Michelle Obama is wrong. On October 11, 2018, she said: “Fear is not a proper motivator.” As noble as that sentiment might be, it is wrong. Donald Trump has proven to the entire world that fear is an excellent motivator. He has motivated his base by stoking fear of immigrants, fear of Muslims, fear of the free press, and now – fear of all Democrats. And as a result, his party controls all elements of the United States government.
Now the vast majority of Americans have much to fear.
We fear that the norms of civil discourse and respect in our society are decaying – with the President modeling behaviors that nobody would want of their children.
We fear that society is becoming more unequal – with the 1% gaining more money and power and the remainder of us fighting for the dregs.
We fear that our healthcare options will be stripped away, leaving us unable to afford decent healthcare and financially vulnerable to a health crisis.
We fear that rights that are protected by the Constitution are being systematically stripped away by the Republican dominated Legislative and Judicial branches.
We fear that Women’s rights are being eroded, at first slowly, but now with increasing speed and severity.
We fear that the regulations that protect our food, water, the goods we buy, and the services we use are being rolled back in ways that jeopardize our safety and security.
We fear that pollution and greenhouse gasses are destroying the planet’s ability to support life for future generations.
We fear that people who are non-white, non-christian, or non-hetero will be discriminated against or worse with no legal recourse because the courts are not supportive.
We fear that those who have money and power can do as they please with disregard for the law and human decency with no repercussions.
We fear that those who speak up about the abuse they have suffered will be humiliated, dismissed, and hounded by the self-appointed right wing trolls.
We fear that the very fabric of our society has been torn, and it is only getting worse.
But we can’t let fear paralyze us. There is still time for hope and goodness to prevail. But the window of time is closing. The longer that Republicans control the levers of government, the more damage they can do.
Historians will look back on the past two years as a very dark time in American history. This election will decide whether that darkness will deepen and our democracy will fall further into the abyss, or whether the people will take back their country and begin the long climb back to the land of the free and home of the brave. All Patriots MUST VOTE. Nothing is more important.
A PATRIOT'S THOUGHTS 