Be Careful What You Vote For

For the first time in my voting history of 60 years, American Democracy is on the ballot. Donald Trump has openly campaigned as a would-be authoritarian dictator. He has echoed Adolph Hitler in his references to immigrants “poisoning the blood” of Americans and in describing people who disagree with him as “vermin”. Trump has repeatedly expressed admiration for current dictators, including Vladimir Putin of Russia, Xi Jinping of China, and Kim Jong Un of North Korea.  

In 2020, Trump refused to accept the results of the election he lost to President Biden, and engaged in an illegal campaign to overturn the results of that election. When none of his schemes were successful, he encouraged his supporters to “fight like hell” to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the election. On January 6th, 2021, he fomented a violent insurrection to prevent the peaceful transfer of presidential power. 

Because of his illegal conspiracies and actions, Trump has been indicted in both state and federal court on 91 separate charges. If he manages to dodge conviction and is elected to another term as president, he is very likely to plan and execute major attacks on the rule of law, the free press and the Constitution itself.   

Despite his war on democracy, Trump has the support of a large majority of current members of the Republican side of Congress, and is the leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president. 

It is imperative that Trump not be elected to a second term. If he were to be elected, that might be the last free and open election that our democracy would have experienced.  

I have no desire to live in a want-to-be Russia, China or North Korea. So be careful what you vote for - once lost, our democracy would be hard to recover.  

Ed Shaffer  

Galien