I have voted at every election except when younger and over seas. I didn’t about a ballot you could send in from wherever you were in the world. I remember the one election in which I did not vote. One of my members, Mrs. Polly Lauder, a retired school teacher, worked at the polls and knew I didn’t vote. When she got me alone she told me that I should always vote… that is a way that I can make a difference. I don’t know what her politics were but I do know that she believed in being actively involved in the process of selecting our public officials. After her wake up call I have always voted.
There have been elections when I really didn’t care who won – there really was no difference in the candidates – both equally bad or good. I typically voted for democrats simply because their message fit more with my Christian beliefs – that is democrats usually cared for and provided for the poor and marginalized of our society. They were the Good Samaritan party while the republicans were the party of the rich and powerful.
My first encounter with the primary and election process was the committee of dirty tricks (Watergate scandal) put in place by Richard Nixon. Up until that point I was naïve to the underhanded dirty tricks each party would play on the other. The Republican Party was the only one who was forced in court to stay away from polling places or have anything to do with limiting the voting rights of any person or group of persons. This is not the first time the RNC has been accused of voter intimidation. Back in 1981, Republican Party “watchmen,” some of whom were off-duty policemen and security guards, showed up in minority districts donning guns and wearing armbands. They were going to make sure the election went their way — and it did. Posters were put up containing the word “WARNING” in giant red text and a reward of $1,000 was offered for reporting bonafide fraud. The posters also included a phone number, which led callers directly to a Republican National Party office.
Since then, the RNC was has been under a court-ordered consent decree that severely limits their election activities due to their actions in 1981. They were just about to come out from under the court order in 2017, but Trump changed all that. With his continuous call for big, bad poll-watchers to pack and head to polling stations, he has nixed the RNC ability to slide out from under the decree in 2017, and caused the DNC to launch a legal action in a federal court claiming the RNC is violation of the court. This failure to comply will most likely extend the RNC’s consent decree for another eight years.
Over the years I came to believe that the republican were quiet shameful in the things they were willing to do to win – win at all cost seemed to be their slogan. I learned even more of the underhanded dealings with the way the Secretary of State for Florida, Governor Jeb Bush and the Supreme Court worked together to give the election to George W. Bush over Al Gore even when Gore had more popular votes. In other words the votes were not all counted by Supreme Court direction and thereby handed the “selection” to G.W. Bush. A lot of the same irregulars happened with Bush against Kerry. Polls in black democratic areas where closed early or closed while people were still in line not allowing them to vote, and others having to leave very slow lines in order to get to work. Some places voting machines would not work others lock and they could not find the keys. Millions of democratic names were swept from the voting rolls. (The Stolen Presidential Election)
My next encounter was with the elections of Barack Obama – the first black president. I loved his high moral character, his great intellect, his sense of fairness for all persons. I was shocked to learn that many of the high ranking republicans met for four hours on inauguration night and made a pact to not allow Obama to get one single bill passed. Mitch McConnell said in October 2010 that his party’s primary goal in the next Congress was to make Obama a one-term president. They set out to become a congress of obstructionism. They did not give Obama a chance to get anything done… and yet the American voter somehow thought not passing anything was ok and blamed Obama for all the woes of the country. When given a choice between doing something to help the American people or make Obama look bad they chose the later.
And so going into the 2016 elections I already had a deep sense of wondering just how bad the dirty tricks would get. Well they were far worse than anyone ever imagined. I could not believe that the American people would chose the totally moral bankrupted Donald Trump. I could not imagine how a so-called Christian nation would chose as a candidate for president of the United States someone who did the things he did, speak the way he spoke or believed the things he believed. He proved himself to be a racist, one who assaulted women and believed that was ok even wanted by the women because he was a star. He called for Russia to hack the emails of the Democratic Party, especially the campaign chairperson and Hillary Clinton. Voters somehow believed the hacked emails from the democrats but not the proven bad behavior of Trump.
I have never invested so much in any election than I did in the 2016. I became informed about all that was going on in the election. I followed the news daily. I could not believe what was happening…how blind the people were. I honestly believe they could watch Trump grab a woman in her private areas and think it was ok… not real. I couldn’t believe the FBI Director bringing up the email stuff he did less than a week away from the election. I couldn’t believe that the news outlets kept reporting on the hacked emails – giving them the credibility of real verified news findings. I could not believe that the people did not see how dangerous he was and would be if elected… because of the way he spoke of other countries, leaders and people in general. If you didn’t agree with him you were targeted with very mean spirited comments.
In choosing his cabinet he has chosen many people who are so unsuited for their jobs that it makes even republicans worried. But they are afraid to go against Donald. I had come to the point where I was so discouraged that I had said I am just going to stop my involvement in the political process altogether.
I thought that way until the senate majority leader Mitch McConnell pulled out an old time rule and placed a gag order on Senator Elizabeth Warren in the open session of these Senators. He basically told another Senator to sit down and shut up… meaning she could no longer speak during the interview with Jeff Sessions. He used the words, “she persisted” to describe why he was doing this despicable thing. I decided that I am not going to let him get what he wants – for me to sit down and shut up – no now I am going to stand up and speak out and convey to my friends and family what I see and what I believe is happening. Thanks Mitch for getting me (and other democrats) back into the forefront of the political game. I will not allow your lies – alternate truths to have the day….
So instead of shutting up my blogs will now be used to give my opinions about what is taking place. I will not publish anything until I check it out and make sure that what I am sharing with you is indeed the truth.
Thanks for allowing me to share with you
Steve
I hope you enjoy my books which deal with faith and devotion.
You can find them on line
Filed under: Faith | Leave a comment »
The Journey 