To the editor:
If you go to a theatre to watch an action movie or perhaps a sci-fi movie such as “Independence Day,” you have to suspend your disbelief to be able to enjoy some of the absurd and totally impractical scenes in such movies.
But you shouldn’t have to suspend your disbelief in your real life. Yet millions of Trump supporters are doing just that when they accept without question absolutely everything he says. I mean, do you really, really believe Democrats are eating babies?
But it is even worse than that. A couple of years ago, I was talking to the owners of a small automobile body-repair business. Like many small businesses, they are traditional GOP supporters, mostly because of the tax breaks. I asked one of the owners if he would really be OK with an authoritarian government. His answer floored me.
“What does authoritarian mean,” he asked.
Yes, that’s right: Many of his supporters have no clue what he is even talking about, never mind trying to figure out if any of it makes sense in the real world. They rally around more freedom, not recognizing that the first thing an authoritarian government does is remove freedoms, something that has already started happening with recent legal decisions.
Now, let’s be clear. Ignoring his personal attacks on his “enemies,” some of the concerns that Trump raises are legitimate. There are some issues with immigration (though not on the scale nor with the consequences that Trump claims); inflation has been high; food is expensive; and many people are definitely struggling. Housing is a problem. Sounds like he is on it, doesn’t it?
But hang on a moment and pay attention to his answers (or lack thereof) to any of these issues. “I’ll fix inflation,” he says. Awesome, terrific, great—but wait, exactly how will he fix inflation?
Well, I don’t know, and you don’t know either. Don’t hold your breath for an answer, certainly not an answer where you don’t have to suspend your disbelief. He doesn’t know either!
That is pretty much true for everything in his sphere. He doesn’t have realistic answers for any of these issues, and (again, if you don’t suspend your disbelief and look carefully) he is not interested in solving your problems. He is interested in staying out of jail and making deals using the power of the presidency to enrich himself at our expense. According to Forbes, he made $250 million while he was last in office. Better him than you, right? I don’t think so.
Mr. Trump doesn’t care what collateral damage is done to you, to the country, or to the world as long as he can benefit personally, just like Putin, Kim Jong Un, and other dictators are doing.
It doesn’t matter if you didn’t like Biden (and now Harris) and the Democrats; the next election is not about Democrats versus Republicans. It is about preserving democracy itself.
So ask yourself, do you really care about democracy? Because this might be your last chance to vote… ever!
James Davidson
Stockbridge
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