When it comes to politics on social media, I’ve always steered away because it is such a polarizing topic. But this year’s mid-term elections are probably the most important of our life time because it will reveal just who we are and what we stand for as a nation.
The past two years have been surreal, like a nightmare that keeps getting worse. Just when you think you’ve seen the basest nature espoused from the leader, he hits a new low. The hateful rhetoric and disregard for the Constitution are strategies designed to divide this great nation. The icing on the cake was his admission that he’s a nationalist. Not a dog whistle, but a bull horn, aka white supremacist.
Last week 14 bomb attempts were intercepted, eleven people were gunned down in a Jewish synagogue, two African Americans were killed at Walmart after the perpetrator was not able to enter a nearby Black church. None of these attacks were performed by illegal immigrants, but Americans, specifically white men. Sure, we’ve had mass killings in the past, but it wasn’t stoked by the leader. If you believe the divisive rhetoric doesn’t influence the unhinged to commit these types of atrocities, then you’re either in denial or complicit.
The two African American gubernatorial nominees in Florida and Georgia have been targeted with some of the most disgusting racist robo-calls in these last days leading up to the election. This is Jim Crow-type tactics in 2018, y’all! To engage in such intimidation schemes, these good ‘ole boys are desperate and will go to extreme measures to maintain their grip on power.
Come on, y’all. This nation has devolved into a dark place in our politics. Yet, I believe we can bounce back to a nation of respect, unity and civility. My hope has not been destroyed. I believe that our better angels will prevail but we must collectively vote our values. If you reject racism, sexism, religious hated, blatant lies, intimidation, tribalism and the likes, let your voice be heard in the ballot booth on Tuesday. Even though these are state and local wide elections, the ramifications, and referendum, impact the top down.
CNN Analyst and lifelong Republican, Ana Navarro, wrote an essay on why she was voting for a democrat, Andrew Gillum, in this election even though she doesn’t agree with all of his policies, such as raising corporate taxes. Here’s an excerpt from that essay: “The straw that broke the camel's back for me was the racist, anti-immigration ad Trump posted on Twitter the same night he came to Florida to hold a rally. Trump won the 2016 campaign through a divide-and-conquer strategy. In his campaign announcement a year earlier, Trump said Mexicans were "bringing crime, they're rapists." He has not stopped blowing dog whistles and fabricating culture wars since. His response to Charlottesville, the Muslim ban, the National Anthem controversy ... the list is endless. It disgusts me that, not even a week after a madman who may have been triggered by the hysteria surrounding migrants killed 11 Jews in a house of worship in Pittsburgh, Trump is back to his old playbook of demonizing immigrants. Gillum is out there, a happy warrior campaigning on a positive message. I am sure that if he wins, I will have some policy differences with him. And when I do, I will say so.”
Your vote should not, and cannot be a party-affiliate vote. Not this time. The stakes are just too high. Vote your values! We as women… black, white, brown, LGBT… and minorities have the power to shape the future of this nation. Let’s makes a resounding statement in making our voices heard!
God Bless America.