Our nation is at a crossroads. One way is to continue to guide us along the path promised in the Preamble to the Constitution: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain this Constitution for the United States of America.”
If we want to continue down that path, we have to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Or we can choose the other path, the path that takes us back. A path away from a republic and toward a more authoritarian government; a path that disenfranchises women and promises to do the same to the LGBTQ community, immigrants, and African-American communities; a path that leads to a Christian nation, away from religious freedom and with one religion being used to determine policy for everyone; a path that eliminates “separation of church and state.” Though the phrase does not explicitly appear in the U.S. Constitution, the concept is rooted in the First Amendment and has been embraced since Jefferson’s 1860. I have written “I contemplate with the highest respect the act of the American people as a whole in 1802, when they declared that ‘Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,’ and erected a wall of separation between church and state.” If you want to go down that road, I’d vote for Trump.
No candidate is perfect. Harris has been a successful and respected prosecutor, senator and vice president. Trump, on the other hand, is a convicted felon with a sexual assault conviction. He attempted a coup and has been accused of numerous wrongdoings in his business dealings. Harris has the support of three former presidents, while Trump does not even have the support of his own former vice president or most of his cabinet.
On November 5th, voters will decide which path to follow. Listen to what each candidate has to say and read the documents they and their advisors support. We must believe what we say first, instead of trying to make excuses or excuses after criticism or attacks. The first words usually come from the heart. For Harris, it is her vocal defense of women’s right to control their own bodies. It is her strong support for laws and policies to fight climate change. It is her strong support for Ukraine and NATO. For Trump, it is the Republican platform and the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025. His statement that “I will be a dictator on ‘Day One.'” Believe him when he says that. To tell“If elected, I am prepared to prosecute my political opponents.” After the Charlottesville riots, where neo-Nazis and white supremacists were confronted by decent members of the community, Trump told the nation, “There are good people on both sides.” That’s what he had in mind. When he claims full credit for repealing Roe v. Wade, he means it.
Before, people used to say, “This is the most important election of our time.” This time, it’s true. Our country has been through hard times before. We survived the Civil War. That was because of Abraham Lincoln, a Republican. If we elect a Democrat president, Kamala Harris, today, our country will be united and our democracy will survive. When Trump speaks, I imagine Lincoln, Eisenhower, and maybe even Reagan turning over in their graves. They would not recognize today’s Republican Party. The Republican Party is a cult, a MAGA cult. The Republican Party is led by a man who wants to win for the sole reason that he doesn’t want to go to jail. My greatest fear is not even Trump himself. He’s old and obviously not very smart. Rather, it’s the people that surround him. It’s the people that want to abandon our Constitution and remake our country. It’s them that we should fear most, and they’re all in one conspiracy together with Trump.
So, my fellow good citizens of the United States, you must now choose the path you want to follow and vote accordingly. Depending on your vote, this may be your last chance to make that choice.
Peter Rosenstein A longtime LGBTQ rights and Democratic activist, he is a regular contributor to the Blade.
Source: Washington Blade: LGBTQ News, Politics, LGBTQ Rights, Gay News – www.washingtonblade.com
