Voting is not enough
Voting is not enough
We must become engaged and active participants in the democratic process
Presidents Matter.
I’m writing this on Presidents Day — February 19, 2024 — when we briefly pause to specifically honor our two greatest Presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, and, by inference, all the other individuals who have served in this high office. When I was a youngster, Presidents Day didn’t exist. Instead, each February we noted Lincoln’s birthday on February 12th and Washington’s birthday on February 22nd.
In elementary school, my classmates and I learned that George Washington was born of the landed gentry in colonial Virginia. He rose to a level of high influence in the Virginia colonial government and subsequently joined with the other Founding Fathers in taking the brave but necessary steps to declare the colonies’ collective independence from the British Crown. With his previous military experience and leadership skills, Washington successfully led the colonial armies through periods of peril and desperation to ultimate victory during the Revolutionary War. He then was chosen President of the new United States of America. The new government was fragile, yet Washington demonstrated boundless skill and wisdom in getting the nation settled on a firm foundation. Then, in an unprecedented act of national leadership, he stepped aside after two terms in office to make way for other leaders.
Similarly, we students learned that Abraham Lincoln was born of very humble origins in Kentucky, raised in Indiana, and came of age in Illinois (all parts of what was frontier America at the time). He had a very strong moral compass that framed his outlook throughout life. Via self-education, Lincoln became a modestly successful lawyer and a not-so-successful politician, losing more races than he won prior to being elected President in 1860 during one of the most portentous political periods in our history. While in office during the Civil War, Lincoln’s decisions were often criticized roundly, and his popularity was frequently low. Yet he was also known for keeping counsel with a wide variety of learned advisors. Then, after considering all their input, he determined the most appropriate course of action and proceeded forward without being overly concerned with whether the chosen course would be politically popular. History has documented that on the whole, Lincoln was indeed our greatest President, having served nobly, ably, and with profound wisdom during such a fractious and dangerous time in the nation’s history.
Thus far, over forty other individuals have served as President of the United States. Some showed themselves to be visionary, inspirational, and to possess outstanding administrative and political skills. Most others proved to be highly competent, keeping the nation’s best interests paramount while serving in office. A few demonstrated they had only meager skills and/or that they placed their personal interests and benefits above those of the country at large. Only one, however, has demonstrated either disinterest in or contempt for the interests of this vast country and its many millions of citizens, choosing to solely focus instead on how he could use his position as President to maximally enhance his own status and fortunes. Of course, that one singular outlier among our Presidents to date is Donald Trump.
Right now, this noisy, dishonest, narcissistic carnival barker of a politician is campaigning to regain the Presidency and implement an even more extreme self-interested approach to the office. It is no exaggeration to state that the United States of America runs a very high risk of sinking into a potentially long era of authoritarian rule if Trump is elected once again. Trump is a modern day demagogue and repeatedly demonstrates neofascist aims. Beyond Trump himself, he heads a transformed Republican Party that no longer demonstrates a commitment to or belief in our nation’s founding democratic principles. Instead it has become a cult centered around and focused solely on pleasing Trump himself. Many of Trump’s MAGA minions are in public office across the land already doing his bidding, and many more are seeking to join the ranks. As a one time Republican myself, it deeply saddens me to see the breadth and depth of the deterioration of this formerly responsible political party. Now is not a time for lamentations, however. It is time to act.
If we are to preserve our nation as a beacon of freedom throughout the world, we citizens must step up and commit our maximum efforts to defeat Trump and all MAGA candidates at every level of public office. Voting in the upcoming elections is, of course, critical, but voting itself is not enough. We must become engaged and active participants in the democratic process. The Union serves as an informative and effective conduit for enabling each of us concerned citizens to do just that. That’s why I, along with many thousands of my fellow citizens, have joined The Union. It’s now or never. We all must do our part. If you care about this country and its future, you need to join The Union too.
Post submitted by James Utt, a volunteer with The Union from Minneapolis, Minnesota
Note: The views and opinions expressed by volunteer contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Union, a single-issue organization that welcomes all and is dedicated to protecting democracy.
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