Do Not Obey In Advance

Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do. — Timothy Snyder, On Tyranny

As I sit here four days out from what most likely will be one of, if not the, most consequential elections in American history, I decided that I could not just stand by and not say something. Usually I’m pretty quiet about these things and try to stay out of the bloodsport that is politics. But in this particular election, in this particular country, and at this particular time as the United States stares down the barrel of Fascism, words matter more than ever.

I ask that on Tuesday, November 5th, you cast your vote for Kamala Harris. Is she the perfect candidate? No but no candidate really ever is. However the contrast between her and Donald Trump is stark. Harris wants to stand for democracy and the rule of the law while Trump wants to tear down democracy to become the rule of law.

Donald Trump is a threat to democracy here in the United States and arguably around the world. He’s a Fascist by the textbook definition. He is unstable and a know nothing in both the literal and political science sense of the term.

He is also:

• A 34 time convicted felon
• A convicted sex offender
• A 17 time tax fraud
• A grifter who had his charity shut down and is no longer allowed to operate one here in New York
• A liar
• A racist
• A xenophobe
• A conspiracy theorist
• Facing various federal charges under the Espionage Act

As such, a vote for Donald Trump is a vote for the following things:

• Removing women’s rights
• School shootings
• The repeal of The Affordable Care Act
• Tariffs that will make the price of everything skyrocket when they’re passed on to the rest of us
• A nationwide ban on women’s healthcare
• Bringing back polio, measles, and other diseases we eradicated through vaccines
• The further erosion of voting rights
• The repeal of rights for the LGBTQ community
• Mass deportation of black and brown people
• The repeal of the CHIPS act which is funding TSMC foundries here in the States¹, creating jobs
• Allowing Russia to take Ukraine, thus empowering Putin
• Allowing Netanyahu to do what ever he wants, thus empowering Israel to continue it’s genocide in Gaza and potentially broader Palestine
• Being OK with using the idea of using the military on fellow Americans

If you don’t believe me on any of these things, that’s fine. You don’t have to believe it from some random on the internet. Who you should listen to are the ones who have worked for him or at the very least are right wing politically. Some notable ones include:

• Dick and Liz Cheney²
• General Mark Milley
• General John Kelley
• His own former Vice President Mike Pence³
• Former National Security Advisor John Bolton

These are just a handful but the list is lengthy and growing every day. Some names you may know but I suspect most you won’t. Generals in particular don’t like to get political as that is not their job though most do lean Republican. Remember these are the guys that take an oath to defend the Constitution and the country, not the President. Most of that list are also pretty far right Republicans that in normal times I would vehemently disagree with. But these are not normal times.

Donald Trump is weak. He’ll capitulate to anyone who flatters him allowing our enemies to walk all over us. Kamala Harris already knows how to handle our enemies. Let’s not forget when Kamala Harris cornered Brett Kavanaugh about the Mueller Investigation, as well as on abortion and women’s rights.

So on Tuesday November 5th I don’t just ask that you vote for Kamala Harris because I think she’s the better candidate. I ask that you vote for her because, if we want to continue this experiment in Madisonian democracy, I believe she is the only candidate.