Today, in The Washington Post, George Will is writing that Americans should vote for Democrats in the November elections. And, earlier this week, another once staunch Republican -- Steve Schmidt -- urged American voters to do the same. Gary Mason writes:
When I caught up with Mr. Schmidt this week, he was holidaying in Europe. One of the places he visited was the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, which holds the graves of hundreds of soldiers killed at Normandy. Visiting the cemetery, and thinking of the sacrifices Canadian soldiers made as part of the Allied invasion on D-Day, as well as other joint war missions with the U.S., made him incensed over Mr. Trump’s recent criticisms of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“It made me understand even more the danger of having a President who is unravelling the Western alliance as a cowardly and silently complicit Congress watches on,” Mr. Schmidt told me. “We have the U.S. President attack the Prime Minister of Canada, insult our allies, while praising [North Korean dictator] Kim Jong-un and fetishizing every other murderous tyrant, dictator and autocrat in the world.”
The picture Mr. Schmidt paints of the U.S. at the moment is an unnerving one – a President who uses mass rallies, and the repetition of lies, to incite dangerous fervour among his base; a President who dispenses propaganda through news outlets like Fox and the Sinclair Broadcast Group that he says have effectively become arms of the state; a President who believes he is the law and whatever he says is true; a President who addresses the most complex problems by affixing blame to the most vulnerable people he can affix blame to, often minorities.
“The Republican Party is a great threat to freedom and liberty and the U.S.-led global order that is quickly unravelling,” Mr. Schmidt told me. “The Democratic Party is now called to be the sentinels of liberty and freedom. It’s essential that Trumpism be repudiated, and repudiated as fast as possible.”
There are some smart Republicans. But they have officially left the party. They will not join the Democrats. But they're urging their fellow citizens -- this time around -- to vote for them.
Image: Daily Mail
14 comments:
While voting for the Democrats appears to be the best stop-gap measure, Owen, I fear they are hardly a party of rectitude either. Just as our provincial Liberals are now saying it is time to renew the party, the same need exists with the Democrats. Their rejection, for example, of Bernie Sanders in favour of the very conventional Hillary Clinton shows that they have little appetite for becoming anything more than what they currently are, the party of expedience. I fear that should they do overwhelmingly well in the mid-terms, they will think that all is right in their political world and will go back to conducting business as usual once Trump is disposed of. Hence, I have little doubt that should someone intelligent and principled like Elizabeth Warren seek her party's nomination for the presidential race, she will be rejected in favour of a more status-quo candidate.
It seems to me that the problem American voters have is that the Democratic platform will be that We're not republicans. The Democrats have not taken the time to formulate any sort of refreshing vision, no sense of where to take the US. They don't even seem to be prepared to undo Trump's mess.
We are at a time where the old ideas have become well worn platitudes, Lorne. If the Democrats really want to do some good for their country, they are going to have to take a good look at who they are and who they want to be. Saying they are not Trumpians is a dodge -- pure and simple.
Exactly, Toby. The Democrats deperately need new ideas and new blood.
Toby has a good point that needs expanding.
I defy anyone to name a single party anywhere in the world the doesn't"t fall into three categories.
1. single issue
2. "We are not the other guys"
3. bought and paid for by special interests
Outside of maybe Scandinavia I doubt there are any parties that have a twenty five year plan improve peoples lives in whatever jurisdiction they are running in. I'm not sure anymore whose fault it is but when none of the above is the only good choice in any election, at any level of government the system is not only broken but can't be repaired from within. Maybe it is time for new parties set up in entirely new ways to get the interest of young people to start making the real changes we need.
Point well taken, bill. In the United States, the Whigs were replaced by the Republicans. In Canada, when the Conservatives and the Liberals could not develop policies for the times, the CCF arrived.
As I wrote to Toby, it's time for new ideas and new blood.
In Canada the Green Party has tried valiantly but has a difficult sell. We had the Reform Party and its mix with the Conservatives. Unfortunately, the electorate wants more of the same with a mean streak.
So, in the House Races, 43 Dem's are standing up, women, vets, POC, who have never run before, in fact, BT, ( Before Трамп), none were politically active or members of the Democratic Party. You won't read that in the FTFNYT who's a bit too busy "challenging" their readership with "diverse opinions" like being supportive of Nazi's feelings, preserving "access" journalism with the current Regime, and writing OpEd's on how "opinions differ" on Baby Concentration Camps in the USA.
In the US there is some "weirdness". North Dakota, ( pop. 515,000) has the same number of Senator's in DC, as California, (pop. 35 million + and the 5th largest economy in the World). Gerrymandering, voting supression, etc. So, as "loathsome" as "progressives" find "Blue Dogs", the Democratic Party can't take the House or Senate with out them.
Rob Ford got a Majority Government in Ontario, with less than 24% of the eligible vote. 42% of eligible Ontario Residents didn't care enough, one way or another, to vote, even with a Ford Government in the offing.
As we see in the US, not voting has real and immediate consequences.
Who's job is it to make the public aware of that?
Politicians?
The MSM?
The Public?
Keep in mind, only half of the population has above average intelligence.
There’s always the Green Party. And, it’s not a single issue Party. Read it’s platform.
UU
All good points, Jay. The bottom line is that not voting is a choice that has real -- and most often -- devastating consequences. Any election is always about turnout -- those who do and those who don't.
I agree, UU. The problem is that the Greens -- at least in North Aamerica -- have trouble gaining traction. In Ontario, we now have one Green MPP. One seat may make a difference. But it won't make a government.
Voting can have catastrophic consequences too. Catastrophic consequences are the norm for almost any human activity now.
Voting doesn't lead to wise policy, Deacon. But, in a democracy -- or what's left ot it -- it's the only way to get rid of unwise policy.
I agree, Toby. Any way you look at it, there is only one unavoidable conclusion: We are choosing our darker angels.
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