This Election Really Is Different
This Election Really Is Different
Warning signs have been flashing red for eight years
In 2016, I was living abroad and teaching English at an overseas high school. When I woke up the morning after the election and learned that my America, our America, had elected Donald Trump President, I was shocked. And then I was asked to explain to the students how such a thing could have happened.
I mustered up a half-hearted explanation about voters being upset and wanting change, but the truth was that even I wasn’t sure about my answer, or that I truly understood what had just happened. I spent the ensuing months—years, really—trying to understand it. And while I still don’t feel like I fully understand how so many people could either set aside all morals and principles—or have such a drastically different moral worldview that I can’t begin to know how to relate to them—I do at least feel like I have a better grasp of the problem facing us.
In my view, the problem has its roots in certain fundamental differences between this country’s various political tribes—differences which won’t be reconciled in a single election cycle. That said, I do believe that the problem facing us in this election cycle is solvable, and that it boils down to identifying those conservative, moderate, and undecided voters who wouldn’t normally vote for a Democratic candidate, but do believe that democracy, freedom, and our uniting bedrock principles are more important than party loyalty. In other words, we need to identify Americans who care more about the idea of America than they do about party labels or political identities.
For many Republicans, this represents a stark and difficult choice—essentially a political identity crisis—that most of us have never had to face before. Making such a choice, even if it is clearly the right one, requires great courage and determination that should not be taken for granted or minimized. After all, who among us wants to alienate our closest friends and allies to make common cause with people we do not generally see eye to eye with?
All of which brings me to my “why”. i.e. Why I have joined The Union. As the son of a career military officer, and I grew up with a deeply ingrained appreciation for courage, honor, and integrity. That is why I found it so fascinating that so many of Trump’s antagonists were career Republicans - e.g. Robert Mueller, James Comey, Rod Rosenstein, Andrew McCabe, Mitt Romney, Liz Cheney - who had no special animosity towards his political agenda, but simply refused to compromise their values to accommodate his power-hungry tendencies. I gained enormous respect for these people who were willing to risk their careers simply to do what was right.
Like many of us, I had hoped that Trump would simply go away after losing the 2020 election, but as anyone who has seen the movie Jaws will no doubt attest, we always knew that that shark was coming back. And as the 2024 election drew nearer, I knew that I had to do something to help defeat the dark side once and for all, in what is shaping up to be our collective Return of the Jedi moment (not to mix movie metaphors).
So, when an opportunity arose to volunteer with The Union, I knew that this was my moment to get up and get involved and do my part to save democracy. Like many, I sometimes feel exhausted find it tempting to just do my part in November and ignore the rest of it. But this one really is different. Trump really is different. He is not a normal man and not a normal politician. The warning signs have been flashing red for eight years now, and they’re only getting worse. Yes, we defeated him once, but all signs indicate that it is far from a sure bet that we will do so a second time. If we are going to vanquish him and his authoritarian movement once and for all, if we are going to ensure that these United States of America continue to be the safest and best haven of freedom and democracy anywhere in the world, then we are duty-bound not to take victory for granted.
We are duty-bound to get up, take action, and do whatever work is needed to ensure victory, no matter what obstacles stand in our way. For me, and for millions of other Americans, that means volunteering with groups like The Union every spare moment we can offer in order to seize victory from the jaws of potential defeat and ensure that the America we have known will be the America that our children know. In short, it is our responsibility to ensure that America shall remain America. Join us, and together we will.
Post submitted by John Reid, a volunteer with The Union serving on the communications team.