Trump is escalating, people. Do NOT let this become normal!
In May, 2017, Montana Republican Congressman Greg Gianforte physically assaulted a reporter who asked him a question about healthcare policy. The other day at a rally in Montana, Donald Trump praised Gianforte for that assault. This praise comes about the same time it was confirmed that Jamal Khashoggi, a reporter for the Washington Post, was murdered in the Saudi Embassy in Turkey in what is widely believed to be a political assassination by the Saudi government.
Trump is the standard bearer for the entire Republican Party. They are not going to stop him. It is up to the rest of us. And the only way to do that is to vote for Democrats on November 6. Not just for Senate and Congress, but also for Governor, and State legislatures, and County government and municipal government. Because this crap rolls downhill.
Here in Maine, we have an outgoing Governor who term limited out this year that is just as bad on domestic policy and the Republican candidate has pledged to continue the same. We have Republican legislators who enable this. As do most States. And many of these people start in municipal or county government.
We all need as much political protection from the vileness of the current Federal administration as possible. So that the States can say NO! to the bad decisions and stand up to fight them. So that the States can say NO! to the rollbacks of civil rights that have been hard-fought and won since the 1960s.
These rights include, but are not limited to:
- Reproductive choice
- Non-discrimination in the workplace
- Non-discrimination in education
- The ERA
- Marriage Equality
- Housing
- Voting rights
As well as protections spelled out in the US Constitution including the Right to Free Speech, assembly and the press. This administration’s constant verbal attacks, and now open support of physical violence against members of the press is an anathema to what this country is supposed to stand for.
I don’t think it’s a stretch by any means to equate this to fascism, and I’m not the only one saying so. This is how fascism gains a foothold in an otherwise stable democracy. This is how it started in Germany in 1933. Not all at once, but in small steps at first. And now those steps are getting bigger, and more visible. And it must be stopped.
November 6, 2018. This is likely to be the last chance to stop the rise of fascism in the United States Of America short of an actual civil war. Mark the date. If you have not already voted early / absentee, make a plan to vote and carry through. If you are not registered to vote, then register to vote NOW, and make a plan to vote. If you don’t know where your polling location is for election day, you can find it here on vote.org.