THE AMERICAN POSEIDON ADVENTURE

Who knows where the coming elections will take us? What I do know is that unless Americans bring about a change or at least erect a firewall between Trump and the further exercise of unchecked power, our liberties, living conditions, personal safety, and standing in the world may be severely, perhaps irreparably, damaged. That is why I was astonished, even shocked, during a conversation this week with a colleague who is seriously considering voting for a Trump supporter. This is an intelligent man, gainfully employed, devoted to his family, and deeply concerned about the direction of our country. He is angry about the Iran war, gasoline prices, ICE’s behavior, and Trump’s personal corruption. Yet he is hesitant to vote for the opposing candidate because he doesn’t “know” that candidate as well as he knows the Trump loyalist.

When I pressed him, his concerns turned out to be based largely on rumors, the very allegations circulating through the MAGA propaganda machine, about the challenger’s religion and support for LGBTQ rights. His conclusion? Perhaps he couldn’t trust the other candidate. Think about that. He recognizes the damage being done by Trump and his administration, yet he is contemplating supporting a candidate aligned with that administration because of unsubstantiated suspicions about the alternative.

This week, a journalist visited a Maine community known for its unusually high level of ticket-splitting. In the last election, voters there supported both Republican Senator Susan Collins and Democrat Kamala Harris. The journalist interviewed residents emerging from early voting. Several expressed reservations about Troy Jackson, Collins’ Democratic opponent, largely because they didn’t know enough about him. But here was the encouraging part: Despite their uncertainty, some were voting for Jackson. Why? Because they knew Collins’ record. They knew of her support for Trump administration policies, her votes confirming controversial Cabinet officials and Supreme Court justices, and her support for legislation cutting Medicaid and SNAP. They knew that the Supreme Court justices she helped confirm contributed to overturning Roe v. Wade. For these voters, their outrage over the conduct of the Trump administration, and Collins’ role in supporting important elements of its agenda, outweighed their uncertainty about the challenger. Their vote reflected a moral judgment about the direction of the country.

Certainly, some Trump policies may have merit. No administration is wrong about absolutely everything. But step back and look at the cumulative damage, the chaos, the disregard for institutions, and the seemingly endless assaults on the traditions and principles that have sustained this republic.

Consider what has happened to, or what has been done to:

• THE KENNEDY CENTER
• THE WHITE HOUSE ROSE GARDEN
• THE EAST WING
• THE WHITE HOUSE LAWN
• THE FEDERAL RESPONSE TO COVID
• AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
• THE IRAN WAR
• THE U.S. MILITARY
• THE FBI
• THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
• THE SUPREME COURT
• USAID AND THE HUMANITARIAN CONSEQUENCES OF ITS DISMANTLING
• FEMA
• GASOLINE PRICES
• MORTGAGE RATES
• THE NATIONAL DEBT
• VOICE OF AMERICA—ONCE A BEACON OF FREEDOM TO PEOPLE LIVING UNDER AUTHORITARIAN RULE
• EVEN A KNICKS GAME!
• AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY
• THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
• THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL REFLECTING POOL CONTROVERSY
• THE U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM
• OUR SENSE OF SECURITY, FREEDOM, STABILITY, AND NATIONAL PRIDE

BASICALLY, SCREWED UP THE WHOLE DAMN COUNTRY!

Of course, not every problem began with Trump, and not every difficulty can be laid entirely at his doorstep. But the accumulation of controversies, institutional disruptions, economic uncertainty, and attacks on democratic norms ought to give every American serious reason to question the direction in which we are heading.

And that brings me back to my colleague. He worries that he doesn’t know enough about the opposing candidate. Fair enough. Voters should scrutinize candidates, examine their records, and understand their policies. But shouldn’t that same scrutiny apply to the candidate whose political loyalties and voting record are already known? We can debate taxes, spending, immigration, healthcare, and foreign policy. Those are legitimate political differences, and there will always be room for disagreement.

But there is a more fundamental question: What happens when our political disagreements become secondary to the survival of the democratic institutions that permit us to have those disagreements in the first place? An imperfect candidate can be questioned, challenged, voted out of office, and replaced. That is how democracy is supposed to work. But democracy cannot function when those entrusted with protecting its institutions instead undermine the courts, intimidate critics, attack the independent press, politicize law enforcement, and erode constitutional protections.

Trump has surrounded himself with what increasingly resembles a dungeon of dunces, and the damage reaches far beyond the personalities occupying the White House. The elections are about more than individual candidates. They are about whether Americans are willing to hold their elected officials accountable for the direction of the country.

We can sort out policy disagreements after the election. That is what a functioning democracy allows us to do. But if we continue down a path where political loyalty supersedes constitutional duty, the opportunity to correct our mistakes will narrow dramatically. The Iron Curtain once divided Europe, separating free societies from authoritarian regimes. Today, Americans should be asking whether an ICE-like curtain of intimidation and fear could similarly smother freedoms we have taken for granted. 

The question isn’t merely whether we know enough about the alternative. It is whether we have learned enough from what is happening right before our eyes.

VOTE!!!

RESIST!!! & EDUCATE!!!