What Every American Should Know Before Voting on November 8
Many of you who’ve read my work on Medium may be surprised to learn that in high school, I was once part of a club called “The Patriotic Youth Council.” I don’t remember what the club actually did, but I was still inexplicably proud to be an American in those days. I lived in a white, suburban, middle-class bubble where my biggest struggle was being surrounded by a bunch of Republicans. But back then, Republicans still seemed kind of normal (i.e. they did most of their hating in secret).
Then I went to college with the intention of pursuing many things, from theater to protests on the quad and jungle juice. I had a particular interest in political journalism though, and thought a job as the next Christiane Amanpour might not be so bad. I was infatuated with the idea that America could and should live up to its supposed destiny as a “city upon a hill.” But when I actually started taking political science classes and working toward my degree, well let’s just say I learned some shit. Turns out we’re more fiery white supremacist capitalist hellscape and less shining beacon nation of hope than I’d been taught.
I’d be lying if I said that experience wasn’t heartbreaking and disorienting. It absolutely was, but it was also transformative. I learned so much about our history and institutions that had been whitewashed or simply left out of my public school education, and this helped build the foundation that has driven my personal, professional and academic pursuits for social justice in adulthood. So, as voting day for the midterm elections in the U.S. approaches tomorrow, I thought I’d take this opportunity to encourage everyone to think critically about the issues facing our country today.
To help get you started, I’ve put together a list of the most important things I think you should know before you roll up to your local polling place.
1. Republicans have spent the last two weeks celebrating the near murder of an 82-year old man.
David DePape, a man seemingly indoctrinated by years of Republican demagoguery, recently broke into Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s house to, of his own admission, kidnap her and break her kneecaps. In discovering she was not home, however, he turned to shattering Paul Pelosi’s skull with a hammer instead. The event itself is horrific, surely, but the reaction from the GOP since is what’s truly terrifying.
First, there were the jokes — Louisiana Representative Clay Higgins tweeted a picture of Nancy Pelosi with a caption mocking the family over the attack. Arizona’s Republican Gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake quipped that “Apparently her [Nancy Pelosi’s] house doesn’t have a lot of protection,” to an adoring crowd of conservative mouthbreathers who could not contain their raucous laughter. Donald Trump Jr., a man whose idiocy seems to grow exponentially with each passing day, offered some of the crudest comments about the attempted murder. On Halloween, he tweeted a photo of underwear and a hammer with the caption “Got my Paul Pelosi Halloween costume ready.”
The list goes on and on. It’s worth noting that these “jokes” have come after years of violent imagery and speech directed at Speaker Pelosi. Does anyone remember Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy joking at a Republican fundraising event that he wanted to hit her with a gavel, or how about the more recent campaign ads from folks like GOP Representative Tom Emmer, who posted a video of him firing guns at targets with the caption #firepelosi. Why not a pink slip instead of a weapon, you might ask? One has to wonder for only a millisecond.
And then after the jokes, there has been the typical onslaught of conservative deceit and misdirection. First, the leader of Twitter’s impending implosion and Kanye apologist, Elon Musk, tweeted a homophobic conspiracy theory about the attack, only to quietly delete it later like the coward he is. Next, since it was reported that Depape was in the United States illegally, Republicans have not missed an opportunity to promote the message that it’s not the rhetoric of the Right that is to blame, but the fault of Liberals who have been too soft on issues of home security and immigration. This clearly ignores years of celebrating Trump’s hateful, violent speech. It disregards countless calls from Republican legislators and the former president himself to lead an insurrection against the capitol that cost people lives. And forget all about the endless shouting of “take America back” from conservatives armed with AR-15s who hold their guns more dear than this nation’s children. No matter what the issue is, Republicans will never miss an opportunity to blame Democrats — especially when they are cornered by damning facts about their own misdeeds and have no viable plan to improve the future.
Let us also not forget the level of sheer hypocrisy with which the GOP operates — they express outcry at protestors interrupting Supreme Court Justices’ dinners, but celebrate violent home invasions when Democrats are the victims. It’s so absurd, you simply can’t make this shit up. And none of this is new; Republicans have had only fear and cruelty to rely upon for their campaign strategies for some time now. We’ve already seen the likes of Alex Jones contend that 20 slaughtered seven-year olds were somehow crisis actors taking part in a big liberal hoax aimed at taking Republicans’ precious guns away — who is to say what depravity is next?
The bottom line is this: When we live in a world where an attempt to kidnap and assault a national leader is not unequivocally condemned by people across the political spectrum, we are in serious trouble. When the near murder of that leader’s spouse is mocked and celebrated, we are living in the most dire of times — those that threaten not only further violence, but the end of democracy as we know it. As conspiracy theories proliferate about the incident as a false flag, suggesting it was staged to distract Americans from an attempt to steal midterm election contests by Democrats, it is more important than ever that you vote for truth and decency tomorrow. Your life may depend on it.
