THE COMMONSENSE VOTE

VOTE FOR YOURSELF, YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN, and AMERICA

The foundation of democracy is one person, one vote. At its core, voting should accurately reflect the people's collective will. In a perfect world, voters would choose based on policies that best serve their economic and social interests. In reality, voters often make votes that contradict their financial self-interest and well-being. Too frequently, cultural identity, misinformation, racial perceptions, and social values play an outsized role in how Americans vote.

Too often, a person's vote is identity-based, an identity that is defined by ethnicity, religious affiliation, peer groups, work environments, and many other identifiers. Too many voters are, at best, uninformed and, at worst, misled and misinformed by leaders and influencers inside their identity group. There is too little authentic concern for policies and programs that affect the voter and even less willingness to seek information and learn about how these policies and programs affect each voter.

Each voter bears personal responsibility here. Everyone should vote based on examining the policies and programs that affect them. Everyone should ask, "Who and what supports me in my life. Who and what benefits me and my family." We know this is not what happens in America. Personal responsibility requires effort that too many are willing to surrender to someone else. Every politician knows this. Sadly, too many politicians and political groups exploit voters' intellectual laziness and gullibility.

The Fairness Doctrine was enacted in 1947. It required fair, truthful, and balanced information in TV news programs, advertisements, and political ads. The law required truthful and balanced information, and the FTC enforced those laws. In 1987, the Fairness Doctrine ended under the Reagan Administration. Deregulation was touted as the main reason for its elimination, and on the surface, deregulation seemed to be enough. However, the strategy became much more profound. Republicans said the Doctrine wasn't needed.

Republicans once again stretched the intent of the First Amendment to propose that all content was protected by it and that the truthfulness and balance infringed on the rights of some disseminators of content. Never mind the truthfulness or accuracy of the content; the public could make that judgment. We see the cost of this every day. Lies are disseminated and protected. Misinformation is disseminated and protected. Vicious attacks on people are protected. Obscene public comments are protected.

The Fairness Doctrine protected the public from this well-designed and orchestrated manipulation by the media and politicians. The elimination of the Doctrine opened the floodgates to abuses of the public trust by immoral and dishonest individuals and organizations. Still, in large part, the fault is our own. If we voted correctly, the Fairness Doctrine could be reinstated and protected from lies, misconceptions, and biased delivery of content from all sides. Democrats would reenact this Doctrine. Republicans never will.

Another critical factor preventing self-interest voting is an aspirational mindset. We are Americans, and we've been taught that hard work is the path to success. If we are unsuccessful, the fault is not the system but ours. If Americans are disappointed in their economic and social status, too often they believe they are "temporarily embarrassed millionaires" who need to be smarter and work harder to raise themselves. We shouldn't blame policies and politicians who favor the wealthy with tax cuts, deregulation of industries that allow price-gouging and exorbitant profits, or an ever-expanding wealth gap. We should work harder. We should be smarter. We should make better decisions. We shouldn't pay any attention to those wizards behind the curtain. Just work!

Racism, misogyny, and class consciousness are all powerful barriers to each voter casting votes in their own best interests. Too many white voters simply won't vote for anyone other than another white person.

I spoke about this odd and racist fact of life on the Huffington Post during the 2008 presidential campaign.

The Hidden Wound - Huffington Post

Too many men and women won't vote for a woman. Those two are obvious. Class consciousness is a bit harder to define and easier to deny. Too many white middle-class voters may perceive social safety nets and welfare programs as primarily benefiting racial minorities, even though these programs provide essential support to millions of white Americans as well. This perception has been stoked by political messaging that frames government assistance as a zero-sum game, where any gain for minorities is seen as a loss for white Americans. This racial resentment can lead voters to reject policies like Medicaid expansion, even when they stand to benefit from them directly because they believe these programs are unfairly designed to help "others" rather than themselves.

Similarly, racial fears about immigration and changing demographics can drive voters to support candidates who promise to preserve traditional social hierarchies or protect white cultural identity. In this context, economic self-interest takes a backseat to concerns about maintaining social status and racial dominance. This dynamic has been particularly evident in the rise of populist movements, where economic grievances are often intertwined with racial and cultural anxieties.

Cultural anxieties. Our embedded cultural denigration of women resides here. Misogyny. During the 2016 presidential election, one tiny incident predicted Hillary Clinton's loss. As was my habit, I had lunch with a group of teachers. We talked about the upcoming election often. One day, a female teacher commented, "I'm just not sure I can vote for a woman. I'm not sure I can trust a woman in a tough situation." I would have expected the comment from a man, but hearing this from an educated woman was surprising. I knew we were in trouble.

VP Kamala Harris faces the same cultural misogyny. Eight years have passed, but a lifetime or ten lifetimes may not be enough to lose the American denigration of women and the embedded doubts about their abilities compared to men to any man, including a convicted felon and generally reprehensible human being named Donald Trump.

The lines are so clearly marked, the quality of the candidates so obvious, and the choice we have in front of us so starkly clear that I am amazed nearly half of American voters will vote for the candidate that is the worst possible choice for America. The reasons for this destructive phenomenon are complex. Racism. Misogyny. Blasphemous Christianity. Hate. Fear. Xenophobia. Stubbornness. Ignorance. All of these and more contribute to Trump's support.

This is what we face. No words will change Trump's support. No flood of former Republicans speaking against him and endorsing Kamala Harris will change them. No conviction in court will. Sixty judges, most of them Republicans, who dismissed and ruled against claims the 2020 election was stolen will change them. Even Donald Trump inadvertently admitting that he "lost by a whisker" will change them. Nothing will. We know that.

Trump and MAGA are simple bullies. They know it works. It emboldens them and their supporters. They appeal to the lowest ideas and emotions because they know it works. Over 900 convictions related to the Jan. 6 insurrection aren't enough even though, by his admission, he "lost by a whisker." Nevertheless, we must continue to speak out. We must continue to speak to Trumpers when and where we can.

Too many Democrats and others are simply afraid. I understand the desire to avoid conflict, but the stakes are too high. America is at risk, and it is up to us, to each of us, to stand up to the idiotic and insane bullying of Trump, MAGA, and the Right. It is what we must do.