to immigrate to the United States?
They walked thousands of miles from their country to do a legal recourse. That is, to go to the border and apply for asylum. U.S. laws allow this, and each asylum seeker would have to be screened and evaluated, and then their application will either be accepted or denied. But they had to at least try to save their family.
But what did Trump do? He demonized them and called them criminals, violent gang members, drug peddlers who are coming to destroy America. He even added another layer to the fabricated story, that these asylum seekers are NOT just people from Central America. Trump said there are “unknown” people from the Middle East — aka Muslim or terrorists in his language — who will do us harm, just as he had labeled Mexicans and Muslims even before he became president. When asked by reporters if he has proof, he flatly said “No proof.”
Sadly, this is not just happening now. It has been part of plan’s goal “to make America great again” — vilifying and discriminating against immigrants, especially people of color; demonizing all of the Islam faith, limiting not only illegal immigration but also legal migration — when this great nation is built and enriched by immigrants.
WILL YOU VOTE for a politician who cares more for money than the truth, life of a human being and justice? Like President Donald Trump who again peddles a new conspiracy theory that terrorists infiltrated the botched interrogation of Jamal Khashoggi, a brave Saudi national who was a legal U.S. resident who wrote for the Washington Post.
The Turkish government’s investigation has proven that Khashoggi was brutally murdered by Saudi officials who are close to the Crown Prince, reportedly because of his writings that call for freedom of the press and freedom for the people of Saudi Arabia.
While Trump awaits the results of the investigation of the murder of Khashoggi by the Saudi government, who were named by the Turks as the suspect in the killing, Trump’s administration keeps on stressing the strong alliance between the United States and Saudi Arabia, in the fight against Iran. This, despite the fact that a big majority of the 9/11 terrorists who attacked America in 2001 were Saudi nationals.
“With all that being said though, we have $450 billion, $110 billion of which is a military order, but this is equipment and various things ordered from Saudi Arabia, $450 billion,” Trump said in defense of Saudi Arabia. “I think it’s over a million jobs. That’s not helpful for us to cancel an order like that. That hurts us far more than it hurts them.”
But according to the reporting of Politifact, “The $110 billion in arms sales to the Saudis would be eye-popping enough, but this was the first time we heard the $450 billion total that included everything else. Nor has Trump said that 1 million jobs are on the line.”
Or could there be stronger ties that bind Trump’s business empire and his son-in-law Jared Kushner with the Saudis?
WILL YOU VOTE for a politician who, on the eve of the midterm elections, fearful of losing control of the House, would say he will unveil a resolution pledging congressional action sometime after elections on a 10 percent middle-class tax cut, claiming his administration has been working with Rep. Brady on the plan “very hard for a pretty long period of time.” This statement by President Trump took his own White House staff and the Republicans in Congress by surprise, not knowing what Trump was talking about.
That’s the biggest spike since 2012 when the Republicans were criticizing former President Barack Obama for “massive spending,” which was intended by the previous administration to stimulate an economy struggling to recover from the deepest recession.
Trump’s spending, on the other hand, was to give welfare to the richest of the rich, in permanent tax breaks, when this approach was what drove the U.S. into the deepest recession since the Great Depression.
What is worse — the Republicans are now blaming the deficit to “welfare programs” like Social Security and Medicare — social benefits that we all already paid for deducted from our paycheck, as an investment toward our retirement and healthcare needs. These politicians are proposing to cut funding for social services and would want to touch our retirement money in Social Security and Medicare, but not their own lifetime entitlement.
WILL YOU VOTE for a politician who uses his words and example to hate, denigrate, even suggest harm against others, especially his critics here and around the world, other world leaders including our allies, the free press?
Remember when Trump said “that’s my kind of guy,” rewarding a Republican lawmaker who body-slammed a reporter, while singing high praises and openly expressing admiration to dictators like Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, China’s Xi Jinping, and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince?
WOULD YOU VOTE for politicians who enable, condone, support these political tactics? Do these politicians reflect your own values, principles and aspirations? If so, how would you explain your decision to your children and grandchildren?
