THE LAST INDEPENDENCE DAY
The Imperative of the November Election
Yesterday may be the last Independence Day celebrated in the United States. The anti-American forces that have been working quietly behind the scenes since the Nixon years now own the Republican National Committee and the Supreme Court, and effectively control the House of Representatives and the Senate. If these radical Republicans succeed in taking over the executive branch of our government and replacing our democracy and our constitution with an autocracy as they have openly avowed to do, we will all lose our freedom to publicly speak our opinions, to travel as we wish, and to have our votes count.
This election is still being framed by the media and by both political parties as a choice between Joe Biden and Trump. It is not. It is a choice between democracy and authoritarianism, between freedom and oppression, and between government that serves and government that dominates.
Joe Biden will be remembered by historians as one of the most effective presidents this country has experienced, but he clearly no longer has the stamina nor the focus to continue and may be forced to step down for the good of the country. Trump is a vile and dangerous babbling fool who will be remembered by historians as the worst president this country has ever experienced. He and the party that that supports him must be soundly defeated in November.
The Trump presidency was an unmitigated disaster by any metric of measurement. More than half a million people in our country died of COVID during Trump’s administration. Many of them would have survived if he had not denied the severity of the disease and dismissed the pandemic recovery plan prepared during the Obama administration. Putin felt confident he could take over Ukraine in a week after Trump ended crucial agreements and alliances with both allies and enemies of the United States. And inflation surged at the end of Trump’s presidency largely due to his ill-conceived border closings and tariffs on building supplies and consumer goods.
The Biden administration is staffed with brilliant executives who have been working tirelessly to improve economic and social conditions for working people in this country, regardless of their party affiliation or state of residence. The United States now has the strongest economy of any country in the world, the lowest inflation, full employment, and energy independence. The Biden team has strengthened NATO and stymied Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, while at the same time working to protect the Palestinians in Gaza from Netanyahu’s brutal invasion. We now have a government that should stay in place irrespective of who sits in the oval office next year.
An overwhelming majority of Americans support the programs, policies, and actions of the Democratic party, but too many voters do not recognize the difference between the Democratic programs, policies, and actions and those of the Republicans. The Biden administration took decisive action to guide our country into a full economic recovery, despite the near-unanimous expectations of economists that we would experience a recession. Yet a majority of voters still believe the Republicans are better at handling the economy.
We must change the narrative, and we don’t have much time to do that. It is essential that every person do what we can to get the truth out. Talk with your friends, your neighbors, and your family about the threats that you see. Rebut the posts of your loony uncle and your MAGA-crazed nephew. Flood their inboxes and social media with truth, the way they flood yours with whacky conspiracies.
Rebut misinformation wherever you see it, especially on social media sites. Call out your news sources when they fall back on being “fair and balanced” or play the “whataboutism” card. Contribute whatever you can to Democratic candidates. Boycott businesses whose owners support the Republican party and tell them you are doing it. Your voice needs to be heard and your vote needs to be counted in November, or there may not be an Independence Day next year.
(Cartoon AI-generated by Microsoft Copilot)