Note: This essay is political commentary by a Radical Progressive Liberal DemocRat. If you have delicate Conservative fee-fees, can't name the three branches of our Federal government, or don't understand that inflation is a natural by-product of free-market capitalism, please be advised - this ain't rocket science.
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The 2016 Presidential election now seems like a lifetime ago. Before the dust had settled and while the nation was still in collective shock over the results, I asked my (then) graphics vendor to produce a white die-cut vinyl sticker with these words:
POTUS 45: LIAR. PREDATOR. RACIST. TRAITOR.
I always follow her advice because she's much smarter than me.
That sticker would come to describe 45 perfectly. I knew he'd be bad, but he exceeded my worst nightmares by a lightyear. It wasn't even cold comfort to say "I told you so" to his supporters, because they were blinded to his horrific behavior with a mixture of cognitive dissonance and willful ignorance. In his book titled 'The Demon-Haunted World', Carl Sagan described this phenomenon with a single word: they had been 'bamboozled'.
45 was so unrelentingly awful that 76-year-old Joseph R. Biden, then considering retirement from the political world, decided to oppose 45 for the 2020 Presidential election as a shield to protect our democracy. Against formidable odds, Handsome Joe won the election and, in spite of disloyal opposition from Congressional Republicans and 45's MAGA jihad on January 6, Joe took the oath of office and spent the following years steering our Ship of State into much calmer seas.
Joe Biden and his team are responsible for the most progressive and positive national outlook since the Roosevelt Administration.
These are facts. If you don't believe me, look it up.
When the 2024 election cycle began, many leaders in the Democratic Party were worried that Handsome Joe was too old to run against 45, who had completely taken over the GOP and transformed it into a cult via lies, abuse and stochastic terrorism. The DNC were hoping that 'Johnny Unbeatable' would rise above the other Democratic contenders to take on Handsome Joe in the primaries, win the nomination and smile with benevolence when Joe handed off his Captain's spyglass.
It didn't work out that way.
The entire political world is reeling after a chain of events has seen 45 become the GOP cult's deified Chosen One, picked by the hand of God as the next POTUS, even though the election is still months away. At the same time, Handsome Joe was compelled (pushed?) to withdraw from the 2024 election to concentrate on completing his landmark term as POTUS and, in classic jiu-jitsu Biden style, supporting Kamala Harris as the logical choice to receive the nomination at the top of the Democratic ticket.
Joe has done a stellar job as POTUS. He's created a thoughtful and progressive Administration that exceeded every real-world parameter for governing excellence. He's tapped his amazing second, Vice-President Kamala Harris, to take the helm and spyglass and move the Ship full-speed ahead if she succeeds, just like our free and fair election system is designed to do... a peaceful transfer of power.
Joe knows how this shit works, whether you agree with him or not.
I'm totally mystified why any sentient adult would vote for a convicted felon. I know many Americans typically pay little to no attention to facts and reason these days, relying on 'vibes' about which candidate makes them 'feel' better. I blame an uninformed electorate, untethered social media and a profit-driven and compliant mainstream media, so I'll use a bit of bumper sticker politics to help clarify things a just a wee bit.
LIAR. 45 lied about Obama's heritage, Hillary's health and her service to our country. He lied about his taxes and the crowd size at his inauguration. He lied about immigration and healthcare and 'Infrastructure Week'. He lied about his private business dealings with Russia while also enriching himself in office. He lied about blackmailing Ukraine during the 2020 election cycle. He lied about fucking a porn star and then tried to cover it up. He lied about Covid and hurricanes and climate change, and lied incessantly about the 2016 and 2020 elections being rigged. During his Presidency, he lied over 30,000 times about anything and everything because he's a pathological Liar.
PREDATOR. He barged into backstage dressing rooms at beauty contests he owned to ogle underage and undressed contestants. He speculated about why he'd date his own daughter. He publicly insulted the physical appearance of many women. He fucked a porn star right after his second wife had given birth, then bragged about it to others while golfing. He sexually assaulted a woman in a department store dressing room, with credible evidence he'd assaulted numerous other women as well. He bragged on a hot microphone that he was a celebrity and could grab women by the pussy and get away with it. He's the very definition of a sexual Predator.
RACIST. He demanded the execution of young Black men accused of raping a woman in New York's Central Park even before they were convicted. He and his Father were convicted of refusing to rent apartments to Black people. He falsely accused undocumented immigrants of being criminals, rapists, murderers and of poisoning the blood of our country. His first official act as POTUS was to institute an illegal and unconstitutional ban of Muslims traveling to our country. He separated immigrant children from their parents at the border without any mechanism for reuniting them. He targeted Black election workers in Georgia with lies about election fraud. He aligned himself with racist groups and Nazi-adjacent organizations. His life-long pattern of being a Racist is well-documented.
TRAITOR. He begged Putin to intervene in the 2016 election. He gave Top Secret military information to Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov during an Oval Office meeting. He held high-stakes intelligence meetings in public areas at Mar-A-Lago events. He insulted and demeaned the military, POW's and Gold Star families. He publicly sided with Putin instead of his own country's national intelligence services, and had private meetings with Putin without any official witnesses or documentation. He professed love and admiration for authoritarian leaders and regimes. He shared classified military information on social media platforms. He rejected defeat in the 2020 election, conspired to overturn the results and incited an insurrection on the Capitol to stay in office. Upon leaving the White House, he stole classified documents, lied about having them, fought against their return and tried to hide them from investigators. He is an obvious Traitor.
Ladies and Gentlemen, your GOP Nominee for POTUS!
My previous essay discussed why, in this most important upcoming election, citizens should vote the the person, not their politics. It's OK to disagree with an administration about many different issues and how they need to be addressed. However, the Leader of the next Administration needs to be, at the very least, a decent human being. When you know they are, you know they'll make decisions based in-part on the strength of their character, which really, REALLY matters.
Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee, was a successful District Attorney, Attorney General, Senator and Vice-President. She is not a liar, a predator, a racist, or a traitor. She is a decent human being, and has a record of behavior to prove it.
Donald Trump was a failed businessman who was unfit to be President of the United States, and his behavior before, during and since then only confirms that he remains unfit to serve. He is not a decent human being, and has a record of behavior to prove it.
He is a Liar, a Predator, a Racist, a Traitor, an adjudicated sexual abuser, a business fraud and a convicted felon.
These are facts. If you don't believe me, look it up.
Their choice will say far more about themselves than it does about him.
This isn't rocket science.
"Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Lead image, Gracias de Google Images; DEVO 'Freedom of Choice' and Beach Boys 'Sail On Sailor' videos, Muchisimas Gracias de You Tube; DEVO was right all along!!