2. This is what a “baby” looks like from five to nine weeks.
There is still no visible embryo. No little fetus with tiny hands and feet. This is was “fetal heartbeat” bills are trying to stop women from “killing” at six weeks— even though there is no fully formed or functional heart (with four working chambers and a heartbeat can be detected through ultrasound) until 17 to 20 weeks.
I point this out for two reasons — first, to highlight that anti-abortion activists have been peddling lies about the scientific realities of abortion for decades. So much so that when feminist author Jessica Valenti recetnly shared this image on social media, she received backlash from both sides about spreading disinformation, when in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Due to a years-long deception offensive from Christian conservatives and the alt- right, many folks were shocked to see what women are actually carrying this early on in their pregnancies — nothing more than some white fuzzy tissue with no ability to think, hear, see or feel. Do not be swayed by their grotesque sensationalism when casting your vote.
Number two, Republicans have admitted that the striking down of Roe vs. Wade was not an attempt to simply relegate abortion laws to the states (which is problematic enough on its own), but an opportunity to control women by banning all abortion at the federal level if elected to a majority. Many conservatives have expressed their utter contempt for the lives of women, young girls and folks with uteruses, passing laws that privilege fetuses with devastating effects. In August, a woman in Texas was denied an abortion for an unviable pregnancy and ended up in the ICU. A woman in Wisconsin was left bleeding for more than 10 days after an incomplete miscarriage. A doctor in Texas was told not to treat an ectopic pregnancy until it ruptured. Ohio health care providers reported seeing multiple patients who threatened to commit suicide after being denied abortions. A Louisiana woman was denied an abortion even though her fetus was missing part of its head. An Arkansas woman traveled 400 miles to get an abortion after discovering the fetus was not viable at 19 weeks. Need I continue?
If you think women are fully-fledged human beings — and not merely incubators — who deserve to have access to lifesaving healthcare and bodily autonomy, vote for pro-abortion rights legislators tomorrow.
3. Inflation is a worldwide problem — Dem policies aren’t to blame.
During the COVID-19 pandemic recession, we lost over 22 million jobs. But by June 2022 (23 months later), employment was back to pre-pandemic levels. Compare this with job growth after the Great Recession of 2008, which took more than six years (75 months later) to match pre-recession employment levels, and it’s clear to see that the recovery was driven by Biden’s fiscal policy response. Although a great achievement for his administration, this response is often erroneously blamed for the recent rise in inflation — but it’s just not backed by the facts. Many countries comparable to the U.S. enacted an array of financial policies in response to the pandemic, and yet, nearly all of these countries have also experienced a jump in inflation regardless of the policies implemented. This means that the spike in inflation is not a uniquely American problem that Democrats or the Biden administration can by rightfully blamed for, as much as the Republicans would like to try. The reality is that the circumstances that cause rising rates of inflation are varied and intertwined. From jumps in pricing of energy and other goods due to the conflict in Ukraine, to continued supply chain issues, there are no straight-forward answers. Don’t let Republicans trick you into thinking otherwise.
4. Fascism is on the ballot.
During a speech last week, Joe Biden made plain what’s at stake in this election when he said “the fate of the soul of America is in your hands.” I will be the first to admit that our democratic system is already broken in fundamental ways — if I could, I’d burn it all down (metaphorically) and start from scratch — but we’re not at the revolution tipping point just yet. We may soon find ourselves forced into it, however, if Americans vote for fascist candidates and policies tomorrow.
Fascism, at its most basic level, is a political philosophy that puts nation and race above all else. Fascist regimes are often led by dictators who will do anything to suppress the opposition. Is this sounding familiar yet? Republicans have become the party of “America First” and white supremacy. They are a party full of election results deniers and conspiracy theorists who will do anything it takes to “win.”
From partisan gerrymandering run amuck to repeated attempts to suppress the vote of marginalized folks and Republican manipulation of the polls, there seems no tactic or strategy too low. We have reports of intimidation at the polls at Arizona ballot boxes that we haven’t seen the likes of since the Jim Crow South. We have GOP leaders trying to convince the public through faulty polling that abortion is not top of mind for voters, failing to see it as both a human rights issue and an economic one. Officials at the DHS, FBI, U.S. Capitol Police and National Counterterrorism Center have all said domestic violent extremists pose a threat for the 2022 midterms and the days that immediately follow. And we haven’t even addressed what they attempt to pass off as policy plans, the likes of which will decimate social security and Medicare benefits older Americans have worked their whole lives for.
As dramatic as it sounds — it’s the unfortunate truth. The rights and lives of millions of Americans hang in the balance tomorrow. What will you do to protect them?
