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Riddle: How many presidents does it take to flush a Constitutional Democratic Republic down the drain of authoritarianism?
Answer: One. Donald Trump.
How many has it taken to preserve a Constitutional Democratic Republic? Answer is 45. Over the past 250 years, we've elected president after president who respected and upheld the Constitution of the United States of America. We, the People, elected them. What has happened to us? And after the chaos of his first presidency, to elect him again? What is wrong with us?!
We have been given a privilege that most people across the world do not have. We have the privilege of choosing who runs our government. Who we want to take care of us. Would you pick DJT for a caregiver? Want him to babysit your kids? So why trust him with the whole country? Everything! Your kids' futures? I'm sorry, but it's our fault.
We've been complacent, believing that we're the greatest nation on earth, nothing can go wrong here. The likes of Nazi Germany can't happen here.
Wake up. It is happening. It's not the Democratic party that's the threat. It's the ones who are pointing at the others and deflecting the blame for their mistakes. The mess in Iran is not Joe Biden's fault; it is not Barack Obama's fault. Obama's Secretary of State, John Cary, over many months' time, orchestrated a treaty with Iran which prevented them from producing nuclear weapons, and it was working. But Trump tore that up, and now is bumbling his way to try to get it back, leaving military casualties, massive pentagon expenditures, chaos and damage along the way. Pete Hegseth wants to experiment on our soldiers' testosterone levels and wants to build an all-male HeMan army, it appears. Bet we find something similar in Nazi military manuals.
Adolf Hitler pointed blame first at the political opposition, then at the Jewish people, at other nationalities who weren't pure Aryan white. At the infirm. He created hate toward innocents. He invented those reasons to hate others. He and his men indoctrinated and intimidated the populace into complying, into believing that making targets of these innocent people was justified. When it started, they were inhumanely jailed or exiled, that's what is happening now to our immigrants, Trump and Miller's chosen targets. It escalated, we know, to even more horrific treatment - of people who were no threat to anyone.
Books were banned and burned; education was controlled by the party. The Christian nationalists of the Republican party now want to control what is taught in our schools, what books can be on our library shelves.
History itself is part of the plan. Make up a version of history that conforms to the doctrines of those in power and push it on the population.Trump and his billionaire cronies are taking over our news and entertainment outlets, our communication avenues. We want to believe what we see and hear, but it is being altered so much that it has become difficult to discern the truth, and that's the way they want it. Authoritarians need to control reality. They lie, and lie again, until they convince us.
We still have the ability to stop this downward spiral. One of the things that is necessary for an authoritarian to gain control is to capture the electorate. To control the vote.
Vladimir Putin's Russia holds elections. But they're a sham. Hitler was elected, and that was a mistake the world regrets not correcting. If we don't like what is happening in our country, if we don't want Trump's war with Iran to take our young servicemen and women, to make it even more difficult for farmers to raise their crops to feed the nation, to put truckers out of business and so unable to transport that food to our markets, food that becomes unaffordable, or to hamper our mobility by causing the price of gas to go sky-high.
If we don't like the "Big Beautiful Bill" taking away health insurance from millions, with a ripple effect on hospitals closing their doors. If we don't want to be the international outcast, losing the support of our former allies. If we don't want ICE agents combing our neighborhoods and violently and unlawfully arresting and murdering people in the streets if they don't "comply", an authoritarian command if ever there was one. Then what do we do? We vote. We vote for the candidates who will oust the representatives who have allowed all this to take place, before our vote no longer counts.
And be aware, Trump is doing all he can to rig the midterm elections this November. He knows how unpopular his administration has become; he is underwater by 40-60% approve vs disapprove depending on the poll and the focus of it. His tactics include:
-- Beginning with, stacking the Supreme Court with friendly judges, who demolished the Voting Rights Act.
-- Starting a nation-wide redistricting race to try to get more Republican seats in Congress.
-- Illegally purging voter rolls, and seizing ballots and election materials, targeting pro-voter organizations.
-- Firing the remaining (democratic) commissioners of the Election Assistance Commission, an independent bi-partisan federal agency.
-- Keeping Sen. Mitch McConnell's actual condition hidden till the deadline to fill his seat has passed.
-- Trying to get through the courts his Executive order to instruct the US Postal Service to withhold ballots from states that do not comply with turning over voter registration information. Elections are the domain of the states, as declared in the Constitution. Trump has no business meddling in elections.
-- Even stooping to threaten Senators if they leave on vacation without passing his Save America Act, which was hidden away in two bills that just passed the House, bills that had bipartisan support. One was the National Defense Authorization Act, and the other was the Stop Insider Trading Act, an anti-corruption bill which was difficult to oppose. He posted in his social media platform, and I quote "John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to "leave town" until it passes The Save America Act or far better still, terminates the filibuster, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of.
Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH! President DJT" Death? He's threatening his own Republican Senators, mind you. Not "Dumocrats" without the "B." Citizenship is already a requirement for voting, and non-citizen votes are rare - do you think an undocumented immigrant is going to risk getting caught by ICE just to cast a vote? It is targeting folks who would likely vote democratic, those who can't afford travel abroad and therefore don't have passports, women (they'd like to take us back 100 years to the time women did not have that equal right), who changed their name to their husband's and so need their birth certificate and marriage license to prove they are legal.
He's been laying the groundwork for distrust in our election system ever since he was elected in 2016 and lied about his inauguration crowd. He's called the 2020 election rigged and even has his administration afraid to state the truth when asked in hearings under oath, that Biden was duly elected, that 30 or so courts reinforced that fact. He instigated an attack on Congress on the day they were formalizing Biden's election. Let's not forget that day.
Let's think about how and why we as voters made that mistake in 2016 and again in 2024. Trump has already begun his campaign for an illegal third term, wearing his red 2028 cap. He wants to rule for life, and we don't want to live with that! Please, let's wise up! As Joe would say, "No joke." We seriously need to get beyond this authoritarian threat.
Riddle: How many votes will it take to preserve our Democratic Republic?
Answer: An overwhelming majority, including YOURS!
Susan Bigler is a Sheridan resident.