A Compassionate Democracy or a Cruel Dictatorship: Which will we choose?

Vote and help get out the vote (GOTV)! And push for progressive reforms toward greater peace, social justice, ecological regeneration, and transparent governance.

I wrote this yesterday before the debate. Thank you, Vice President Harris, for your compassionate leadership.

Yesterday morning when I heard that the US presidential race was tied, I exclaimed to my wife “this country is so sick!” How can the race be tied when one of the two candidates is a fascist dictator-wannabe, a nonstop liar, a babbling narcissist, a convicted felon, a hateful misogynist, a racist, an insurrectionist, and a greedy rich guy? Are half of America’s voters this lost in lies, confusion, greed, hate, or fear?

In 2020, sixty-six percent of eligible voters voted in the election, the highest rate in a national election since 1900. Where were the other thirty-four percent?! Who are these people? Why didn’t they vote? Didn’t they care about their lives, their families, our country, our world? Was their vote blocked? What could cause them to vote in 2024? What do we need to do to enable them to exercise their right and duty as citizens to vote?

This means that if only 66% of voters vote, it only takes 34% of voters to win an election. That means that one third of voters are choosing the winner. That is minority rule.

How can we get everyone to vote this year? Knock on doors, make phone calls, send post cards, write, speak out, talk to neighbors, donate.

Twenty-two countries have mandatory voting. The US must join this group. We must also ban gerrymandering and voter suppression, eliminate the Electoral College and the Senate, use ranked choice voting, get big money out of politics and elections, have public funding of elections, do real time fact checking in the media, make lying in politics illegal as Wales has just done, weaken the imperial presidency, and enlarge the Supreme Court. But that is for the future.

If the wannabe-dictator were to be elected, heaven forbid, there may never be another election, the president will persecute his rivals, women will no longer have sovereignty over their own bodies, climate change and ecocide will not be addressed and will worsen, the courts will not offer justice, the Department of Education will be eliminated, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid will be weakened, unions will be blocked, the rich will get tax breaks, Ukraine will not be protected, Putin will have more power over US affairs, the Christian nationalists will have won religious control of the country, the racists would have won, and the gun lobby would be thrilled.

How in a democracy can a candidate who vows to stop democratic elections even be allowed to run? Why should a victory in an election allow the cessation of future elections? How in a democracy, where people who are elected are representatives of citizens’ views, interests, and wellbeing, can people be allowed to run, win, and lead if they are vowing to harm the wellbeing of citizens, e.g., women, workers, the poor, children, the elderly, people of color, students, non-Christians, LGBTQ, political rivals, etc.?

We must elect Harris-Walz and Democrats up and down the ballot if we want a country with elections and democracy, women’s rights, religious freedom, racial justice, LGBTQ rights, climate change mitigation and adaptation, an impartial court system, public education, strengthened Social Security and Medicaid, Medicare for all, more and stronger unions, livable wages, student debt relief, child care, a wealth tax for billionaires, monopolies blocked, AI managed, protection of Ukraine, sensible gun laws, and more.

And we must continue pushing for more socially just, ecologically regenerative, and peaceful policies and programs. Democracy is evolving. We must help it evolve toward greater compassion for all people, all living beings, and all ecosystems.

Let’s vote and get out the vote (GOTV)!

If you agree, please share this essay with your friends, family members, colleagues, neighbors, and contacts.