On the eve of election night 2024, my take is that we live in a fascinating country. There are two political parties, Republican and Democrat. We have two candidates from each party – Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. There is a huge contrast between these two candidates, and yet, the voting is projected to be almost 50-50. A few swing states with razor-thin margins will probably decide who the next president will be.
The Political Divide: Both sides will tell you to vote for their candidate because, “democracy is on the line” or “America will crumble.” If you took out the names, you wouldn’t know who the pundit is talking about. Each party demonizes the other side and cannot understand why “you” would consider voting for the other candidate. Don’t “you” know what is on the line? The rhetoric is at an all-time high and it is creating a major divide in this country between co-workers, friends, neighbors and even family. These are the arguments that I hear:
Democrat Rhetoric: How can you vote for someone who is a committed felon? An insurrectionist? A man who knowingly led an insurrection? They call him a racist and a Nazi. He hates women. He is mean to people and makes up insulting names about his opponents. He is going to unleash the Army to exact revenge on his political opponents. He likes dictators and said that he will be a dictator on Day 1. This is not the type of person you want representing the country. He will divide us further. If you vote for him, he will become a dictator and never leave. It will be the end of democracy as we know it.
Republican Rhetoric: How can you vote for someone who did not earn the position? She met with Joe Biden daily for years and never told the country that he was failing mentally. She then was anointed as the Democratic candidate without a single vote by the people. Why? Because the Democrats knew Biden couldn’t beat Trump. This subverted the democratic process. And, Harris has done nothing as the vice president for four years. The one thing she was in charge of was the border and she failed miserably there. For most of the election cycle, Harris has been hiding from the media, and when she began talking, it was nothing more than “word salad.” How can you vote for someone who can’t articulate the policies she will enact? She cannot be trusted. It will be the end of democracy as you know it.
Your Job: Your job is to not believe what the media tells you. To not be influenced by a political ad on TV. To not believe some political pundit on TV or to be suckered by something you saw on Youtube. Do your homework. Investigate. Seek multiple sources of information to uncover the truth. Next, try to figure out what you believe. What are the main issues that you prioritize? What policies do you believe should govern this country? What characteristics of a politician do you want in a leader? Finally, pick the best candidate that aligns with your values, issues and policies. It’s simple. That’s your candidate. That’s who you vote for.
And remember, even if you believe passionately about a candidate, your neighbor who voted the other way is not the enemy. It’s possible that they are uninformed, but it’s also possible that they have different priorities than you or value other issues. There is a great quote that say, “We can disagree and still be friends.” Let’s see if the majority of Americans can live up to this quote in the next couple of days.
Your Turn: What say you?