The history of our country is one of great men putting their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor on the line to establish a nation where self-determination is the distinguishing trait, not the social position one is born into.
I love our country. Our founding fathers weren't perfect, but they strove for ideals that have guided our nation for hundreds of years. President George Washington stepped aside instead of seeking re-election because he wanted to avoid the presidency becoming a lifelong appointment. He warned that “The nation which indulges toward another an habitual hatred or an habitual fondness is in some degree a slave.”
In his farewell address, Washington feared that partisanship would lead to a “spirit of revenge” where party men would not govern for the good of the people but only to obtain and maintain their grip on power. As a result, he warned Americans to guard against would-be despots who would use parties as “potent engines…to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government.”
I write now as a single mother whose aim has been to gain an education to provide for my family. I have always loved history; one of my favorite books is "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin." In school, I loved economics and statistics, subjects that allowed me to see the theory behind many different economic and political models. I am fully aware of the foundations of the Republican Party's belief in small government, free trade, and free markets.
While I was in school, I had very little time for politics. As a young mother and later when I entered the workforce, I had even less time to follow political candidates. I admit I relied on opinions from those around me to guide my beliefs.
As I reflect now, I realize there was an undercurrent of hatred flowing through political discourse, and I tried to stay away from it. I did not and still don't watch the news or listen to "news radio." Whenever I caught parts of different segments, I noticed a tendency for pundits to exaggerate, display anger, hatred, vitriol, and paranoia. These characteristics made me shun all of it.
When Donald Trump ran in 2015 against Hillary Clinton, I didn't like either candidate and voted for the third-party candidate, hoping to send a message to our politicians. When Trump was elected, I told my father, "I hope he doesn't start a nuclear war," because my impression of Trump was one of instability, self-aggrandizement, and personal gain.
Throughout his presidency, his continual attacks on immigrants, women, and other marginalized people made me strongly dislike him. When 2020 hit and we were all scrambling, the political climate was heating up. It wasn't just Trump, but people I knew on Facebook who made me feel most concerned about the state of our nation. The first time I noticed what I think of as a cultishness in Trump supporters was when almost every Trump supporter I knew simultaneously posted "Ivermectin works" on Facebook and elsewhere. I had never heard of it, and when I looked it up, I found it was tied to Fox News.
I began to fact-check and dig in, but nothing I said seemed to make a dent in the minds of those espousing virulent support for DJT.
It is this blind devotion that I am fighting against. It is our hard-won rights over centuries that I am fighting for. I implore you to put aside pre-existing beliefs and assess how your beliefs were formed. Our nation was built on the ideals of self-determination and informed citizenship. Let us not be swayed by partisan rhetoric or charismatic figures. Instead, let us honor the legacy of our founding fathers by striving for a government that truly represents the will and the welfare of all its people. Our democracy depends on our collective commitment to these principles.
[1] https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/george-washington-s-farewell-address
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