Go Out And Vote!
In light of yet another horrific act of hatred committed on Saturday in which 11 members of a synagogue were murdered, the upcoming midterm elections are now far more important than ever before. The attack was carried out with an AR-15, the same weapon used in the shootings in Parkland, Newtown, and Aurora, as well as many other deadly attacks in the United States since a 10-year federal ban on assault weapons expired in 2004. Why does anyone need to wield a weapon of such force? The answer is simple: they don’t. Time and again, Republican lawmakers have defended this military-grade semi-automatic rifle’s place on the market even as the number of mass-shootings increases.
Yet, the issue isn’t solely about gun-control. The latest massacre is part of a series of shootings fueled by bigotry. Regardless of your race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, or any other facet of identity, such levels of hatred and bigotry that President Trump spews from his bully pulpit, which Republicans have accepted over the last two years, violates the American creed. We have to put our foot down and we have the opportunity to do so right now. As Thomas Friedman says in an op-ed for The New York Times, “In the midterm elections, vote for a Democrat, canvass for a Democrat, raise money for a Democrat, drive someone else to a voting station for a Democrat.”
While the mass shooting in Pittsburgh will make headlines on every news outlet for the next few days, we cannot ignore countless other tragedies on our way to the polls.
After the vicious slaughter of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, President Trump remained focused on his $110 billion arms deal with Saudi Arabia. Do we really want to live in a country where our leaders ignore acts of blatant injustice to save a lucrative arms deal?
Scientists all around the world warn against the imminent dangers of reaching two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, yet, President Trump dismisses numerous reports about climate change and even pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement. Do we really want to live in a country where our leaders blatantly ignore science?
Days after a Trump supporter sent a bomb to Tom Steyer, a prominent Democratic donor who openly opposes the Trump administration, Trump took to Twitter using his typical offensive. Trump called Steyer a “crazed & stumbling lunatic.” Do we really want to live in a country where our leaders lack empathy?
Voting in this midterm goes beyond civic duty. By voting for a Democrat in the midterm election you are doing your part to curb Trump’s toxic agenda that is polarizing our country.
By acquiescing to Trump’s various invectives, the Republican majority has shown their lack of moral backbone, but they also purposely subvert the principle of trust that binds our society. As the argument over health care looms, news headlines last week were crowded with bomb assassination attempts and a caravan of immigrants a thousand miles from the U.S. border. Paul Krugman notes, “But whoever sent the bombs and why, the caravan hysteria is no accident: creating a climate of hatred is how Republicans avoid talking about health care.” The Republicans use of wedge issues distract voters from policy issues that really do concern people’s needs.
If the Republican strategy of fomenting disunity leads to success in the midterms, we as a society would be condoning the hostility that pervades politics. While we have certainly devolved from a country founded in union and decency, Democratic leverage in Congress is the first step to regain our humanity. Vote on this pivotal election day. Our future depends on it.